He seems to be happier than he was as a child, yet still troubled. He became known as Dee-troit Red Malcolm was already fleeing his given name on the search to change who he felt he was. The metamorphosis that Hayden focuses on is made even more apparent with this line. He conked his hair Hayden does not meaninglessly place this line into the poem. The conking of the hair was something that was very popular amongst many African American males during the 1920’s through the 1960’s. This was an attempt by Malcolm to appear to look more like a white male. The attempt of metamorphosis was not only the central them of Hayden’s poem but was also a central theme in the life of Malcolm X. Malcolm’s childhood controlled what he was slowly becoming as an adult. “His injured childhood bullied him…he could not hurt the enemy powered against him there.” In these few lines in the poem it was apparent that Malcolm have made some attempts to better himself and perhaps gain equality but the evidence of his troubled youth and need for change held him
He seems to be happier than he was as a child, yet still troubled. He became known as Dee-troit Red Malcolm was already fleeing his given name on the search to change who he felt he was. The metamorphosis that Hayden focuses on is made even more apparent with this line. He conked his hair Hayden does not meaninglessly place this line into the poem. The conking of the hair was something that was very popular amongst many African American males during the 1920’s through the 1960’s. This was an attempt by Malcolm to appear to look more like a white male. The attempt of metamorphosis was not only the central them of Hayden’s poem but was also a central theme in the life of Malcolm X. Malcolm’s childhood controlled what he was slowly becoming as an adult. “His injured childhood bullied him…he could not hurt the enemy powered against him there.” In these few lines in the poem it was apparent that Malcolm have made some attempts to better himself and perhaps gain equality but the evidence of his troubled youth and need for change held him