Five Accounts of the Assassination of Malcolm X

          Understanding a writer's perspective plays a huge role in comprehending the meaning of their writing. In the article, "Five Accounts of the Assassination of Malcolm X," we are presented with multiple articles detailing the same event. Knowing what has been written and how it has been written allows us to fully grasp the writer's intent of creating the article.

          The first account is made by the "New York Times" and published on February 22, 1995. The writer starts off with a simple description of Malcolm X, characterizing him as a "militant Black Nationalist", and later, a, "bearded negro extremist." The writer then recounts Malcolm's killer as nothing more than, "a 22-year-old negro." These descriptions demonstrate a clear intent to demonize Malcolm X, his followers, and blacks as a whole. This is achieved by the intentional use of the words "militant," "black nationalist," and, "extremist." These words, all commonly having negative connotations, make Malcolm seem like an aggressive, violent, white hating man, who uses extremes to make his decisions. This is exactly what the writer wanted.

          This purpose to portray blacks in a negative light appears very often during this time period, and as a result, many of these articles share that very same idea. For example, Life Magazine's account of the event, published on March 5, 1965, described Malcolm as, "...once being the shrillest voice in black supremacy." The author then includes the quote, "flaying the hated white man." "Black supremacy," and "hated white man" were used here in an attempt to undermine the black movement for equality. Of course, what racial equality movement would share a hatred for another race, and the belief that their race reigns supreme over another? Another excerpt from Life Magazine's account goes as follows, "...the fact that Malcolm had been killed not by 'whitey' but by members of his own race." This quote, found at the end of the article is a jab at Malcolm and his followers, as a way to rub in the fact that he was betrayed by his own people, rather than members of the white community. These quotes reveal a motive to challenge the legitimacy of Malcolm X's movement and struggles.
          The next article, published by "The New York Post," on February 22, 1965, uses diction that is in heavy contrast from the previous two articles. This article also differs from the previous ones as it is a personal account from someone who witnessed Malcolm's assassination firsthand. It starts off with the quote, "They came early to the Audubon Ballroom, perhaps drawn by the expectation that Malcolm X would name the men who firebombed his home last Sunday." This was included to create sympathy and demonstrate Malcolm's struggles and the monstrous actions of those who opposed him. The writer then described the first moments proceeding Malcolm X's entrance into the ballroom. They wrote, "Malcolm looked up and said, 'a salaam aleikum (peace be unto you),' and the audience replied, 'We aleikum salaam (and unto you, peace).'" The author then described Malcolm's appearance, "Bespectacled and dapper in a dark suit, sandy hair glinting in the light..." These first encounters with Malcolm serve not only as an introduction to the incident, but allows the reader to get an inside look in to what a typical meeting with Malcolm may be like. It made sure to include Malcolm's appearance, describing him to be in a very neat and presentable manner, along with Malcolm wishing peace upon his followers, and them wishing peace back to him. At this point, everything seems fine and dandy, that is until the author writes, "I heard Malcolm X say his last words: 'Now, brothers, break it up,' he said softly, 'Be cool, be calm.'" This depicts Malcolm being a respectable and peaceful leader, showing him using words to resolve conflict. Continuing with specific snapshots that encapsulate the incident, mentioning people screaming, Malcolm's followers soaked in his blood, and his followers mourning their leader's death, while simultaneously trying to attack the killers. This was all to show that Malcolm and his followers were the victims of the situation, by showing that their peaceful meeting had been ruined by the actions of coldblooded killers.

          The next articles use a more moderate or unbiased method of recalling the event. These articles by the "Associated Press" (February 22, 1965), and "The Amsterdam News" (February 27, 1965) include very few personal opinions and rely much more heavily on facts and confirmed events to get their point across. The "Associated Press" article describes the killer as "a 22-year-old man," that was, "rescued from a savage beating by Malcolm X supporters." The article finishes off with a full detailing of the guns used in the assassination and where it had happened. Although the word "savage" may raise a few red flags toward whether or not Malcolm's supporters were in the right or wrong, the rest of the article remains fairly neutral and factual. The same can be said about the account from "The Amsterdam News," there is not much that comes across as trying to promote a narrative. It simply recalls facts and includes short quotes from supporters who were briefly interviewed. The article does, however, describe the killing as "cold blooded" and says Malcolm had, "...grown to the stature of respectable leadership." These show that the author does seem to be on the side of Malcolm, but that view is not pushed onto the reader like we've seen in the other articles.
          These five accounts say a lot about perspective and demonstrate just how important it is in a person's writing. Although all of these articles told about the same event, they were all written with different intentions. Some portrayed Malcolm as a hero, while others portrayed him as a villain, and others included little personal opinion at all. All of these points of view were constructed through the author's background, personal experiences, political views, and etc. Compiling all of the evidence I have presented previously, it is evident that a writer's perspective is the most impacting factor in their writing.