Rhetorical Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream

Malcolm X’s legacy to the struggle for black equality in the USA went far beyond focusing on solely equality. Malcolm X hardly forgot the fact that he was the ‘servant’ and not the ‘master’ of the black nation’s aspirations and dreams. Malcolm X resisted the objective of integration and encouraged blacks to build their own society. ‘We can never win freedom and justice and equality until we do something for ourselves’.[i] He felt they should shield themselves against violence, ‘by any means necessary’. Malcolm X confronted the United States to protect its own hypothetical qualities. He held up a mirror for the country to scrutinize itself, now was the reflection showing too much for some white individuals in America?

Malcolm X delivers two speeches that occurred around the 1960s discussing about his views and opinions regarding African Americans. In both of his speeches, Malcolm X uses different styles of techniques to voice his opinions and deliver his purpose to the people. However, each deliver a different message regarding African Americans. In the “Letter from Mecca” Malcolm discusses about his experiences in Mecca delivering a more positive approach; on the other hand, in his speech “Message to Grassroots,” Malcolm discusses about the problem in a negative way mocking Martin Luther King’s ideas regarding peaceful protection.

All throughout Malcolm X’s speech, powerful language can be found. Malcolm encourages all individuals of direct African descent to come together in quotes such as this one: “...all Afro-American people and organizations should henceforth unite so that the welfare and well-being of our people

He wanted blacks to understand that as long as they let these politicians come in and feed them lies and fill them up with false hope, they had control over them and that they were going to be tricked into voting for people whose intentions are only going to oppress them , and make them a bigger target for systemic racism. .Malcolm’s speech had a tremendous impact on not only the blacks living in America, but people all over the world. And blacks exercised their rights to vote despite their many obstacles, and voted for who felt would help them, and by 1968 the civil rights movement shifted to a new phase. Malcolm X himself, and his speech both made a big impact in the civil rights movement, he gave his people a choice to either fight for their freedom, or die

At the beginning of the speech there is a huge appeal to one’s ethics, which is ethos. Malcolm wants it to be known to the audience that he is and will always be Muslim but states to the audience, “Although I'm still Muslim, I'm not here tonight to discuss my religion, I'm not here to change your religion. I'm not here to argue or discuss anything that we differ about, because it's time for us to submerge our differences and realize that it is best for us to first see that we have the same problem, a common problem that will make you catch hell whether you're Baptist, or a Methodist, or a Muslim, or a Nationalist.” Through this powerful quote Malcolm is able to gain the audience’s respect because he is being completely honest with them while still showing them how dedicated he is to the issues. As the speech progress he moves on to speak about the problems the African Americans face in the United States and uses pathos to grabs the audience’s attention and make them feel about what he is saying. Several times Malcolm tries to anger the audience about the white man when saying, “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

Malcolm X did not believe that blacks should bow down to whites, and beg for "scraps from the table"; he believed that African Americans were the people of God and should be treated as such. In his untitled speech, Malcolm X condemns the white "man" as devils who will recieve justice at the hands of God. According to Malcolm X, Muhammad tought that slavery was a sin that had led to the decimation of Egypt and Babylon. Deeply commited to the civil rights movement, Malcolm X's deep hatred of white Americans and radical beliefs clashed heavily with those of Dr.King, and forced a divide among African Americans. Angry and resentful, some blacks rejected the nonviolent protests of King, and instead embraced the "by any means necassary" approach that Malcolm X preached. Malcolm X referred to King and other African American leaders as posers who were hired by the government to trick blacks into believing that intergrating into white society will solve all of their problems (Malcolm X, 1963). Malcolm X preached that African Americans were referred to in the scriptures as the people of God, and that God would create a utopia on earth once he had cleansed it of all the white devils. Malcolm X's call to action inspired many protests and riots from fellow radicals who were turning

Here, Malcolm X is referring to the history of black people in America and how they were never given opportunities out of the kindness of the white man’s heart. Before World War II, black people had menial jobs and were not allowed sustainable employment in low skill places such as factories. That is, until all the white boys were shipped overseas to courageously represent our land of freedom. The leaders of America never had black well being in mind. They simply needed the hands and African Americans needed the money. (X,

