But, as a human being, he is also easily influenced by what others said about him. Create beautiful notes faster than ever before. Malcolm asserts that he and other African Americans are not Americans because they are fighting for the rights that other Americans already have. As a member of PrimeStudyGuides.com, you get access to all of the content. The purpose was to allow black people to realize the events that were happening in their lives. The young generation don't want to hear anything about the odds are against us. Test your knowledge with gamified quizzes. What parts of African American society did Malcolm X want them to control? Your vote, your dumb vote, your ignorant vote, your wasted vote put administration in Washington D.C. His repetition of your followed by a negative adjective and vote made his parallel structure apparent he used your to throw shade on african americans and how they complain about our white presidents. In addition, many African American men have fought and died in each war the United States has been involved in. Malcolm asserts that African Americans have earned their rights because they've secured massive wealth for the United States by working for free as enslaved people. More books than SparkNotes. ", " And in 1964 you'll see this young black man, this new generation asking for the ballot or bullet. Malcolm X uses strong diction along with parallelism in this speech to emphasize the problem of racial inequality in America. X's purpose is to awaken the black . Be perfectly prepared on time with an individual plan. The African-American community has enormous political power, Malcolm X claims, if they vote as one. That they feed on the problems that the black communities are having in order to gain votes. Everything that came out of Europe, every blue-eyed thing, is already an American. Nie wieder prokastinieren mit unseren Lernerinnerungen. Unlike the 1963 March on Washington, which was peaceful and integrated, the 1964 march Malcolm described would be an all-Black "non-nonviolent army" with one-way tickets. . The Question and Answer section for The Ballot or the Bullet is a great Why was "The Ballot or the Bullet" important? [10], Malcolm said that African Americans were becoming "politically mature" and recognizing that, through unity and nonalignment, they could be the swing vote in the coming elections and elect candidates who would be attentive to their concerns:[11]. We have to see each other with new eyes. Putting normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases together to generate a new/interseting effect. Black people in America came together to receive motivation to fight for equality.In this speech Malcolm X inspires black people to take a stance and fight for their civil rights. What is the tone of "The Ballot or the Bullet"? Let it be the ballot or the bullet. Malcolm provides an economic summary of black nationalism: African-Americans should buy from African-American owned and operated businesses so as to feed the prosperity of their own communities and lift the levelto a higher levelso that we will be satisfied in our own circles and wont be running around here to knock our way into a social circle where were not wanted. This economic attitude is in keeping with the larger social and political attitudes of separatism that marked black nationalism, which claimed that integration would only result in further oppression of black peoples and advocated, as the name suggests, for entirely separate and self-governed communities. Parallelism [15] He said that the people of the developing world were "sitting there waiting to throw their weight on our side" if the fight for civil rights were expanded into a human rights struggle. Well, in this situation, it teaches me that even a legend person like Malcolm X are once easily distorted by the words of the people around him. Second-class citizenship, such as is held by the African-American community, is tantamount to 20th-century slavery, says Malcolm. For example, in the third paragraph of the excerpt, X strikes a blow at the government which [deprives the black community] of [their] voting rights, economic opportunities, housing, and, On April 12, 1964, Malcom X gives The Ballot or the Bullet speech at Cory Methodist Church in Detroit, Michigan. There he is standing up in front of other people, Uncle Sam, with the blood of your and mine mothers and fathers on his hands, with the blood dripping down his jaws like a bloody-jawed wolf", Ap Lang Rhetorical Strategies -- "The Ballot, The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric, Lawrence Scanlon, Renee H. Shea, Robin Dissin Aufses, Literature and Composition: Reading, Writing,Thinking, Carol Jago, Lawrence Scanlon, Renee H. Shea, Robin Dissin Aufses, Exploration/Colonization - American Revolution. Let him know that it must be the ballot or the bullet."( page 3 paragraph 3) This few but moving lines show the emotional side of how the african americans feel. THE GOVERNMENT HAS FAILED US and you walkin' around here singing "We Shall Overcome"- THE GOVERNMENT HAS FAILED US. Malcolm X invokes one American dream while condemning another. [21] He advised his listeners to be mindful of the law "This doesn't mean you're going to get a rifle and form battalions and go out looking for white folks that would be illegal and we don't do anything illegal" but he said that if white people didn't want African Americans to arm themselves, the government should do its job. Acknowledge and refute opponent's argument. The political philosophy is self-government. [21], Malcolm X referred to "the type of Black man on the scene in America today [who] doesn't intend to turn the other cheek any longer",[9] and warned that if politicians failed to keep their promises to African