What are the critical elements of Malcolm X on Chapter One, Nightmare?

In looking at the synopsis of Chapter 1, I would pay close
attention to how Malcolm examines the role of race in his past.  This would involve
discussion of Earl Little's preaching of Marcus Garvey.  It would also involve the
violence in his death.  I think it's important to pay close attention to this because it
actually operates as a foreshadowing element that Malcolm, himself, asserts.  Though not
the writer, Malcolm injects a note of foreshadowing because he believes that he will
suffer the same inevitable fate as his father.  The parallels do not escape both the
reader and Malcolm:  Strong, Black man preaches an unpopular philosophy that threatens
the existing power structure only to be silenced by a violent and brutal death to serve
as an example to others to remain silent and/ or complacent.  Malcolm understands this
early on the in the narrative and uses it to form his own experiences throughout it.  At
the same time, paying close attention to the debilitating effects of race on a personal
level for Malcolm allows greater understanding as to why the subject dominated his
thought throughout his life.  For Malcolm X, the issue of race is the single most
important in his life because of its impact on his life from an early stage.  Chapter
one helps establish this.