Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary
The dictionary definition of anthropology is the science of human beings; especially the study of human beings and their ancestors in relation to physical character, environmental and social relations, and culture. However, there is more to it—an anthropologist looks for connections between different cultures and their development. These connections are found by looking for specific patterns of behavior and thinking that are shared, called Cultural Universals. The four types of Cultural Universals are communication, values, physical objects, and ideals and religion.
The novels Malcolm X: By Any Means Possible, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, and A Tugging String illustrated their main topics and themes through shared cultural universals.
In the book Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary, written by Walter Dean Myers, the cultural universal of values was used frequently.
Evidence/Source …show more content…
Malcolm X valued African-American rights, however, the methods he considered necessary, others saw as criminal and violent. He states, “The very enormity of my previous life’s guilt prepared me to accept the truth” (Myers 68). This shows that he considered his previous actions wrong, but that he thought of his violent methods and future actions as right, and justifiable. He also commented on Martin Luther King’s nonviolent methods, “Whoever heard of a nonviolent revolution...without bloodshed?” (Myers x-xi). This is an example of values, because he believed that the ends justify the means. Malcolm promoted violence towards whites, but many saw it as justified. This shows that what may be right and just to one group, is wrong and evil to another. Another part of this Cultural Universal is rights and responsibility assignments by age and gender group. This can also be applied to race. In Malcolm X’s time period, it was believed that blacks were inferior, and thus they were given low-paying, often menial jobs. Malcolm X’s teacher, although he liked Malcolm, told him, “We all here like you, you know that. But you’ve got to be realistic about being a n-. A lawyer—that’s not a realistic goal for a n-. You need to think about something you can be. You’re good with your hands. Why don’t you plan on carpentry?” (Myers 37) Although Malcolm was well liked by his peers and teachers, he was not able to attempt to acquire a law degree, because that was not something his racial group was allowed to do. This quote is also an example of communication. An offensive term is used directly to Malcolm’s face, the n-word. However, it was not used in a cruel way, in fact, the person who used it was friendly to Malcolm X, and almost considered him an equal, though he was African American.
The next cultural universal, physical, was abundant in my second book, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, written by Mildred D. Taylor.
Evidence/Source A scene in this book is described as follows: “In the...front lawn, waving red, white, and blue with the emblem of the Confederacy...was the Mississippi flag. Directly below it was the American flag,” (Taylor 15). This is an example of two cultural universals—objects and communication. It shows the importance that is placed in symbols and other objects, as well as the fact that something as simple as a flag can communicate with many people merely by its appearance. Another example of the cultural universal of physical is when the main characters receive new books for their classroom. “Everyone gasped, for most of the students had never handled a book at all,” (Taylor 21). To these students, books were something new and exciting, while to other, wealthier people, books were merely a common, everyday object, enjoyable, but not at all out of the ordinary. The same could be said about any other object. Another Cultural Universal that is found in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is that of values. After a disagreement between the main character and a girl of another race, she comments, “You’re s’pose to forgive these things...turn the other cheek,” (Taylor 174). She was taught that the proper thing to do in a situation like hers is to forgive and forget. However, she questions this, believing that she deserves what she sees as justice.
Topic Sentence #3: The third and last book I read was A Tugging String, a historical fiction written by David Greenberg about the struggle for African American voting rights, and specifically one lawyer.
Body Paragraph #3:
Evidence/Source
Values are shown in a quote by Martin Luther King, Jr.
“‘One must have the inner determination to resist what conscience tells him is evil with all of the strength...he can muster,’” (Greenberg 109). He is saying that one must do what he believes to be morally right, and must not waver. Another Cultural Universal is that of communication. “‘Look,’ I heard Josiah say, ‘they’re talking about Dad on TV’...Grandma, clearly not grasping the situation, said, ‘See, I told you he was famous,’” (Greenberg 120). In her eyes, there is a direct association between television and fame. If someone is on television, then they must be famous. This shows communication in that if something is communicated through the television, people were more likely to believe it because they thought that anyone on TV was famous, so they would listen. Another example of communication is a character communicating through actions. “Dorothy...walked directly up to the…whites side of the counter...The clerk was aghast,” (Greenberg 141). In this case, she communicated more efficiently than if she tried to reason with the
clerk.
In conclusion, I learned the four cultural universals, communication, physical, values, and ideals and religion. These help me better understand and analyze the books I read. The historical fiction books I read showed examples of the Cultural Universals, which allowed me to learn more about the time period in which the book is set. In my non-fiction book, I learned about Malcolm X’s personal experiences with Cultural Universals, which taught me the ways in which they are applied to real situations. This project has shown me that I live in a world where people still suffer from discrimination, and that one should not have a bias against a group merely because of skin color. Studying these topics has given me a deeper understanding of the time period in which segregation was common.
