Malcolm X Rhetoric

Malcolm X was a realist. Malcolm X saw things as they really were. Document K says, X doesn't favor violence, but if one side can be violent all sides should be able to be violent. Document I says, that the world we live in requires brutality. There is no way that we can sit back and let us be murdered and beaten. The white man will never stop until

Are you an African American? Well, then you have a hard time with America. The excerpt “Message to Grassroots” tells a story of how African Americans are mistreated by the White man and are considerably the problem in America. Malcolm X argued that African Americans are the problem in America and that the White man is the common enemy of African Americans. Malcolm X used some rhetorical devices like irony and analogies and tried to appeal to the reader by using all three of the modes of persuasion and trying to touch our emotions.

The first device that Malcolm x uses to make his claim that “blacks need to exercise their voting right in either a peaceful or violent manner”, is by using emotional appeals. One example of this is when he states “The year when all of the white political crooks will be right back in your and my community with their false promises, building up our hopes for a letdown, with their trickery and their treachery, with their false promises

April 3, 1964, Malcolm X gives his well renowned speech; The Ballot or the Bullet in Cleveland Ohio. His purpose behind the speech is to encourage African-Americans of the United States to stand up to the unfair treatment that he believes they receive. Throughout the speech, Malcolm X creates an ambition in the audience, encouraging change through the numerous uses of ethos, logos, and pathos. Malcolm X uses his personal experiences to show the audience that he has experienced the same negativity that they do everyday. X suggests everyone should be treated equally; religion, gender and race aside. His audience was made up of a majority of African-Americans, he uses the common ground of wanting to achieve equal treatment to show his audience he is on the same side as them. Through the organization of the speech, it is rhetorically effective. He practices the phrase “The Ballot or the Bullet” which uses repetition, forcing listeners to remember the phrase which later becomes more effective. X begins using ethos by introducing himself, immediately gaining the attention of the audience as well as respect of the audience. X then makes the current problem in the African-American community extremely clear to the audience, this is his use of pathos, where he engages them in his thought process and bringing them in using emotion. The speech uses rhetoric to emotionally and logically

In this speech, Malcom shows how dedicated he is about making an improvement in the black community. Throughout the speech Malcolm talk about how the black community gets degraded then he goes and say as I quote him saying “usually, when people are sad, they just cry over their condition but when they get angry they bring about a change{ –Malcolm x December,10,1963 page 2] . This is example how x try to encourage people to stand for what they believe in and also to fight for justice and to be proud to speak up about the black congregation and to make a difference. Malcolm x also made his own protest according to history.com x didn’t just believe in just talking to the congregation he believe in getting out and doing something about it, also x partner up with Dr. Martin Luther king plenty of times. According to cnn. Com king and x both had different ways to handling the justice for the black community but they still both mange to achieve the same goal. Although you might think he was just a civil right

hate and that it was a non-ending spiral that leads to nowhere(Doc 8). Malcolm X believed the exact opposite of Martin Luther King Jr. He wanted the Negroes to fight back. He said that he believes that the Blacks should protect themselves by any means necessary when they are attacked by racists (Doc 9 ). This would only increase the bloodshed and casualties on both sides, which was bad for the growing nation in the 1960’s.

The context in which a statement is made can change the entire meaning of what was said.  This is why many times people will use context as a defense for statements they make that offend or cause some sort of public backlash.   The manner in which a person delivers a message and what messages the rhetor chooses to deliver can be a great indication of foundation of that persons value and belief system. There are a number of value systems present in Malcolm X’s “The Ballot or the Bullet” speech that he delivered in the storied election year of 1964. There are many statements made in the ballot or the bullet

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Many might question Malcolm’s purpose for admiring and representing Elijah Muhammad the way he did. Throughout, chapter 15 “Icarus” and chapter 16 “Out,” Malcolm showed his admiration for Mr. Muhammad. Also, Malcolm X expressed the lack of consideration black people had towards their own educations instead they kept them concealed and to themselves. Instead the white people were showing their educations off every chance they could get.

Malcolm X, a previous troubled prisoner, changed his life through education and wrote an autobiography about Negro importance. While in prison, Malcolm X had nothing to do and wanted to be educated, so he decided that he was going to read the dictionary to learn to read and write. This lead him to debating in prison. This debating eventually led him out of prison, and on his new journey of life. Not only did he continue to debate and learn when he got out of prison, but this led him to learn more about his culture and Negro history.

The following is an excerpt from the January 24, 1965 speech Malcolm X gave on “Afro-American.”

On the other hand, Malcolm X had a different approach in providing African Americans equality. Malcolm X believed anything must be done to provide equality for African Americans. For Malcolm, anything would also be violence, unlike Dr. King who favored on non-violence ways to achieve equality. During 1950’s and early 1960’s Malcolm became a speaker for the Nation of Islam. Malcolm created newspapers and organized several temples to get his message out. For Malcolm, whites were devils because they oppressed blacks. Malcolm was one of the leaders that motivated racial dignity, black power, and economic opportunities for blacks. As the lines in PBS states "Brothers and sisters, the white man has brainwashed us black people to fasten our gaze on a blond-haired, blue-eyed Jesus! We're worshipping a Jesus that doesn't even look like us! ... The white man has taught us to shout and sing and pray until we die…” it explains that Christianity is not a religion that Black people can follow. He felt that Christianity is a religion followed by Whites and we as African Americans cannot follow this religion. Also, Malcolm believed that nonviolence was a realistic concept as he states, "I don't favor violence. If we could bring about recognition and respect of our people by peaceful means, well and good. Everybody would like to reach his objectives peacefully. But I'm also a realist. The only people in this country who are asked to be nonviolent are black people” (PBS). In other words for him being violent is not needed but has become necessary. In these lines Malcolm believes that Whites are not peaceful and they continue to be violent and as a result African Americans are asked to be nonviolent.

What were Malcolm X’s motivations for his movement? What was his vision for the future of black people, for America? When analyzing Malcolm X and Black Rage by Cornel West and the film Malcolm X directed by Spike Lee a theme of cultivating self-transformation emerges. This theme is portrayed in both works by acknowledging the premise that Malcolm X historically was one of the first black spokespeople to look white supremacists in the eye without backing down, and to successfully channel the rage he possesses for the racism that remains in America toward a movement. Unlike many black rage movements in this time his movements sole purpose was to empower the black American and to rise up against white supremacy. Towards the end of his life his views shift somewhat to creating a movement that encourages black people not to solely hate white

Malcolm wanted to revolt. He believed that non-violence and integration was a trick from the white man to keep the blacks under control. Trough his speeches, Malcolm X encouraged his followers to rise up and fight for their rights. Due to the childhoods of both of these men they react the way they do. It is sad to learn about how difficult it was for African-Americans to endure all the struggles they had to face to become free. In today’s society life is still hard, and racism is still around. However, we still manage to unite and live in peace with equal rights for both races.

Malcolm X shows individualized consideration in a different way of Martin Luther King Jr. He communicates to his followers that violence is the way to get his message across. He promoting of equality this type of way because he

As you may know, Malcolm X was a well-known and influential individual during the Civil Rights era also. Malcolm X supported both the institution of a separated black community and the make of use of violence in self-defense. X’s strenuously, obstinate judgments put fear in the white community.