ipl-logo

Rhetorical Analysis Of Malcolm X's The Ballot Or The Bullet

869 Words4 Pages

The Civil Rights Movement, occurring in the mid-20th century, transpired as a time of intense struggle and injustice in the black community as they clamored with systematic oppression. Malcolm X, a prominent leader in the movement, used his influence to innovate the values and philosophies of America. Having a verifiable mastery of the English language, X was granted the upper hand amongst other activists with less developed language skills. “The Ballot or the Bullet,” one of X’s most famous speeches given in Detroit, Michigan on 12 April 1964, teems with a flabbergasting amount of rhetorical devices. Using matured rhetoric, such as anaphora, contrasting ideas, and repetition, Malcolm X manipulated the masses into a position in which they would muster behind his means of attaining racial equity. …show more content…

Upon the realization that blacks controlled a trifling amount of their lives, X began to analyze that whites "control the housing . . . the education . . . the jobs . . . the businesses” (X n. pag.). Henceforth, X cultivated an augmented, self-reliant black population by encouraging independence. Malcolm X later riled the audience by outlining that blacks are “fed up. They’ve become disenchanted . . . disillusioned . . . dissatisfied” (n. pag.). X asserted his discomfort with the situation, and his audience concurred. Adjacent to the alternative examples, X criticized his audience for falling into white falsehoods, Malcolm X said that whites "made a chump out of you . . . made a fool out of you . . . made you think you were going somewhere” (X n. pag.). Malcolm’s motive was to reveal that whites showed hospitality, but they were not trustworthy. X’s alluring anaphora produced an effect of paranoia and distrust, making the audience flock to him and understand the importance of the Civil Rights

Show More
Related

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of The Ballot Or The Bullet

    1354 Words  | 6 Pages

    Patrick Henry and Malcolm Little (more commonly known as Malcolm X) were powerful spokesmen of their times. Years after Henry persuaded the United States president in time of the American Revolution to fight for the rights of Americans in his “Give me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech, Little encouraged the black community of his time to stand for their own deprived civil rights as a race in his own speech, “The Ballot or the Bullet.” While these two men stood at the head of separate movements in different points of history, both believed in a similar goal to be accomplished through the same means: to win their battle for the rights of Americans and African Americans through fighting hard, not necessarily through violence, but through whatever

    Read More

  • Malcolm X's Afro-American History

    224 Words  | 1 Pages

    “Afro-American History” was a speech that Malcolm X gave one month before he was assassinated. His main focal points were the ideology of Blacks not being able to comprehend their present or future without comprehension of of their past and moreover become helpless and eventually ruled while being viewed as to a lesser degree of society and progress. The sources that Malcolm uses to bolster these cases is Eastern history of exceptionally taught dark developments preceding the establishment of America. Malcolm contends that the term Negro which is utilized to under mind blacks, was made by white America keeping in mind the end goal to set up matchless superiority and keep up the parity of force. He suggests that the Negro culture had no binds

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    428 Words  | 2 Pages

    When thinking of the civil rights movement of the '50s-'60s one name stands out. Martin Luther King Jr. was at the forefront of the fight for civil rights, leaving a lasting impact in many different ways; The "Letter From Birmingham Jail '' and "I have a Dream" speech as examples. Within these texts, King utilizes rhetorical devices to strengthen his argument, and better impact the audience with the work's purpose. King starts his letter by directing it toward the clergymen.

    Read More

  • Malcolm X Ethos Pathos Logos

    1450 Words  | 6 Pages

    Notoriously, Martin Luther King Jr. has been the name of the civil rights movement, the one we all look up to in terms of the end of segregation. But, this respectable man was not the only one to take action in the name of equality, as another infamous speaker, Malcolm X, also drove the civil rights movement in a way of ferociousness and rage. This man, the head of the Black Nationalist movement, gave phenomenal speeches that indirectly propelled the civil rights movement, including Prospects For Freedom, By Any Means Necessary, and Message to the Grassroots. Malcolm X was a man who was an illustrious black nationalist, and was the speaker for the Nation of Islam. He often preached controversial things that regularly contrasted him with Dr.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of 'The Ballot Or The Bullet'

    619 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his speech, X explores racial inequality covered as it pertains to black nationalism. Racial inequality is a major contributor in the fight for black nationalism in America. X says,Whether you're educated or illiterate, whether you live on the boulevard or in the alley, you're going to catch hell just like I am. We're all in the same boat and we all are going to catch the same hell from the same man. He just happens to be a white man.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of The Ballot Or The Bullet

    854 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Civil Rights Movement, occurring in the mid-20th century, proved to be a time of intense struggle and injustice for the black community as they clamored with systematic oppression. Malcolm X, a prominent leader in the movement, innovated the values and philosophies of America. X had a verifiable mastery of the English language, which granted him the upper hand amongst other activists. “The Ballot or the Bullet,” one of X’s most famous speeches given in Detroit, Michigan on 12 April 1964, teems with a flabbergasting amount of rhetorical devices. Malcolm X uses matured rhetoric, such as anaphora, contrasting ideas, and repetition, to manipulate the masses into a position in which they will muster behind his means of attaining racial equity.