The novels Malcolm X: By Any Means Possible, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, and A Tugging String illustrated their main topics and themes through shared cultural universals.
In the book Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary, written by Walter Dean Myers, the cultural universal of values was used frequently.
Evidence/Source …show more content…
Malcolm X valued African-American rights, however, the methods he considered necessary, others saw as criminal and violent. He states, “The very enormity of my previous life’s guilt prepared me to accept the truth” (Myers 68). This shows that he considered his previous actions wrong, but that he thought of his violent methods and future actions as right, and justifiable. He also commented on Martin Luther King’s nonviolent methods, “Whoever heard of a nonviolent revolution...without bloodshed?” (Myers x-xi). This is an example of values, because he believed that the ends justify the means. Malcolm promoted violence towards whites, but many saw it as justified. This shows that what may be right and just to one group, is wrong and evil to another. Another part of this Cultural Universal is rights and responsibility assignments by age and gender group. This can also be applied to race. In Malcolm X’s time period, it was believed that blacks were inferior, and thus they were given low-paying, often menial jobs. Malcolm X’s teacher, although he liked Malcolm, told him, “We all here like you, you know that. But you’ve got to be realistic about being a n-. A lawyer—that’s not a realistic goal for a n-. You need to think about something you can be. You’re good with your hands. Why don’t you plan on carpentry?” (Myers 37) Although Malcolm was well liked by his peers and teachers, he was not able to attempt to acquire a law degree, because that was not something his racial group was allowed to do. This quote is also an example of communication. An offensive term is used directly to Malcolm’s face, the n-word. However, it was not used in a cruel way, in fact, the person who used it was friendly to Malcolm X, and almost considered him an equal, though he was African American.
The next cultural universal, physical, was abundant in my second book, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, written by Mildred D. Taylor.
Evidence/Source A scene in this book is described as follows: “In the...front lawn, waving red, white, and blue with the emblem of the Confederacy...was the Mississippi flag. Directly below it was the American flag,” (Taylor 15). This is an example of two cultural universals—objects and communication. It shows the importance that is placed in symbols and other objects, as well as the fact that something as simple as a flag can communicate with many people merely by its appearance. Another example of the cultural universal of physical is when the main characters receive new books for their classroom. “Everyone gasped, for most of the students had never handled a book at all,” (Taylor 21). To these students, books were something new and exciting, while to other, wealthier people, books were merely a common, everyday object, enjoyable, but not at all out of the ordinary. The same could be said about any other object. Another Cultural Universal that is found in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is that of values. After a disagreement between the main character and a girl of another race, she comments, “You’re s’pose to forgive these things...turn the other cheek,” (Taylor 174). She was taught that the proper thing to do in a situation like hers is to forgive and forget. However, she questions this, believing that she deserves what she sees as justice.
Topic Sentence #3: The third and last book I read was A Tugging String, a historical fiction written by David Greenberg about the struggle for African American voting rights, and specifically one lawyer.
Body Paragraph #3:
Evidence/Source
Values are shown in a quote by Martin Luther King, Jr.
“‘One must have the inner determination to resist what conscience tells him is evil with all of the strength...he can muster,’” (Greenberg 109). He is saying that one must do what he believes to be morally right, and must not waver. Another Cultural Universal is that of communication. “‘Look,’ I heard Josiah say, ‘they’re talking about Dad on TV’...Grandma, clearly not grasping the situation, said, ‘See, I told you he was famous,’” (Greenberg 120). In her eyes, there is a direct association between television and fame. If someone is on television, then they must be famous. This shows communication in that if something is communicated through the television, people were more likely to believe it because they thought that anyone on TV was famous, so they would listen. Another example of communication is a character communicating through actions. “Dorothy...walked directly up to the…whites side of the counter...The clerk was aghast,” (Greenberg 141). In this case, she communicated more efficiently than if she tried to reason with the
clerk.
In conclusion, I learned the four cultural universals, communication, physical, values, and ideals and religion. These help me better understand and analyze the books I read. The historical fiction books I read showed examples of the Cultural Universals, which allowed me to learn more about the time period in which the book is set. In my non-fiction book, I learned about Malcolm X’s personal experiences with Cultural Universals, which taught me the ways in which they are applied to real situations. This project has shown me that I live in a world where people still suffer from discrimination, and that one should not have a bias against a group merely because of skin color. Studying these topics has given me a deeper understanding of the time period in which segregation was common.