...aggressive speaker. Malcolm X. A former minister for the nation of Islam and a black rights activist. Malcolm X’s speech the Ballot or the Bullet, educated and motivated the black community in the states, of the harsh lives they live and...
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...Essay on “The Ballot or the Bullet” by Malcolm X In 1960’s America, the Civil Rights Movement was divided. Both sides sought change for the black community but by different means, and to different ends. They were all frustrated and fed up with the oppression with which they were forced to live. Today we especially remember two iconic figures as a representative of each side. The two great civil rights leaders of the 1960’s, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, held diametrically opposed political philosophies. King was a pacifist, in the tradition of Gandhi before him. Malcolm X was a radical, who advocated for violence. Both, however, shared a common goal—real freedom for African Americans. Malcolm X’s speech, “The Ballot or the Bullet,” was a direct response to Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech of a month before. The speech is directed at Americas black population. At this point in history black people in America often belonged to the country’s lowest social- and economic group. This meant that a large part of the black community had little to no education. Malcolm X adjusted his rhetoric accordingly. In Malcolm X’s attempt to reach and address this part of society he used different types of language. His use of negative connotations is an example of the low style language which appears in his speech. He used these connotations when he for example referred to white people as “crackers”. “The Ballot or the Bullet” is Malcolm X’s equivalent of...
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...Patrick Brown Mr.Challandes AP Language and Composition 24 February 2015 Malcolm X: Building Up the Fire of the Civil Rights Movement “Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it” (Malcolm X). This quote from one of Malcolm X’s speeches embodies who he was as a person and what he valued. As a civil rights activist, Malcolm learned not to let the hate of others prevent him from living out his life the way he wanted. While others pushed a pacifist movement, Malcolm understood that there would be no peaceful way to resolve the civil rights issues. Malcolm was prepared to fight for his own rights, and even put his own life at risk. The impact that he had on the Civil rights movement was rivaled only by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and all of his ideas were culminated into one speech, called The Ballot or the Bullet. Malcolm X’s speech comes during April of 1963, a critical time during the American Civil rights movement, and Malcolm’s ability to target and rile up the emotions of his African-American audience is what makes his speech so powerful. During the 1960’s, America was a hostile environment for an ambitious African-American citizen. Although executive leaders, such as John F. Kennedy, were promising that they had been doing as much as possible to improve civil rights, not enough actual progress had been made to improve the lives of African-Americans. In 1963 alone, a year in which the civil rights...
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...Rhetorical Analysis of the “Ballot or the Bullet” and “Somebody Blew Up America” The purpose of this essay to compare and contrast the rhetoric in Amira Baraka’s “Somebody Blew up America” and Malcolm X’s “The Ballot or the Bullet in regards to ethos, pathos, and logos. Amiri Baraka, born Everett LeRoi Jones, was an African-American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays, and music criticism. Baraka read his poem “Somebody Blew up America?” on the September 11th attacks and was heavily criticized for anti-Semitism and attacks on public figures. His poem is free verse and has no set structure but maintains its rhythmic elements for oral sharing. The poem was meant to be shared orally so that Baraka would be able to emphasize and share lines specifically for an audience. Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little, was an African-American Muslim minister...
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...myths of Odysseus. In more recent times, many people appreciate the work of Malcolm X for his heroic fight against injustice and his tremendous speaking ability. His monumental speeches impact the thoughts and shape the ideals of many activists that advance in the fight for social justice. In Homer’s The Odyssey and Malcolm X’s “The Ballot or the Bullet”, both heroes convey great strength in their battles through Odysseus’s surviving the hurricane sent from Poseidon, Malcolm X’s clear portrayal of the injustices in America, and both heroes willingness while staying persistent and achieve justice. Homer conveys Odysseus’s strength through his survival of the hurricane from Poseidon. For example, while Odysseus struggles to stay alive during the storm, “he’d not forget his craft-- he lunged after...
