Malcolm X's 'Ballot And The Bullet'

Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. depict a society that was built on the remnants of slavery within “Racism: The Cancer that is Destroying America” and “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. depict a society that was built on the remnants of slavery. With racism and segregation at the core of everyday life, both men joined the Civil Rights Movement with determination to make a change. Working towards the common goal of African American civil rights during the 1960’s, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X took a stand for civil justice in contrasting ways. Within their writing, both men used the theme of racism to convey a direct tone, used differing keywords and phrases, and referenced religious beliefs.

Malcolm X delivered a powerful speech on April 3, 1964 at the Congress of Racial Equality in Cleveland, Ohio. Black people in America came together to receive motivation to fight for equality.In this speech Malcolm X inspires black people to take a stance and fight for their civil rights. Malcolm X uses rhetorical techniques to persuade his audience to push for equality between races.

African american rights were the main concern of many people, along with government corruption and the unwillingness to help. Malcolm X was no banal man he was a extravagant civil rights speaker, he showed the truth on how coming together can put the end to African American indifference. Due to the lack of government the dichotomy between african americans and the white men was still a major problem ; as African americans needed to put and end to the separation and earn civil rights. Malcolm speaks out to all who are willing to obtain their civil rights.”In Ballot or Bullet” Malcolm X uses Anaphora, Antithesis, Ethical Appeal, Word choice, and Rhetorical question to show the lack of support from government and how coming together can help fight back.

Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and the Civil Rights Struggle of the 1950s and 1960s. A Brief History with Documents written by David Howard-Pitney is a great history book that gives us an entry into two important American thinkers and a tumultuous part of American history. This 207-pages book was published by Bedford/St. Martin’s in Boston, New York on February 20, 2004. David Howard-Pitney worked at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project at Stanford University in 1986, and that made him a specialist on American civil religion and African-American leaders ' thought and rhetoric (208). Another publication of Howard-Pitney is The African-American Jeremiad: Appeals for Justice in America. Howard-Pitney made this book interesting by representing

Why are here? What is the meaning of our lives? Are they futile? Such questions have been pondered upon ever since people were capable of intelligent thinking. Many schools of philosophical thought have tried to answer them, each in their own ways.

On June 28, 1964, the Black Nationalist leader Malcolm X delivered a very powerful speech. A speech called “By Any Means Necessary”. During the time of speech, the major issue of the United States was gaining the true rights of an African American. Although Slavery had been abolished, blacks were still treated as less than human. Over the years, they worked hard to get their rights and are continuing to do so.

Although Malcom X was very forceful and to the point with his speech, “Ballot or the Bullet,” the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. eloquently displayed his point of view and tone in “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Both men addressed the injustices in the social degradation, political oppression, and economic exploitation of blacks in America. Quite possibly, their life experiences and sense of morality played a role in determining their point of view, and therefore, their tone. Advocators of King believe that Martin Luther King’s tone and point of view was much more thought out and spoken better than Malcolm X’s.

Malcolm X and his ideals are arguably a representation of the transition from the early 1950 's non-violent movement for integration to a more aggressive black power movement. Evidence of this is shown through powerful strands of his novel “The Ballot or the Bullet” including when he writes, “I don 't mean go out and get violent, but at the same time you should never be non-violent unless you run into some non-violence.” (Malcolm 439). In writing that members of the civil rights movement should never be non-violent he does so facetiously. This excerpt indicates a call for violence as a more powerful method for achieving the equality he feels they deserve.

Introduction: Malcom X urges the Negro community to fight to gain the equal rights they deserve by taking action against their white oppressors. He emphasizes that blacks will gain their rights either thorough voting, with the ballot, or else through the inevitable violence with the bullet. Thesis [part a] Like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., also fighting for the civil rights of black Americans in the 1960s, but in a more peaceful manner, Malcom X takes a different approach.

The speech opened the eyes of many blacks, inspiring a change to begin to occur. Through analogies, metaphors, and a vitriolic and urgent tone, Malcolm X concisely and clearly informs the audience of their mistreatment and encourages them to get their just deserts. X’s intelligence, passion, and oratorical skills helped make “The Ballot or the Bullet” one of the greatest rhetorical acts in black history. This phrase, “The Ballot or the Bullet”, truly defines Malcolm X’s stance on the current treatment of blacks and how he believes a violent response is necessary when all other means of communication are ignored or

Imagine living in a world of segregation - constantly judged by color of one’s skin and not being permitted to associate with the “superior” race. From slavery to discrimination, African-Americans experienced this horror in daily life since the beginning of their existence. Due to the fear of severe punishment, blacks were scared to fight for equality; however, on April 3, 1964 in Cleveland, Ohio, one brave soul finally did. His name was Malcolm Little (known as Malcolm X), a widely acknowledged human rights activist. Although he supported black equality, he attacked the problem unlike others such as Martin Luther King Jr. did. Instead of promoting peace to solve problems, Malcolm X used violence when necessary to get his points across to his audience. Little’s speech has a significant lack of logic; although, it is a clever move to predominantly use emotional appeal due to his motive - to incite anger in America and to showcase the government's faults. Through repetition of inflammatory phrases and accusatory diction both which create appeals to anger, Malcolm X effectively persuades his audience during “The Ballot Or The Bullet.”

On April 3, 1964 Malcolm X delivered one of the most empowering speeches in American history. Two thousand people including some of his enemies turned out to hear him speak in Cleveland, Ohio. X was a black civil rights activist who played a huge role in the black community during the mid 20th century. His speech “The Ballot or the Bullet,” was about black nationalism during the current election year. At the time, blacks did not have much say in who they wanted to elect.

Malcolm X Assassination Assignment Rough Draft The assassination of Malcolm X, an essential figure in the civil rights movement, was unjust because it significantly hampered the progression of the civil rights movement; however, others though his death was necessary to halt the vocalization of the “radical” civil rights activist Malcolm X. This unforeseen inhumanity not only affected African Americans but Asian Americans, Hispanics, and even Europeans. This event impeded the learning of the politicians and regular people who were learning from his teachings and non-other such as Kochiyama Yuri, and even Martin Luther King himself. Due to the unjust actions of Thomas Hagan America has decreased the growth of minority empowerment in many ways. First, Malcolm X was inspirational in many aspects and his upbringing added to this aspect.

Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. were both two African American civil rights activists who were very prominent throughout history. They fought for what they believed in but in vastly different ways. Martin Luther King Jr. was born to a middle class family and was well educated. Malcolm X, on the other hand, grew up in a rather hostile environment with barely enough schooling. Both their speeches, “I Have a Dream” and “The Ballot or the Bullet” may have shared some common traits, but at the same time, differed greatly in various aspects.

Martin Luther King Jr said,“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools”. In the late 1960s, racial tension was high, African Americans were not given the right to vote, the right to a fair education, and the right to a fair judgement. This then led to the separation of schools and the destruction of a normal livelihood. Dr.King and Malcolm X, two men in the face of oppression rose up to challenge the racial barrier, thus changing the world forever. Although Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X seem to have mutual respect and an equal understanding of the inequality, their philosophies were quite different from each other.