    Read More

  • Malcolm X Ethos Pathos Logos

    1946 Words  | 8 Pages

    This is evident when he states that he is “one of the twenty-two million black victims of the Democrats.”  X also establishes ethos by the use of comparison in his speech by mentioning the names such as Martin Luther King. King was known for his involvement in the movement towards desegregation in America and issues concerning civil rights. King was also a Christian minister. Likewise, Malcolm X was a black minister.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King Jr Vs Malcolm X Pathos

    590 Words  | 3 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were both leaders of the Civil Rights movement often on opposite ends of the movement. The two men approached the need for equality in the black community from differing perspectives while sharing a similar ideology. King addressed the struggles, goals, and hopes of the movement with his speech I Have a Dream. In response, Malcolm X gave his own speech The Ballot or The Bullet, within his speech he addressed a specific topic of Black Nationalism. In both speeches, we find classic uses of rhetorical tools such as ethos, pathos, and logos.

    Read More

  • How Did Martin Luther King Use Ethos In Civil Rights

    692 Words  | 3 Pages

    1963, time of the Civil Rights Movement, and the world was one of chaos and the fight for equality was at its end. 250,000 people congregated at Washington D.C. to listen to Martin Luther King Jr. express his and his followers views on the issue of racial injustice. His words persuaded and inspired many to not only end inequality, but to expose of it. However, none of this would of been possible if good ole rhetorical devices didn’t come into play. His superb usage of ethos, logos, and pathos quite possibly changed the outcome of the Civil Rights Movement.

    Read More

  • Pathos And Bullet

    2900 Words  | 12 Pages

    Using the term “the white man” to speak of the government easily allows Malcolm to show the audience who the enemy is, and bring out anger towards those in charge of the government. Another great example of pathos is when Malcolm states, “Why does it look like it might be the year of the ballot or the bullet? Because Negroes have listened to the trickery and the lies and the false promises of the white man now for too long, and they're fed up” (X, 1964). Words like “trickery’’ and “lies” are used to make the audience feel and realize that the government is the one wronging them. The government is responsible for the injustices faced, and black people have been tricked into this way of life, and it’s time for the black citizens to feel angry.

    Read More

  • Malcolm X And Black Rage

    946 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hence, they crave peer acceptance in both, receiving genuine approval from neither” (West 139). Another renowned description of this phenomenon by Malcolm X is a metaphor stating that there are two kinds of slaves, the house negro and the field negro. Malcolm says that the house negroes love and protect the white master while field negroes hate and resist him, while this rhetorical device can be useful in highlighting differences amongst black people it’s a broad over generalization, and plain negligence to try and fit a black person in one of the two categories. Nevertheless, Malcolm creates a clear analysis of the issue of double-consciousness, showing that he understands the complexity of the matter at hand and that he is knowledgeable on the subject, hence utilizing ethos. While Malcolm X strongly believes that “black self-love and black self-determination [will make black people] free of the tension generated by ‘double-consciousness’”

    Read More

  • The Ballot Or The Bullet Summary

    472 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Malcolm X's Speech By Any Means Necessary

    780 Words  | 4 Pages

    Malcolm X was an effective leader because he had exceptional communication skills. These skills are viewed in his speech “By Any Means Necessary” and have been analyzed. The main goal of this speech was for blacks to figure out or to begin to figure out, what they can do to change the injustice, in order for blacks to gain things that

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Learning To Read By Malcolm X

    116 Words  | 1 Pages

    Theses rhetorical strategies make his argument affective because he makes a connection with the audience, not only blacks but all minorities going through the

    Read More

  • Who Is Malcolm X's Speech Appeal In The Ballot Or The Bullet

    834 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.” Throughout his speech, Malcolm X repeats incendiary phrases in order to kindle vexation in his audience. This tactic encourages his listeners to stand up for themselves now that they can see the issue at hand.

    Read More

More about Rhetorical Analysis Of Malcolm X's The Ballot Or The Bullet

Open Document