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MichaelaGiordano
ProfessorJackie
English114B
16March2015
Maconvs.MalcolmX
Segregationwithinsocietyhasbeendealtwiththrougheitherviolentactionsor
peacefulefforts.ThecontemporarysatireAngryBlackWhiteBoy,writtenbyAdam
Mansbach,presentsastrikingcharacter,Macon,whoresemblesmanycharacteristicsof
thefamousMalcolmX.MaconDetornayisayoungcollegestudentwhohasconstructed
hisidentitybaseduponAfricanAmericancultureandworkedtoshowtheundervalued
roleofblackpeopleinsociety.Inthesamesense,MalcolmX,anAmericanMuslim
ministerandhumanrightsactivist,isrememberedforspendingagreatdealofhislife
fightingracialsegregationanddiscrimination.MaconandMalcolmcanbeeasily
comparedandcontrastedthroughtheirdrivenpersonalities,rolesinsocietybasedupon
segregationanddiscrimination,andthewaytheywentaboutmakingastatement.
Thoughthesetwoleaderssharedmanyofthesamequalities,theyalsopossessed
theirdifferencesaswell.Besidestheobviousfactthattheydonotsharethesamerace,
bothmenfoughtforthesamecause,buttheirwaysaboutdealingwiththesituationwere
notthesame.Forinstance,Malcolmwasintelligent,articulate,andappointedasminister
andnationalspokesmanfortheNationofIslam(MalcolmX:Biography).Throughhis
highclasspresenceanddemandingauthority,heproceededtoleadprotestsagainst
segregationthroughnonviolentyetempoweringprotests.Hisimpactfulspeecheswere

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whatallowedhimtoberespectedbynotonlytheAfricanAmericancommunity,butthe
Whitecommunityaswell.SimilarilytoMalcolm,MaconattendedColombiaUniversity,
paidforbyhiswealthygrandfather,wherehewasabletoreceiveareasonableeducation
(Mansbach).Insteadofusinghisschoolingtofightagainstsegregation,heusedhis
streetsmartskillstoreachthepeoplethroughviolence;thiswasoutofangrytowardsthe
situation.Maconcouldhavetakentheactionsofspeakingthroughprotestsand
demonstratingwhythediscriminationthatwastakingplacewassoinhumane.He
proceedstotaketheactionoftryingtoperceivehisidentityasBlackeventhoughheis
extremelyawareoftheactualcolorofhisskin,White.Beingabusytaxidriverinthe
heartofNewYorkCity,Maconusesthetacticofrobbingwhitefolksoftheir
possessions.Hispurposebehindthisistoshocksocietiesfirstassumptionsofthese
violentactionsbeingperformedbyablackperson.Maconcouldjustifyhisactions
throughthewisewordsofMalcolm,Concerningnonviolence,itiscriminaltoteacha
mannottodefendhimselfwhenheistheconstantvictimofbrutalattacks.Thisquote
directlycorrelatestothestereotypeofAfricanAmericansbeingassumedofcriminalacts,
justliketheonesMaconwasmaking.Maconinternallystruggleswiththefactthathis
raceisWhite,butexternallyexpresseshisBlackculturebyrelatingtoAfricanAmericans
insteadofwhitepeople.
Anotherdifferencetheseimpactfulmenshareistheirinvolvementwiththeir
religiousbeliefs.MalcolmismadeknownforhisIslamicbeliefsandhisheavy
involvementwiththeassociationoftheIslamicreligiouscommunity.Heconvertedto
IslamwhenintroducedtotheideabyhisbrotherReginald,whobelongedtothereligious

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organizationtheNationofIslam(MalcolmX:Biography).Eversincethen,hebecamean
activeleaderintheIslamicsocietyandmadethesebeliefsapartofhislifestyle.The
IslamicreligionwasreflectedthroughMalcolmsethicsandmoralshedisplayed.He
tookthemoralsandethicsfromtheIslamicreligionandappliedthemtohistacticsand
reasonsfordefendingtheBlackpeopleduringthecivilrightsmovement.Unlike
Malcolm,Maconpresentsnoreligiousmoralsorethicsbehindhisactions.Hisruthless
violentattacksdestroythevisionofhismotives.
Atragic,yetcoincidentalwaythesetwoabolitionleadersaresimilaristheway
theirlifecametoanend.Malcolminfamouslyknownforbeingassassinatedwhile
givingaspeechManhattansAudubonBallroomonFebruary21,1965(MalcolmX:
Biography).ThreeruthlessgunmenrushedthestageandshotadvocateMalcolmuntilhe
wasdead.Hisassassinationwassignificanttosocietyinordertoprovethetruecruelty
behinddiscriminationtowardsAfricanAmericans.Almostinthesamefashion,Macon
wasassassinatedforhisefforttosimultaneouslyattainablackidentitywhilestillbea
partofthewhitecommunity.Maconwasmisleadintobelievinghewastakingpartasan
actorforafilmconcerninghowwhitepeopletreatblackpeopleinsociety.Littledid
Maconknow,hewalkedrightintohisowndeath.Hewasshotbyoneofthefellowactors
onscene.Maconsdeathwasimportanttotheplotofthestorytonotonlydisplayhow
greatthetensionwasbetweenwhiteandblackpeople,buttoshowthatduringthistimeit
isalmostimpossibletobeonbothsides.
Thoughbothinfluentialleadersmakeastatementconcerningtheideaof
discriminationoftheAfricanrace,theysharetheirdifferencesaswell.WhetherMacons

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tacticsofgettinghispointacrossweremorallyincorrect,hispurposebehindhisactions
servedasgoodintentionstodefendaraceinneed.Howevertheydecidedtoportraytheir
identitiesmadethemtheinfluentialmentheyareknowntobe.Besidestheseimpactful
mensdifferences,theyshareddrivetodaretobedifferentbysteppingupinaplace
wherenooneelsewould.

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WorkCited
"Biography."MalcolmX.N.p.,10Feb.2015.Web.01Mar.2015.Web.
Mansbach,Adam.AngryBlackWhiteBoy,Or,TheMiscegenationofMaconDetornay:
A
Novel.NewYork:ThreeRivers,2004.Print.