Chapter 7-10 (#1)

Chapters seven and eight really depicts Malcolm's life before religion, morals and values were taught to him. At this point in his life the only importance was sex drugs and violence. This is how Malcolm made a living. Harlem's "jungle" environment changed Malcolm into a drug dealer, thief, and gambler. "Full time hustlers never can relax to appraise what they are doing and where they were bound. As is the case in any jungle, the hustler's every waking hour is lived with both the practical and the subconscious knowledge that if he ever relaxes, if he ever slows down, the other hungry, restless foxes, ferrets,  wolves and vultures out there with him won't hesitate to make him their prey." (Haley 112). Malcolm is stuck with the job of always hustling, he is faced with the tough experiences that come with the job. The greatest impact Harlem placed on Malcolm was the extreme intake of drugs. These drugs place Malcolm in a state of "timelessness" or emotionless. With the intake of cocaine, marijuana, and pills Malcolm is unable to take in the experiences in life.  He is unable to enjoy old pleasures like theater and dances. As i was reading an article called, The Effects of Drugs on Sex, Health and Social Life,  I realized that the effects can be directly related to the actions that malcolm took while on drugs. In this article it explains that crime was a major symptom that comes along with drugs. Malcolm was also a thief in his life. I can now associate drugs with Malcolm's actions.  In Harlem prostitution is seen everywhere. What makes it more interesting is that so many white women look to seduce black men. Though they would seem to ignore and degrade blacks in public, their private life would prove differently. While reading this I am taken aback by Malcolm's crazy and dangerous lifestyle. I pose the question of how can this famous African American be admired and revered by so many people if he lived such a illegal lifestyle? For one, it takes alot of confidence to share dark moments in your life as malcolm has done in these past chapters. But it could be said that these bad past experiences had made him what he is today. Through these crazy times he was able to understand the lives of the whites and the blacks. He was shown that many of these dominate white males lack morals. This is shown mostly through how they treat their women. Secondly, though the rest of malcolm life is not reveled yet, malcolm could turn his life around. If he is able to change his lifestyles he could provide hope that anyone could escape a troubled lifestyle such as his.