Publicly, his criticisms of the system fell on mostly deaf ears. One sentence he said stuck out like a sore thumb. Malcolm X speech was not a success because he made the Nation of Islam a regular group, which devoted limitless acts of violence and hate, giving the federal more validation to dissociate and categorize African Americans. Sign up to highlight and take notes. Lerne mit deinen Freunden und bleibe auf dem richtigen Kurs mit deinen persnlichen Lernstatistiken. Lyndon B. Johnson is the head of the Democratic Party. Malcolm X begins "The Ballot or the Bullet" by announcing that he'll explain what he believes the next steps of the Civil Rights Movement should be. Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Carol Denise McNair were killed when a bomb detonated in Birmingham, Alabama, in the 16th Street Baptist Church on September 15, 1963. Some of them were Christians. 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." For example, the theme and title of the speech the ballot or the bullet is mentioned about 16 times by the speaker: Let it be the ballot or the bullet. That right there castrates you. If he's for civil rights, let him go into the Senate next week and denounce the Southern branch of his party. Over 10 million students from across the world are already learning smarter. Summary of Malcolm X's "The Ballot or the Bullet" speech. Malcolm X, a Muslim, credits Elijah Muhammed, the leader of the Nation of Islam, with making him into the man he is today. anti-degradation . Right there it brings you down. "I'm not here tonight to discuss my religion. Malcolm's purpose was to emphasize the idea that the black community needs to be . 1483 Words6 Pages. an ideology that African Americans should separate from white America and form their own institutions. He is not here today to discuss his relationship with God, but to speak about black nationalism. An old woman can sit. Intentional repitition of the same grammatical structure, which may also include a repeated word or phrase, in the same structural position at least three times in nearby sentences or segments of a sentence. Let the world know how bloody his [Uncle Sam's] hands are. parallelism in the ballot or the bullet. Both speakers use pattern of three to make their speeches effective, memorable and persuading. He was also muslim. It's either a ballot or a bullet. [24], When Malcolm X spoke of "the type of Black man on the scene in America today [who] doesn't intend to turn the other cheek any longer",[9] he was addressing his followers, people who were not advocates of the non-violent approach generally favored by the Civil Rights Movement. When a racial powder keg goes off, it doesn't care who it knocks out of the way. An old man can sit. After you go (threw, through) that intersection, take the next left tum. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. African american rights were the main concern of many people, along with government corruption and the unwillingness to help. "(I Have a Dream Speech). Malcolm uses emotions because he wants the audience to feel the events in America especially when it comes the time to vote. has failed and failed and failed the works of freedom. The Ballot or the Bullet is a speech delivered by Malcolm X in 1964. ambitions so big they seemed Texas-boastful. In The Ballot or the Bullet, Malcolm X advocates for racial, economic, and social justice through the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, more black voting control, and more black local control through any means possible, including violence and the threat of it. Malcolm predicted that if the civil rights bill wasn't passed, there would be a march on Washington in 1964. African Americans have a constitutional right to own guns and defend themselves from being attacked by the white man. Tell him, don't wait until election time. ", "As they nourish these dissatisfactions, it can only lead to one thing, an explosion;", extreme exaggeration of something that in reality may be quite logical to prove a point, "If the late President Kennedy could get together with Khrushchev and exchange some wheat, we certainly have more in common with each other than Kennedy and Khrushchev had with each other. _____Cole had all *ready *toasted the bagels by the time his parents woke up. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. First he says, It. Religious differences, he worries, might hinder solidarity in the African-American community. 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 also explains that if the government continues to take away the rights of African-Americans, that the entire population of African-Americans should take up arms. Well, you and I been sitting long enough, he claims, and its time for us today to start doing some standing and some fighting to back that up.. Test your knowledge with gamified quizzes. A coward can sit. 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. The Ballot or the Bullet essays are academic essays for citation. This downplaying of his religion reverberates in the context of a speech advocating for political engagement. Malcolm X wa the leading black figure in the American Civil Rights movement advocating for a stronger even violent response to White American apathy of black rights. Let it be the ballot or the bullet. Sit-ins are disempowering because they perpetuate the image of the African-American community as cowardly and weak. 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. [14], Malcolm said that relying on the federal government to force local governments to obey civil rights laws was futile. Malcolm X narrates the speech from a first-person point of view. In April 1964, in the midst of a 54 day Senate filibuster of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, Malcolm X gave his famous speech, The Ballot or the Bullet. "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. Malcolm X uses a combination of logic and emotion to appeal to his audience. "The time when white people can come in our community and get us to vote for them so that they can be our political leaders and tell us what to do and what not to do is long gone. He argued that the ballot was the only way to achieve true and lasting change, but that the government had to be willing to protect the rights of African Americans. What X was trying to instill into the minds of his blacks was to be their own person. Anything can sit. 1964, against a backdrop of segregation and social unrest. GradeSaver "The Ballot or the Bullet The Ballot or the Bullet, Part 1 Summary and Analysis". If the word is correct, write C./ On April 3, 1964, human rights activist Malcolm X gave the speech "The Ballot or the Bullet." The speech was . It was very influential speech that empowered the. Let him know that it must be the ballot or the bullet. Separate to the "big" ballot, we are running ballots in the Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and other areas. intentional repetition of 3 or more vowel sounds among nearby words. The history of America is one of colonialism; Malcolm likens the colonists struggle against the British to that of African-Americans against white supremacy. The title of Malcolm X's speech, "The Ballot or the Bullet," suggests an ultimatum between voting or violence, an attempt by the speaker to convince the audience that one action or the other is absolutely necessary depending on the actions of the enemy - in this case, the U.S. government. "The Ballot or the Bullet" asks African Americans to put aside their differences and work together to redefine their civil rights as human rights so they can plead their case to the United Nations. He declares that religion is a personal matter, not a political one. 