Rhetorical Analysis Of 'The Ballot Or The Bullet'

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In his speech, “The Ballot or the Bullet,” Malcolm X’s tone is objective, yet motivating and optimistic, as he describes the theory of black nationalism, which he thinks all blacks must embrace in order to unite as a community under a single goal, to achieve equality. Through the use of factual evidence, schemes, and personal pronouns, Malcolm X builds on his ethos as he makes himself a more credible, trustworthy speaker about the dire situation of blacks. In the beginning of the speech, Malcolm X builds a personal profile of himself, as he mentions that he is a Muslim. However, after doing so, he disregards religion, claiming it does not matter. He states, “Whether we are Christians or Muslims or nationalists or agnostics, or atheists, we must first learn to forget our differences.” His authoritative and didactic tone here contributes to his ethos as it makes him sound credible. …show more content…

On the following page, Malcolm X adds that “1964 threatens to be the most explosive year America has ever witnessed.” He makes an argument that the white politicians, looking for votes from the black community, will make “false promises which they don’t intend to keep” with “their trickery and their treachery.” Malcolm X’s tone here is compelling, yet also unwavering, and leaves no room for argument. This, once again, builds on his ethos as he sounds very believable while doing so. In the following paragraphs, Malcolm X constantly repeats that he is not an American, claiming that if he was, he “wouldn’t need any” legislation or amendments to the Constitution. The parallel structure of these sentences makes him sound more trustworthy, and the audience would clearly be personally affected by this

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