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...he is probably the most famous person associated with the civil rights movement. The speaker of the last speech is Malcolm X, who was another prominent figure during the Civil Rights era. Malcolm X gave an alternative view to the movement, where he advocated for the establishment of a separate black community (instead of integration) and for the use of violence in self defense. 2. Compare the main ideas of each of the three speeches. What do they have in common and where do they differ? JFK's Civil Rights Address was the first time that a president called on Americans to recognize civil rights as a moral cause to which all people should contribute. The main idea of the speech was that Americans should work together to finally end discrimination against and provide equal treatment to African Americans. Martin Luther King's speech, "I have a dream" was not only about equality for blacks and whites, but for equality in general. He wanted not only tolerance, but acceptance. The main idea of the speech was for equality for everyone, no matter their skin color. Lastly, Malcolm X's speech, "The ballot or the bullet," was more focused on the voting right's for blacks. He emphasized the importance of voting as a solution to ending discrimination against blacks. He said, "Since blacks were denied their civil liberties, either the ballot or the bullet is next." This means that blacks will either get their rights, or they will rebel against the government. All three...
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...Rhetorical Analysis: The Ballot or the Bullet The two great civil rights leaders of the 1960’s, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, held diametrically opposed political philosophies. King was a pacifist, in the tradition of Gandhi before him; Malcolm X was a radical, an advocate of violence. Both, however, shared a common goal—real freedom for African Americans. Malcolm X’s speech, “The Ballot or the Bullet,” was a direct response to Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech of a month before. Malcolm X, once associated with the Black Panthers, and a member of the Black Muslim movement, wrote “The Ballot or the Bullet” not only as a response to Martin Luther King Jr.’s pacifism, but because he was frustrated with white dilly-dallying in reaching a decision on black rights in America. Political debate had reached an impasse, and Malcolm wanted to make it clear that if the Congress couldn’t come to a decision, black Americans would take matters into their own hands. He did not share Martin’s pacifist inclinations, and he promised a violent seizure of civil rights. An examination of Malcolm X’s speech will reveal that it is one of the most powerful speeches ever written. It is, in every respect, the equal of Martin’s “I Have a Dream” speech. It is eloquent, it is memorable, and it is poetic. Its tone, unlike Martin’s conciliatory speech, is militant. He appeals to the emotions of his young audience, rousing them to anger; and in the same breath, strikes...
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...The Ballot or the Bullet “The Ballot or the Bullet”, the name itself does not leave something to the imagination. It catches our attention and makes us react without even uttering another word. Malcolm X knew this well and that’s what made him such a charismatic figure in the civil rights movement of the sixties. Malcolm X delivered this speech at the height of the civil rights movement, just one month prior Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech was delivered. X was trying to go after a different group of people within the same group (African-Americans), he knew that many people didn’t embrace the peaceful nature of Dr. King’s rallies and knew he could capitalize on the moment. Congress had done very little to further the civil rights movement with any piece of legislation, and the African-American population was growing frustrated. That frustration fueled Malcolm X to deliver “The Ballot or the Bullet”, invoking a sense of emergency amongst African-Americans to act now. 1964 was an election year and Malcolm X used this to further fuel his movement, “when all the political crooks will be right in the community, with all their false promises which they don’t intend to keep (X, 1964). Malcolm X made it very clear that he was not asking the black man to throw caution to the wind with statements such as “I’m not anti-Democrat, I’m not anti-Republican, and I’m not anti-anything. I’m just questioning their (white politicians) sincerity and some of the strategy...
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...long and painful history. As a result of the original civil rights movement championed by many including Malcolm X, there is a deep seated distrust and anger towards our police and our government for many things including segregation, lack of representation, gerrymandering, criminalization and violence towards the African American community to name only a few. In 1964, Malcolm X rallied in the speech...
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...Science and Technology Malcolm X and the effect of his literature On the Black Civil Rights Movement Ohoud Al-Awadhi Ibrahim Al-Hiyari American Literature 12/1/13 Malcolm Little was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on the day of May 19, 1925. He decided to withdrawal from middle school at the age 15. This resulted in the him being convicted of robbery and as a result, being sent to prison at the age of twenty one. In that facility, the Nation of Islam which were a group of Black Muslims, were a group of which he found interest in. After he left prison in 1952, he devoted himself to helping the Black Muslims, and later adopted the name; Malcolm X. Unfortunately, the group eventually decided to overthrow him, due to remarks made about John F. Kennedy (Helfer 34). This led him to depart from that movement. During March, 1964, he was occupied in arranging first the Muslim Mosque, Inc., and the Organization of Afro American Unity. He travelled twice to Africa and the Middle East also in the same year. That would end only three months after he returned (X &Perry 14). Once he landed in United States, he was assassinated in the city of New York on February 21, 1965. Since his child hood, Malcolm X was born into a society that embarked the ideas of radical Black tradition. Once he left prison, Malcolm joined the Nation of Islam and was taught by Elijah Muhammad. As with all Nation of Islam members, Malcolm little transformed to Malcolm X, to counter his slave name...
