X is Known

At this point in the book, Malcolm X has make quite a drastic change in his lifestyle. The main reason is because he can't keep up his regular hustling life while in prison. When his brother introduces Malcolm to Islam, he plants a seed that grows exponentially over a relatively short period of time. This time allowed Malcolm to formulate his own beliefs about what being a Muslim means, and gave him the opportunity to educate himself. He took the latter very seriously and eventually became a very well read person. Malcolm's interaction with Elijah Muhammad really motivated him to look further into the nation of Islam and make the journey his own. After a while of reading and exploring, Malcolm came to the point where he had strong convictions about how the modern world had been formed and had his own opinions about the condition of the black American. This is actually the point where Malcolm has made a 180 degree change in his thinking. It's amazing to think that only years before, Malcolm had never put any thought into books, let alone reading about religion and faith. He was only about hustling and living life as dangerously as he could. The reformation that Malcolm is going through in prison brings out the Malcolm X that is known and remembered now, the Malcolm that risked and gave his life to change the condition of the black American. For this reason, I could say that at this point in the book, X is known. X is known for both Malcolm and the reader.

X Marks the Spot

I'm having trouble deciding what this topic actually means, but the first thing that came to my head was the idea that the Autobiography of Malcolm X is probably one of most influential and powerful books ever printed. This means that it is a book that everyone really need s to read, maybe even more than once. In this context, I suppose the title of this blog can mean that out of the millions of books out there, this book is one that really stands out and can make people rethink their beliefs and their view of the world around them. In more specific terms, this topic could be referring to how all of Malcolm's actions up to this point in the book are leading up to some climactic point where he learns something significant about himself and his outlook on life. Right now, Malcolm is just getting deeper and deeper into the trouble that was to be found in Harlem at that time. Eventually, all of this must lead Malcolm to a point where he decides to completely change his lifestyle and beliefs. Maybe, without even knowing it, Malcolm has picked out a point of crime, drugs, and alcohol that he won't go past. This could be the point at which all of the negative things he has done come to a head, and he is faced with a choice: change his ways, or end up facing serious jail time or maybe even death.

Album/Track Review

Now that we have just finished a movie on the topic of sampling music and creating new tracks and albums, I'd like to bring up the song, "Dark Fantasy" from Kanye West's newest album, "My Dark Twisted Fantasy". This song is one of my favorites off of the album, but one little bit of the song had me thinking about sampling copyrighted materials, and what portion of that sampled music is "OK" to use. One line of the hook is, "Can we get much higher?", and this line was taken directly from another song. This song is Mike Oldfield's, "In High Places". The line sounds exactly the same in Kanye's song as it does in Oldfield's. I bring up this particular instance because it occurs in a relatively recently released album, which I think should receive recognition as one of the best albums of 2010. This obviously means that I really like this album, but the movie that we just watched had me thinking about the fact that West directly took someone else's idea and sound without actually recognizing that person. I suppose I'd be completely ok with it if Kanye actually included the names of the artists whose works he sampled. I definitely respect Kanye as a producer, but I'm somewhat apprehensive to recognize his genius without recognizing all of those who added to his album.

I Know This Means Something

I don't really want to write about religion for this blog; I'd rather write about something that I am a bit more certain about. That subject would be the help and support my Mother and Father have provided me with for the past 18 years and the fact that I will have to thank them in a tremendous way someday. They may say that I have repaid them already because of who I have become and how I have done in school and everything, but I don't really think that this is enough. They have been there for me countless times and I definitely wouldn't be where I am today without them. For this reason, one of many motivations to become successful is to attempt to show my parents how much their support meant to me and how large of a role they played in nearly every step of my life. I'll have to show them that the minor arguments that we've had over the years meant nothing next to trust and reliability of our relationship. At the end of the day, they are the only people I know that will have my interests on their mind even before they think of themselves. As time passes, I think that this concept should flip the other way around. One of my biggest wishes is that my parents can live life exactly how they want to when they are older and I'm on my own. I would love to call them in the future and hear that they are taking a trip to the Caribbean or to Europe. If I can be part of getting them to that point, I'd be a much happier person. Right now, I see the best way of returning their tremendous favor to me as helping them get to where they want to be, once I can of course.