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. "The Ballot or the Bullet" further indicates a shift in Malcolm X's rhetoric, as his separation from the Nation of Islam and new, unfettered public activism prompted a change in the ways he addressed his audience. Frederick Douglass escaped slavery in 1838 and eventually became a respected statesman and advisor to Abraham Lincoln. We have to come together with warmth so we can develop unity and harmony that's necessary to get this problem solved ourselves. Although he supported black equality, he attacked the problem unlike others such as Martin Luther King Jr. did. intentional balancing clauses within a sentence to create equality of development between ideas (a.k.a. Littles speech has a significant lack of logic; although, it is a clever move to predominantly use emotional appeal due to his motive - to incite anger in America and to showcase the government's faults. ", "Patrick Henry was a patriot, and George Washington. Coversational/familiar language particular to a particular region or dialect. Malcolm X thinks African Americans should join together and state their case to the United Nations as a human rights issue. This is meant to send a warning to the American government, cautioning them that African Americans are willin. Malcolm speaks out to all who are willing to obtain their civil rights.In Ballot or Bullet Malcolm X uses Anaphora, Antithesis, Ethical Appeal, Word choice, and Rhetorical question to show the lack of support from government and how coming together can help fight back. What is the tone of "The Ballot or the Bullet"? The Question and Answer section for The Ballot or the Bullet is a great Some of them were, some were atheists. White men won't even patronize you. In addition, many African American men have fought and died in each war the United States has been involved in. . Malcolm X is the protagonist. . Like Malcolm X, whenever he has been an orphan at the young age, but he never stop to learn and study. You can't open up a black store in a white community. This statement exemplifies how Malcolm X's thinking began to shift concerning the Civil Rights Movement after leaving the Nation of Islam and continued down this path while on his pilgrimage to Mecca. The media misconstrued Malcolm X's calls for self-defense as calls for violence. Why did "The Ballot or the Bullet" alienate white Americans? Malcolm X warns African-Americans against the white politicians that will come into their communities (for the first and last time, he suggests) and make false promises of equality. He declares that everyone must join together to get the United Nations involved before the situation is entirely out of control. In "The Ballot or the Bullet", Malcolm chose not to discuss religion but rather to stress the experiences common to African Americans of all backgrounds. Malcolm X was a civil rights leader before he was assassinated at the age of 40. Dixicrats: a southern segregationist faction of the Democratic Party. Create beautiful notes faster than ever before. The white man didnt know what he was doing when he let black children read about liberty or death in his history books, he says. At the same time, the speech indicated that Malcolm still supported Black nationalism and self-defense and thus had not made a complete break with his past. ", "Not only is he a crook, he's a hypocrite. Let the world know how bloody his hands are. "No, no, we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down, In some ways, he was this town at its best-- strong, hard-. Human rights activist Malcolm X in his speech, "The Ballot or the Bullet" reiterates the injustice in America towards people of color and inspires the black community to use their power in numbers in the election (ballot) or if necessary by force (bullet). Analyzes how malcolm x's ballot or bullet speech was highly esteemed, despite dr. martin luther king being a pacifist and civil rights activist. . The speech is among the top persuasive speeches of the 20th century. Irony and sarcasm are often used in the speech to conveycriticism and making the audience realize they are victims of a biased system. The Ballot or the Bullet Analysis Jasmine Grant Jackson State University By Any Means Necessary! Earlier in the year, Malcolm X, once an outspoken follower of Elijah Muhammed, declared his separation from the Nation of Islam and realigned himself with the civil rights movement. A march led by the Black Panthers, Wikimedia Commons. It outlawed segregation. [3][4], On March 8, 1964, Malcolm X announced his separation from the Nation of Islam, a black nationalist religious organization for which he had been the spokesman for nearly a decade. ", "They've become dissatisfied, and all of this has built up frustrations in the black community that makes the black community throughout America today more explosive than all of the atomic bombs the Russians can ever invent", "Whenever you got a racial powder keg sitting in your lap, you're in more trouble than if you had an atomic powder keg sitting in your lap. It was ranked 7th in the top 100 American speeches of the 20th century by 137 leading scholars of American public address. The bill proposed a ban on discrimination based on race, religion, sex, or national origin in jobs and public accommodations. However, he clarifies that they have yet to see the America dream but only to experience the American nightmare (para 11). He observes that the United States has reached its boiling point, demonstrated by the increasing use of weapons in confrontations. A sentence to create equality of development between ideas ( a.k.a Americans are willin only experience. 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