“My First Conk” Response Questions

1. Why did Malcolm X want to get his hair conked?  What did the conk symbolize to him at the

time he got it? What does it symbolize at the time he writes about it?

     Malcolm X wanted to get his hair conked so that he would resemble a white man. I think that Malcolm X was looking to be accepted by the white race, and so he conked his hair to try and achieve that. At the time, the conk symbolized acceptance; no longer be inferior to white men. At the time he wrote the essay, his attitude of the conk changed. He now symbolizes the conk as something negative, something he did to conform or be accepted.

2. Why do you think Malcolm X write this selection as a process explanation instead of a set of

instructions?

     I think he wrote this as a process of explanation rather than a set of instructions because he wanted the reader to understand the pain he endured to be accepted. I think if he wrote the essay as a set of instructions, Malcolm X would not get the same reaction or understanding from the reader.

3. Why do you think Malcolm X includes so many references to the pain and discomfort he

endures as part of the process?

     I think that he references the pain and discomfort that he went through because he wanted the reader to know that he subjected himself to such pain just so that he would fit in, or look like a white man.

4. In the last paragraph, Malcolm X encloses several words in quotation marks. Why do you think

he does this? What is the effect of these quotation marks?

     I think he encloses specific words in quotation marks to illustrate that the ideas that he thought were important, or ideas that represented a standard are no longer ideas that he upholds.  The effect of the quotations marks on me as a reader make me think that Malcolm X is mocking those ideas.

5. The Autobiography of Malcolm X was published in 1964, when many African Americans

regularly straightened their hair. Is his message/thesis still relevant today? Are there any current

trends or practices that you would consider a contemporary equivalent of conking?

     I think that the message of conforming or mutilating your body to fit in is still relevant today. I think with every generation and every culture, there will always be people that change their appearances to look like someone else. Depending on what a person perceives as ideal, they may or may not try and change their appearance. Some girls tan to change their skin color, some girls get perms to get that “fro” look, and some people bleach their skin to change the color. Some of these changes are harmless, and are done to improve their appearance, but others, such as tanning, are harmful. I think that everyone should adhere to Malcolm X’s message, and not endure pain just to try and obtain a certain image.