More handpicked essays just for you.
Martin luther king jr and malcolm
The ballot is stronger than the bullet analysis
Martin luther king jr and malcolm
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
On April 3, 1964, Malcolm X’s speech, “The Ballot or the Bullet,” was a response speech to Martin Luther king Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, a month prior to Malcolm’s. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. shared a mutual vision – freedom for African Americans. Dr. King was a person who believes that war and violence are unjustifiable; Malcolm X was an advocate of violence, he encouraged it. The two great civil rights leaders of the 1960’s, held opposing political philosophies.
Malcolm X, an associate of the Black Panthers and a brother of the Black muslime movement, went on to write “The Ballot or the Bullet”; was this not only a response to Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech opposing violence, he did not share Martin’s nonviolent ways, and he was sure of a violent seizure of civil rights. Due to the frustration built up with the slow gesture of white people in reaching a decision on black rights in America.
Malcolm X’s speech appeals to the emotions of his young audience, rousing them to anger; and at the same time, striking fear into the ears and hearts of his many whiter listeners. Malcolm uses several methods to rouse his black audience to anger. One of Malcolm’s main methods, copying King’s own, is repetition. King kept repeating the phrase “I have a dream,” Malcolm repeats the words “I am not . . .” This repetition becomes a catch phrase of every black body in the audience, to identify with Malcolm’s words. In case they have missed it, he re-emphasizes by using the word “you,” repeating it over and over again. He let’s every individual in the room, every “you” within the sound of his voice, and within the range of his speech as reported in the media, identify with his claim that “I am not an American,” but a victim of “A...
... middle of paper ...
...nce, because freedom—real freedom—is worth dying for; his were “fighting words.” To call whites “Polacks” and “blue-eyed things” ensured that his words would be reported in the press and carried into the hearts and minds of whites everywhere. He knew that fear would be struck into their hearts, and that they would reach the conclusion that oppression is not worth dying for. But he did understand the power of words, and he knew how to make himself heard, and to strike fear and anger into the hearts and minds of his readers everywhere. He made it exceptionally clear that if Martin’s pacifism didn’t work, then there was an alternative. His message was effective, because it had the desired effect: He roused black anger, on the one hand; and he frightened whites on the other. For the powers that be, there was at last a very clear choice: the ballot, or the bullet.
“It’ll be the ballot or it’ll be the bullet. It’ll be liberty or it’ll be death.” These are the famous words of Malcolm X in his speech The Ballot or the Bullet. In April, 1964 Malcolm X stood in front of a large crowd in Cleveland, Ohio and explained what the ballot or bullet meant. He was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement and fought to make all African-Americans equal. Malcolm X explained to his audience using a great appeal to ethos, pathos and logos that African-Americans should fight for racial economic and social justice without different religion views standing in the way. He told his audience instead of fighting, meaning the bullet, they could vote for their own leaders or better leaders to represent them, meaning the ballot.
in the history of the United States of America and for that reason. its leaders and their words are widely studied, remembered and praised. frequently, revered by the people. One such case of this remembrance is that of Malcolm X's speech "The Ballot or the Bullet" Generally viewed as one of the top ten most. significant speeches in American history, one must wonder at what.
In 1960, John F. Kennedy was elected president of the United States. During his campaign he had promised to lead the country down the right path with the civil rights movement. This campaign promise had brought hope to many African-Americans throughout the nation. Ever since Lincoln, African-Americans have tended to side with the democrats and this election was no different. The Kennedy administration had noticed that the key to the presidency was partially the civil rights issue. While many citizens were on Kennedy’s side, he had his share of opposition. Malcolm X differed on the view of the President and observed that the civil rights movement wasn’t happening at the speed Kennedy had pledged. Malcolm X possessed other reasons for his dislike of John F. Kennedy and his brothers, especially Robert. The Kennedy government stood for racial liberalism and Malcolm X argued their true intentions for the civil rights movement weren’t in the best interest of the black population. This tension streamed both ways. John Kennedy and the Federal Bureau of Investigation felt that Malcolm X had become a threat to national security. James Baldwin has written essays that have included the repeated attacks on the white liberal and supports Malcolm in many of his theories and actions.
The main primary difference focused on their willingness to employ violence to achieve their end goals. While Dr. King suggests a civil disobedient approach in “Give Us The Ballot” and “Pilgrimage to Non Violence,” Malcolm X believed otherwise, expressing his belief that the black community needed to rise up and organize. Malcolm X articulated his view on the necessary use of violence and retaliation in “The Ballot or the Bullet”.
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
On April 12, 1964, Malcolm X stepped in front of a crowd of two thousand in Detroit’s King Solomon Baptist Church. Ministers initially attempted to prevent Malcolm X from using the church to deliver the speech at the last minute, as they had already estimated the potential for controversy (“Say It Plain, Say It Loud”). Many historians deem the speech, titled “The Ballot or the Bullet,” Malcolm X’s greatest performance. Only a month after departing from the Nation of Islam and joining the mainstream Civil Rights Movement, Malcolm X already recognized the vital flaw in the movement: the African American expectation of help from the white population. “The Ballot or the Bullet” aimed to point out that flaw and unite all African Americans through
Malcolm X begins breaking down the bridge between Black and White America at the beginning of the speech, phrasing his sentences in such a way as to convince his audience of the fact that your place of residence does not determine who you are, and therefore blacks shouldn't identify with White America. Though blacks are considered "citizens" of the United States, Malcolm X asserts "Everything that came out of Europe, every blue-eyed thing, is already an American. As long as you and I have been over here, we aren't Americans yet." Malcolm X continuously refers back to the concept for the rest of his speech, stating that blacks are not Americans; rather, they are "just" Africans. He begins the sentence with "Everything that came out of Europe," creating the impression that absolutely everybody from Europe was accepted into American society, including low class criminals and other people of such low moral character, while all blacks, even highly educated individuals such as MLK, Jr. are still looked down upon in societythis statement fuels the already passionate and strong hatred of his black audience.
