The Preacher and the Fighter

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The Preacher and the Fighter: A Fight for Equality Present day United States of America. Freedom, racial equality, united with all its citizens. The United States of America as we know it would never have existed if racial equality was not given to the colored people of the country. There was a time in this nation’s history when the people of the United States were not equal. There was a time when colored people did not have well-funded facilities in comparison to the white people. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, two different human activists with different personalities and thoughts, were the key factors in the Civil Rights Movement. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for the equality and freedom of the African-American by advocating nonviolence and trusting your enemies. Malcolm X also fought against racial injustice in the United States however, unlike King, X promoted self-defense. Both of these men engaged in fighting for freedom but the approaches were contrasting. In Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, King declares his belief in non-violence to be the answer. In “The Black Revolution”, Malcolm X wants the common black man to demand his freedom and his rights. While the goal of these two human activists are essentially the same, the usage of the different rhetorical devices display different strategies that can be used to provoked a social movement to change the world. The usage of a central metaphor, along with the repetition of words and an appeal to a higher authority, exists in both of these speeches but have a different effect because of the way they are used. In Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, he uses a metaphor to explain the racial inequalities that black people face in America. King begi... ... middle of paper ... ...I believe that Malcolm X was a more influential and persuasive speaker than Martin Luther King Jr. because he possesses strength, and confidence. When Malcolm speaks about a revolution that is inevitable, he instills fear. I believe that fear is very powerful when persuading a group especially a group that does not want to listen. He persuades you to believe that the freedom and equality of the black people will not be begged or asked for, but rather it will be demanded through any means. Malcolm X also offers a solution to the problem regarding freedom. This solution was the power to vote. Even today, racism is not over but rather is calmed. President Obama, the first colored president, had many people objecting his right to president. This shows that there was racism when a new change occurred. But even now, America has accepted colored people better than before.

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