my first conk essay

Racial defacing In Malcolm X’s excerpt My First Conk, He describes the process to get a conk. He talks about how his friend will do it for free instead of paying for it. He then goes on to list the items they need to buy to make the “congolene” to make the conk. They need “Red Devil lye, two eggs, and two medium- sized white potatoes… and a large jar of Vaseline, a large bar of soap.” Then the drugstore clerk comments about the Malcolm X getting a conk and Malcolm proudly says “Right!” He later goes on to describe the way the mixture is made and how the Red Devil lye makes the mixture burning hot. His friend tells him “it burns bad but the longer you can stand it, the straighter the hair.” He then proceeds to start to comb it into Malcolm X’s hair. Malcolm X says he did not go without a conk for many years. He says he comes to a realization in his later years. He says the conk is one of the most self-degrading looks any black man can have. He also says he is not exempting himself from that category. He does not understand the fascination of black men both rich and dirt poor conking just to look like white men. He states “if they gave the brains in their heads just half as much attention as they do their hair, they would be a thousand times better off.” At the time this was written many black men regularly conked their hair. Malcolm X may have had different reasons for getting a conk than another person who conked their hair; this paper will exemplify the reasons for conking, why Malcolm X’s views changed so drastically towards it, and why people change their appearances to “fit in”. American culture assumed African American men conked their hair because they wanted to be like white men. They are probably right, but they assumed that this was the only reason they did it. Malcolm X does not say why he conked at the age he did. He could have done it because he wanted to be like white men. One can also argue he succumbed to peer pressure of other black men. One

Cited: Falconer, Megan. "The Shorthorn : UT-Arlington 's Main News Source Since 1919." The Shorthorn. N.p., 14 Sept. 2010. Web. 24 Oct. 2013. Nunez, Yanels. "Some Remarks on Hairstyles, Stereotypes and Comfort - Havana Times.org." Havana Times.org Some Remarks on Hairstyles Stereotypes and Comfort Comments. HavanaTimes.org, 15 July 2012. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.