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...The piece that is being used for this assignment is a speech by Malcolm X titled, “The Ballot or The Bullet.” The whole speech can be found here, although a few segments of the speech will be used, http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/speeches/malcolm_x_ballot.html. The first logical fallacy found in this speech is one that appeals to emotion. To be specific, this quote appeals to the fear of the audience who listened to it. In paragraph 3, Malcolm X stated, “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.” This is an example of the appeal to fear fallacy because of the fact that Malcolm X stated that no matter who you were, you were going to be affected negatively by the same person. In this case, he was using the fallacy as a way to worry the crowd about the upcoming elections in that year. Because of this, he is increasing the prejudice, or...
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...violent retaliation in any form. Comparing figureheads such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X show the distinct differences between the two, what may seem like a radical idea to one may not seems so to the other. The contrasting ideas of both nonviolent activists and activists who believe violence is inevitable if not necessary in the Civil Rights Movement, emphasizes the idea that nonviolence is key to one understanding...
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...From expository speeches on Beyonce to persuasive speeches on tomatoes this unit has been both exciting and tense. This unit has taught me how to apply rhetorical devices to effectively present the purpose and thesis. The effectiveness was then later reinforced by professional presentation conventions such as: visual aids and intentional pauses. In previous english courses, rhetorical device were only vaguely introduced. Without this prior knowledge, I did not fully understand how presenters structured and built their arguments. Going over Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X’s speech taught me that rhetorical devices are not only used for stylistic purposes, but used to illustrate the speech’s purpose and thesis. In Malcolm X’s, “Ballot...
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...The Power of Tone When reciting a speech, there are many writing strategies that add value to the words you portray. Among others, there is rhythm, parallelism and humor. Yet the most important aspect to your writing seems to be the use of tone. In their speeches, William Shakespeare and Malcolm X use different tones, appropriate for their cause, to get their point across more effectively. In Brutus’ speech, written by Shakespeare, he talks with a fake sympathy for the death of Julius Caesar. Antony’s speech, also by Shakespeare, uses a truer compassionate tone towards the death of his dear friend, but sarcastic towards the “honorable” Brutus. In The Ballot or the Bullet, Malcolm X shows a disappointed and angry tone directed at the African Americans who aren’t showing initiative to better their lives. Brutus, after having committed a crime of a tremendous scale, tried to escape punishment by justifying the murder with a later disproved excuse. His claim: Caesar was ambitious. For unknown reasons Brutus, accompanied by his comrades, had killed Caesar. Now to reinforce his false claim, Brutus talked with an exceedingly convincing sympathy. In his speech, he claims “If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Caesar’s, to him I say that Brutus’ love to Caesar was no less than his.” If Brutus had talked portraying no sadness, no sympathy, the event would have turned out very differently. Had Brutus just said Caesar was ambitious, without pointing out their close friendship...
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...Over our country’s young existence, the democracy that America is so proud of has often had flaws, hypocrisy being one of them, that can be illustrated in many ways. The hypocrisy that can be inexplicable at times, is illustrated in some of the realities depicted in the following articles and film clips described. W.E.B. DuBois describes the phenomenon where after the Civil War, there was still a great divide. It was even physical where different demographics of the white population and the black population in the south would live based on “social grades common to all communities” (DuBois Ch. 9). Though one difference is that the “best of the whites and the best of the Negroes almost never live in anything like close proximity” (DuBois Ch. 9). In the South after the Civil War, the African-Americans were often taken advantage of. The Crop-Lien system, which was a credit system for farmers to obtain supplies and food from local store keepers, took advantage of the black farmers. DuBois describes how if they weren’t able to pay their debt, then the storekeeper would just take what they feel is owed to them without any warrant or law to back them up. This would leave many black farmers in debt and stuck at the bottom of the economic ladder. When it came to politics, many black people felt that why should they bother. If “reputable men leave politics alone”, then “politics becomes disreputable” (DuBois Ch. 9). They felt that the laws were created by people who had no...
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