Malcom X says that instead of fighting each other over their religions that they should be fighting white politicians for not getting anything done. Malcolm X notices that politicians waited till the end of their term to start civil rights legislation. He says now since it is time for re-election they will be back in black neighborhoods selling them false promises (76). That is why Malcom X wants African Americans to put religion aside and come together to vote for someone who will make a

    To add on, both African-Americans approach the issue of integration-which is one of many actions that allow Africans and whites to live as one. According to King’s I have a Dream speech, it states,”I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and the ones of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.” In the 1900s, integration was a to combine both African-Americans and whites in an ‘equal society’ where all work together as one. Due to Malcolm X experiencing harsh realities of racial differences in his childhood, Malcolm X can’t conceive both African-Americans or Whites fuse with one another. It states in The Last Year of Malcolm, “All we’re are saying now is since we’re already divided,the least the government can do is let us control the areas we live. Let the white control their, let us control ours-that’s all we’re saying.” Malcolm’s plan was to separate the two races,

Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little, was a human rights activist, and a revolutionary black nationalist leader who doubled as a spokesman for The Nation of Islam. Malcolm X was a persuasive and skilled speaker. He strongly encouraged African-Americans to rise up against the oppression of from racism by any means possible, even if they had to use violence. In Malcolm X’s speech, Message to the Grassroots, he explores the idea of all those oppressed by privileged whites joining together as a solution to the power of racism. Message to the Grassroots was one of the last speeches Malcolm X gave before he left the Nation of Islam. Throughout his speech, Malcolm X uses parallelism, repetition and inclusive and exclusive language to persuade the attendees

“I Have a Dream” Analysis During the early and middle 20th century, African Americans were not given rights that all people of America deserved. The Civil Rights Movement was a time in which men and women across the United States strived to create a country of equality. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a prominent activist in this movement and great influence on American society. His popularity allowed this specific movement to gain large amounts of attention and respect. Dr. King delivered the speech, “I Have a Dream,” which impacted not only the United States, but the entire world.

His ideas of a segregated society were not right for the time. “We will meanwhile be working among our own kind, in our own black communities...that the black man has got to help himself. Working separately, the sincer white people and sincere black people actually will be working together”(Autobiography of Malcolm X, 1965) Despite Malcolm X thinking that a separate society would be best, this is not true. The southern states of the U.S. already had separated society due to the Jim Crow laws.

He used comparisons and repetition in order to convince the African Americans to support and rally with him. Malcolm X compared his audience to slaves by claiming that “second class citizenship is nothing but 20th century slavery … they don’t have second class citizenship in any other government on this earth. They just have slaves and people who are free. Well, this country is a hypocrite. They try and make you think they set you free by calling you a second-class citizen. No, you’re nothing but a 20th century slave” (Malcolm X). He evoked emotions and pondering from the audience by making them question if they are even true citizens or if they are just slaves who haven’t made any progress in their society at all. Malcolm also used repetition throughout his speech to make a point. The word repeated most often is “rights,” although he also used words such as “community,” “struggle,” “friend,” and even “gospel” at least ten times in his speech. He used words like this an extraordinary amount in order to convince the audience he is right. He proved to them that what they are going through was a “struggle,” they needed to unite as a “community,” and the white man was not a “friend” but their race was friendly towards each other (Malcolm X). Malcolm X’s speech as a whole covered an extremely emotional and thought-provoking subject; pathos was present at every point in his speech because the cause he was fighting for was very

King fought for equal rights, liberty, and freedom. In his speech King said, “But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free”. The problem in America is clearly stated in this quotation. During the time of discrimination it benefits King as a Civil Right leader because King and his supporters’ wanted an immediate change rather than a slow change. One of the examples that the King has stated in his speech using deductive logic is that all American citizens have equal rights; all African Americans are US citizens, and therefore, through these two premises, we can conclude that all African Americans are being

Critical Response Martin Luther King Jr had a dream that the next generation would be one without racial superiority. He wanted all men to actually be treated as though they were equal. He wrote and then delivered the “I Have A Dream” speech in front of some two hundred thousand people. Martin Luther King Jr’s dream got lost in translation, and we are back to the same place we were so many years ago,.