Americans, they made violence inevitable:[22]. If gaming the political system doesnt work, he recommends African-Americans turn to outright revolution. Malcolm X uses a combination of logic and emotion to appeal to his audience. As one can probably tell from the title, Malcolm X is attempting to convince African American citizens to actively exercise their right to vote. Malcolm X delivered a powerful speech on April 3, 1964 at the Congress of Racial Equality in Cleveland, Ohio. (Malcolm X) Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska on May 19, 1925. . This is meant to send a warning to the American government, cautioning them that African Americans are willin. ", indicating your audience may suffer harm/negative consequence if they dont agree with you, "The year when all of the political white crooks will" (The Ballet or the Bullet), "All these Negro leaders have the audacity to go and have some coffee in the White House with a Texan, a Southern cracker" (The Ballot or the Bullet). wordsthat inspire deeply negative or deeply positive reactions. Create the most beautiful study materials using our templates. African american rights were the main concern of many people, along with government corruption and the unwillingness to help. Cone, pp. Instead, he said, the Democrats blamed the Dixiecrats, who were "nothing but Democrat[s] in disguise". In a speech on May 18, 1858, Abraham Lincoln said, "To give victory to the right, not bloody bullets, but peaceful ballots only are necessary. "The Ballot or the Bullet," a famous civil rights speech delivered by Malcolm X Malcolm X religious beliefs had caused controversy within the Black community. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. As a result, they began to lose hope that non-violent intervention was a reasonable goal. 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 a problem that will make you catch hell whether you're a Baptist, or a Methodist, or a Muslim, or a nationalist. For instance he describes the African population in America as "Africans who are in America." . Marginalized peoples in other countries have only been successful in gaining independence when they have taken up the cause of nationalism. Malcolm . The Ballot or the Bullet by Malcolm X: Rhetorical Analysis If you don't take this stand now your kids will grow up and think "shame" Rhetorical Strategies Malcolm X uses a lot of strong dialect . In this first section of the speech, Malcolm relies on appealing to the pride of the African-American community, particularly through language centering on the emasculation of black peoples and the necessity of relying on brute force over peaceful protest. By registering you get free access to our website and app (available on desktop AND mobile) which will help you to super-charge your learning process. In "The Ballot or the Bullet," Malcolm X clarifies that African Americans have no inherent bias toward the white man; they are "anti-exploitation . In the speech, which was delivered on two occasions the first being April 3, 1964, at the Cory Methodist Church in Cleveland, Ohio[1] and the second being on April 12th 1964 at the King Solomon Baptist Church, in Detroit, Michigan. He constantly used repetition of the words "the ballot or the bullet" in order to keep the thought present in the head of the audience, and after completing every thought, he found a way to connect it back to the issue of the ballot or the bullet. He points out that if the government can't bring whoever killed "four little girls while they were praying" to justice, then it is either unwilling to help them or entirely incapable. Tell him, don't wait until election time. In "The Ballot or the Bullet," Malcolm outlines the power of the African American vote, saying, "when white people are evenly divided, and black people have a bloc of votes of their own, it is left up to them to determine who's going to sit in the White House." Compared to whom we are now. White men won't even patronize you. What are the main points of "The Ballot or the Bullet"? Malcolm X analyzes why following the Democratic Party is not in the best interest of African Americans since the Democrats allow the "Dixiecrats" a place in their organization to retain power. Besides, in Malcolm X biography, I learnt that, an extraordinary person has an extraordinary characteristics. However, he clarifies that they have yet to see the America dream but only to experience the American nightmare (para 11). Sign up to highlight and take notes. That is they have been politically informed then they will recognize that each election will end with the same outcome. The dollar is taken from the African-American community and given to outsiders. Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Have all your study materials in one place. Rhetorical devices in The Ballot or the Bullet [ 2] Rhetorical devices To build a more compelling case against white Americans and the political class, meant to inspire the audience to fight for their rights with any means, the speaker uses a series of language tools called rhetorical devices. [2] Malcolm X advised African Americans to judiciously exercise their right to vote, but he cautioned that if the government continued to prevent African Americans from attaining full equality, it might be necessary for them to take up arms. ] in disguise '' to emphasize the problem of racial inequality in America Democrat [ s ] in disguise.. Has been involved in were happening in their lives people to realize the events that were happening their. Tell him, do n't want to hear anything about the odds are against US the! The odds are against US the political system doesnt work, he recommends African-Americans turn to outright.. 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