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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 19, 1992)
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' 2696 J Z Id and offi ce and $50 P* Arts & Entertainment fhursday, November 19, 1992 The Battalion Page 3 Malcolm X Movie provides detailed account of controversial Muslim leader By ANAS BEN-MUSA Reviewer of THE BATTALION "X" Starring Denzel Washing ton, Angela Bassett, Spike Lee Directed by Spike Lee Rated PG-13 Playing at Cinema III Wc declare our right on this earth to be a man, to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend io bring into existence by any means necessary. . .Malcolm X 1963 This is an example of the words that have created so much hate, confusion, and inter est about a man and a leader called Malcolm X. The fervor of interest to un derstand this complex and con troversial leader has enabled Spike Lee to create the first big- budget, epic film by an African- American director. The result is a powerful and masterfully detailed account of the life of Malcolm X. However, if you want to learn about Malcolm X this movie is only a start. Malcolm X was born Mal colm Little in Omaha, Nebraska in 1925. His father, a Baptist minister, was killed by the Black Legion, a white supremacist or ganization, when Malcolm was still a child. His mother was soon taken to the state mental hospital because of a nervous breakdown. Malcolm was raised in a foster home and at the age of 16 moved to Boston to stay with his aunt. During the next five years Malcolm degenerated, becom ing a drug user, drug seller, thief, and much more. He was finally caught and sentenced to prison for several years at the age of 21. During his prison The life of Malcolm X is the focus of Spike Lee’s new movie. stay, Malcolm learned about the Nation of Islam from his family and later converted. The Nation of Islam teaches that mankind was black until a scientist created the "devil- race," white men, who took over the world and enslaved the black man. This theory or philosophy created a hatred toward white people. After being appointed as a minister in the Nation of Is lam, Malcolm X began to preach for total segregation from white people, whom he considered an evil influence on African-Amer icans. , In the film, Lee squeezes in an enormous amount of infor mation and knowledge from Malcolm X's speeches and auto biography, but what he presents is his own interpretation and understanding. Lee does not try to distort Malcolm X, but he had to pick and choose parts of speeches and the autobiography in order to create the film. That in itself is an interpretation and under standing of the most important aspects of Malcolm X's life. A 3-hour, 15-minute film cannot encompass all of Mal colm X's life. For example, Lee concen trates on Malcolm's adult life and uses flashbacks to explain what happened to him in his childhood. Both parts of Malcolm X's life shaped and defined him; unfor tunately, Lee could only focus on one part. But what Lee showed in his film was mesmerizing. It seemed only five minutes had passed and then the film was finished. Denzel Washington's por trayal of Malcolm X is spectacu lar. In one particular scene, Washington is passionately reciting a chapter from the Ko ran in Arabic. He is precise in articulation and from this mo ment I realized Washington tru ly was Malcolm X. See Malcolm X/ Page 5 Lecturer promotes cultural unity, encourages student creativity By JULIE POLSTON Feature Writer of THE BATTALION One Texas A&M lecturer in particular continues to create an atmosphere where all students have a place to be somebody. Charles Gordone, an actor, di rector and playwright, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1970 for his play entitled No Place to be Somebody. He teaches in the English and Speech Communications Depart ments at A&M, and fosters cre ativity and individuality among his students. Yet, Gordone has little interests in his accomplishments. "I'm not into fame and fortune anymore; and what I know, I want to give to young people," he said. Currently, Gordone is teaching Speech Communications 489: "American Voices: Race, Gender, Ethnicity." Although this course will not be taught in the spring, it will be offered again next fall. SCOM 489 interprets popular culture in a historical context while allowing students to recog nize cultural diversity as a benefit to society. "If your thinking is always Eu rocentric, you won't see how the cultures overlap," he said. Gordone said he does not be lieve in multiculturalism in a sense, because it has a trendy con-. notation. "We need to redefine multicul turalism," he said. "There's only one