Life Experiences and Philosophies of M.L.King, Jr. and Malcolm X Essay

Life Experiences and Philosophies of M.L.King, Jr. and Malcolm X - Essay Example He was brought up in a family that upheld dignity and ethnic awareness at a time that racism had started in a bid to curtail the enlightening of the blacks by preachers like reverend Earl. His upbringing saw him witness horrific experiences, his family being harassed, their house burned, threatened, and they were even shot at. His family was brought to their untimely death when he was six years old. He dropped out of school at fifteen years, adopted the livelihood of the streets, was jailed at twenty years following a conviction of burglary and was imprisoned till the age of twenty seven. It was during his imprisonment that he learnt the ways of Islam and upon his release in 1952; he was a changed man, a follower of Elijah Muhammad (Haley 1). However, Dr. King was born on 15th January 1929 in the City of Georgia to a Baptist minister James King and Albert. In a bid to uphold tradition, he was named after a role model Martin Luther. His u brining was not as horrifying as that of Malco lm X. He had the privilege to attain education and even go till college where he attained a degree in Sociology and his posting to Montgomery capital city of Alabama saw him make the first activist move against racism. This was illustrated when he represented the blacks in Montgomery in boycotting the Montgomery city bus lines (183 days) to protest the arrest of a black lady who declined to give up her seat for a white passenger. This saw the birth of a young Baptist preacher civil right activist in 1st December 1955(Martin Luther King, Jr.1-8). The life experiences of Malcolm X saw his transformation into Islam Nation. In contrast, Dr. King and other activists were jailed after planning to stage a demonstration in Birmingham. It was during this period that the philosophy of Dr. King against racism was empirically evident. He affirmed in a manifesto that he could not just relax in Atlanta and not worry about the injustices that blacks were facing in Birmingham. He conferred that the destiny of all blacks was intertwined and oppression on one group translated to oppression to all blacks. He documented in the manifesto that anyone who lived within the US boundaries could not be considered an outsider and hence their peaceful demonstration in Birmingham was justified (Martin Luther King, Jr.1-8). Prior to his conversion while Malcolm X was still under the guidance of Elijah Muhammad, he is stipulated to view America as the devil that needed to be brought down by Elijah, the god. He metaphorically described the oppression faced by the blacks as a dagger six feet deep a black man’s back. He asserted that it was illogic for the white to expect the blacks to celebrate if the dagger was wedged and was currently four feet deep. This illustrated by the brotherhood experienced by the white Islamic faithful. To him it was satirical as even if the dagger symbolizing oppression was removed, the scar would still be evident hence Americans would always have to pay for their actions (Haley 1). Contrast to the belief of Malcolm X, the leader this essay chooses to affiliate with, Dr. King was a staunch follower of Christianity. Though life provided him with the best opportunities, he did not give a blind eye to the injustices faced by blacks in the hands of the white Americans. Unlike Malcolm X who believed that it was only through violence that justice could be achieved, Dr. King