“My First Conk” Response Question

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 got his hair conked to look like a very sophisticated young man. What it symbolized to him at the time was that he almost looked like a white man. Now he looks back on it and realizes how dumb it was that he brought himself to that level.

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

instructions?

I think he wrote it like a process because that is exactly how it happened it all was a process.

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 he includes these details to show how much he went through to fit in and in actuality it was very dumb of him to do that.

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 uses the quotation marks as an emphasis thing, showing us how most people think. I think these words do stand out for that exact reason they are in quotation marks and they are obviously important words.

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 do not think this is still relevant today, I think today nobody tries to be like anybody, I feel like everybody tries to be their own person these days. I don't feel there are any practices or trends that are equivalent to conking.