The year of 1964 was the peak of the American civil rights movement. There were two well-remembered activists within the civil rights movement. One was supporting civil disobedience, and one for revolution. Martin Luther King a Christian minister, pushed for a peaceful ending to the inequality of the African Americans, while Malcolm X, a Muslim minister, spoke in favor of self-reliance and violence if they didn’t get their rightful freedom. In Malcom X’s speech “The Ballot or the Bullet,” He declares that 1964 is the year of the ballot or the bullet, “liberty or death.” His main purpose of using aggressive language was to unite the African Americans in their civil rights battle against the government that was lead mainly by a white majority. He wanted to convince them that they could have more power as long as they all unite. They would have the power to put a president in the White House, the power to control their communities, and the power to get the freedom that has been denied to them. Malcolm X mentions in his speech that there are two ways that the “Afro-Americans” can get their freedom. Either the “white man” can give it to them, or they can take their freedom through a bloody revolution.
In the letter, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr, and the speech, “The Ballot or the Bullet” by Malcolm X, the authors discuss their very different viewpoints on what form of freedom would it take to accomplished their goal. While King believes that peaceful approaches would allow the black community to achieve equality with the white Americans, Malcolm X thinks achieving equality with white Americans is nearly impossible; therefore, he preaches a separatist doctrine. Although King and X are both fighting for the black community’s rights and their integration into the nation’s system, their approaches differ significantly. King and X differ in three main areas: their ultimate goals, the strategies to accomplish those goals, and their use of rhetoric.
African Americans are fortunate to have leaders who fought for a difference in Black America. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X are two powerful men in particular who brought hope to blacks in the United States. Both preached the same message about Blacks having power and strength in the midst of all the hatred that surrounded them. Even though they shared the same dream of equality for their people, the tactics they implied to make these dreams a reality were very different. The background, environment and philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were largely responsible for the distinctly varying responses to American racism.
Until the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his life’s work was dedicated to the nonviolent actions of blacks to gain the freedoms they were promised in the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 by Abraham Lincoln. He believed that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (King, 1963). These injustices had become so burdensome to blacks that they were “plunged into an abyss of despair” (King, 1963). The nonviolent actions of the sit-ins, boycotts, and marches were so the “individual could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths…to help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism” and ultimately lead to “inevitably opening the door to negotiation” (King, 1963). Not only was King’s approach effective with the older black generation, it was also successful with white people. They did not feel threatened when approached by King. White people gained a sense of empathy towards the plight of black freedom as King’s promise of nonviolence did not threaten their livelihood. Malcolm X viewed the world similarly to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., however; his beliefs to changing the status quo were slightly different from his political counterpart. Malcolm X realized that “anger could blind human vision” (X, 1965). In realizing this, X knew that in order to achieve racial freedom blacks had to “forget hypocritical politics and propaganda” (X, 1965). While Malcolm X was more so an advocate for violent forces against white people than King, X merely used force when it became necessary for defense. According to X, “I don’t go for non-violence if it also means a delayed solution. I am for violence if non-violence means we continue postponing a solution to American black man’s problem” (X, 1965). However, this le...
Speeches are a method of persuading people to do something. For Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, their speeches were to bring equality for the people of color. However, their approaches are different. Consequently, the effects may be different. An example of their contrasting differences is a speech from each, King’s “I Have a Dream” and X’s “The Black Revolution”. Their speeches used pathos, a central metaphor, and a warning, but was presented differently.
...ack Nationalism to coexistence. He pointed out how America can live without racial problems that it had since slavery. This was a road trip for Malcolm X from the Nation of Islam which used the name of Islam to promote its own social and political agenda to that of true Islam, which allows Malcolm X to see an alternative approach towards his objectives.. George Breitman in his book “The Last Year of Malcolm X” states “…if they adopt Malcolm’s strategy, accept his legacy and develop it n accord with the logic of the direction in which he was moving during his last year, then all of America will be transformed…” Reading the Ballot or the Bullet after knowing this will make one think beyond the actual words that are mentioned in the speech. Today, because of his boldness, Malcolm X is viewed by many, alongside Martin Luther King Jr., as a great civil rights leader.
Harper, Frederick D. “The Influence of Malcolm X on Black Militancy.” Journal of Black Studies 1 (June 1971): 387-402.
As one of the most proficient civil rights activist of the 1960's, Malcolm X and his speeches were very influential but particularly one speech was highly esteemed, that being the Ballot or the Bullet speech. A speech that was given after the "I have A Dream speech by Dr. Martin Luther King. Despite, Dr. Martin Luther King being a pacifist and also a civil rights activist as well; Malcolm X was more tyrannical and advocated the use of violence. During this era, the democrats were in control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, therefore both the Senate and the House of Representatives were leaning towards providing more civil rights to African-Americans. The purpose of Malcolm X’s speech was to convince African Americans to become more politically aware and to vote members of their own race into office. The year 1964 is known for civil rights activists, racist groups, and political strife. In order to achieve this goal and increase the speeches effectiveness, X utilizes a variety of rhetorical strategies within his speech.