My First Conk

“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 wanted the conk at first because he wanted to look like his friend Shorty and other Negro men and women who had taken these steps to be accepted by the white society.
• When Malcolm received the conk it symbolized him being “pretty” by white standards.
• When he writes about the conk it symbolizes self-degradation and that the Negro population was inferior to the superior white population.

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

instructions?

• Malcolm writes this selection as a process explanation because it becomes more realistic to the reader. Anyone who has dyed their hair can sympathize with the pain he felt upon his head when putting the conk onto his hair.

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

endures as part of the process?

• The pain and discomfort can also symbolize what he feels when judged by the white population because of his race.

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?

• Malcolm does this to set these words apart from the rest of the essay.
• The quotation marks make the words detectable throughout the essay. He is emphasizing what he felt because of the conk and how he felt after redefining himself.

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?

• Malcolm’s message is still relevant today. Many African American females still straighten their hair, although it may not be permanent.
• Current trends that are a contemporary equivalent of conking are dreadlocks and braids. However, this is the opposite of conking. African Americans are usually the only populations to embrace these hairstyles.