Analysis: The Autobiography Of Malcolm X Writing Style

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Summer Writing Assignment
Lindsay Harris
Ap Lang

Autobiography of Malcolm X Writing Style

Alex Haley author of the Autobiography of Malcolm X uses several literary devices to create the tone of his writing. The writer has a very laid back style of writing and the structure is relatively loose. The autobiography is written by telling the story of his life through major events and turning points of his life in chronological order. The authors tone of writing could at first be described as easygoing and unconcerned. He is aware of the obvious issue of racism and discrimination against African Americans, but feels as if it doesn't directly apply to him. As he grows up the style of the writing becomes even more laid back to fit Malcolm's nonchalant personality. The author commonly uses the slang used in the 1940’s. The Author makes a point of stating all the terms Malcolm used to be
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I met chicks who were fine as May wine, and cats who were hip to all happenings. That paragraph is deliberate, of course; it's just to display a bit more of the slang that was used by everyone I respected as "hip" in those days. And in no time at all, I was talking the slang like a lifelong hipster.” (4.1) The author writes with a loose structure as he jumps back to important memories. Malcolm often had flashbacks to his troubled past. He has a serious tone when describing the way his family was split up and the way his mother was treated. It is the only thing he seems to be serious about and is his only tender spot. When Malcolm is around his family he speaks as if he is the troubled sibling that amounted to nothing.The author's tone quickly softens up and changes to sound more advising as Malcolm tries to be an advocate for his younger brother, Reginald. The author writes in short choppy sentences to show Malcolm's lack of well sentence structure. The sentence structure is
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