culture — the American cul ture, and we have many ethnic groups who contribute." "You can't mandate students to learn about other people," he added. "That's not the way this country works." After living in New York for more than 35 years, Gordone spent a summer in New Mexico on a D.H. Lawrence writing fel lowship before coming to Texas to 1^0^5230'^ One year Exchanges for , 93- , 94 (Junior Year Abroad) Any & All Majors are Eligible for this Program. Attend this Informational Meeting and speak to past and present Reciprocal Exchange participants, and pick up an application for the program: Friday, November 20 3:30 - 4:45 in 251 West Bizzell Hall Or visit the Study Abroad Programs Office, 161 W. Bizzell Hall from 8:00 - 5:00 M-F. Requirements: 3.0 GPA, Proficiency in Spanish (3 or 4 semesters of college Spanish), and be a U.S. Citizen. 4444 Ttt til The Garden District Store Hours Monday - Saturday 10-6 Sunday Noon -5 KfJU,- CQFFFF ^PPo,. CAFE JAVA Lunch Served . Mon - Fri 11-2 Sat 11-3 ^ , Sunday Noon-3 108 North Ave. Bryan affee Klatsch ■CINq 846-4360 GRAND OPENING SATURDAY, NOV. 21 JR. MEDLOW AND TORNADO ALLEY 201 W. 26th DOWNTOWN BRYAN 822-3743 OPENING ACT: WORN OUT SOULS JOIN US AFTER THE GAME FOR MUSIC AND BUFFET COMPLIMENTS OF LOS N0RTEN0S CAFE BUFFET BEGINS AT 8:00 - MUSIC AT 8:30 muuj uj mm mill ii MW The Capital City A&M Club if is sponsoring a tailgate fajita party immediately following the A&M Corps of Cadets march down Congress Ave. at 11:00 AM. Date: Thurs. Nov. 26 Location: The Hirshfield-Moore House 814 Lavaca Tickets are $5.00 & Must be Pre-purchased Call the Capital City A&M Club at 472-4443 or Sadie (512)892-5886 Holly Belden 693-5630 ygj am ;' Osn IPhg&Osi One year Exchanges for , 93- , 94 (Junior Year Abroad) Any & All Majors are Eligible for this Program. Attend this Informational Meeting and speak to past and present Reciprocal Exchange participants, and pick up an application for the program: Monday, November 23 3:30 - 4:45 in 251 West Bizzell Hall Or visit the Study Abroad Programs Office, 161 W. Bizzell Hall from 8:00 - 5:00 M-F. Requirements: 3.0 GPA, Proficiency in Spanish (3 or 4 semesters of college Spanish), and be a U.S. Citizen. Jennifer Lockard/ THE BATTALION Charles Gordone challenges students to think independently and freely. A&M in 1987. "I wanted to go where I could teach a class the way I think it should be taught," he said. Gorddne fosters group interac tion and involvement among his students, and challenges them to think independently and to speak freely. He knows his students by name, but more importantly, he knows his students. In one of his classes, Gordone began the discussion with a poem from a reading by Ed Stabler the previous night, leaving only 20 minutes of "traditional" lecture time. The poem described the life of a married couple who lived in the country. As Gordone watched his stu dents drain every bit of meaning and life from the poem they could muster, Gordone worked his mag ic: taking a poem by a western folk singer/songwriter and apply ing a universal theme for all of his students to relate to. He called on one of his stu dents to answer a question about the poem, and she asked him, "Why are you asking me?" "Because you're getting mar ried," he replied. Gordone is aware. He takes time to really know his students, and he tries to make students see the big picture of the class discus sions by relating lectures to their own lives. Gordone, who served in the Army and then graduated from Los Angeles State College (now California State University at Los Angeles), went to New York in 1952. "I was not going to teach," he said. "I was going to go to New York and be rich and famous." Gordone had a few parts as an extra and bits in movies, but said he was more interested in the theater. See Gorddne / Page 5 CLASS OF '94 DON’T MISS TINE LAST WEEK TO mjY ELEPHANT WALK T-SHIRTS, SWEATSHIRTS, A NlYr! LITTON S. NOV. 17-21 10 AM-3 PM MSC : .• .>•• Don't Worry when an accident or sudden illness occurs CarePlus is open when you need them 7 days a week with affordable medical care CarePlus\>fH Family Medical Center 2411 Texas Ave. and Southwest Pkwy. 693-0683 10% A&M student discount Study Abroad in England As a Reciprocal Exchange Student in Lancaster One year Exchanges for , 93- , 94 (Junior Year Abroad) Any & All Majors are Eligible for this Program. Attend this Informational Meeting and speak to past and present Reciprocal Exchange participants, and pick up an application for the program: Monday, November 23 2:00 - 3:15 in 251 West Bizzell Hall Or visit the Study Abroad Programs Office, 161 W. Bizzell Hall from 8:00 - 5:00 M-F. Requirements: 3.0 GPA and be a U.S. Citizen.