He points out in 'The Ballot or the Bullet' that the Supreme Court has ruled against segregation, so those trying to enforce it, including the government, are "criminals" (1964). Malcolm X fills his speech with imagery (mental images) that has a strong emotional impact, created with the help of metaphors and similes. driving, working feverishly, pushing, building. Although their outspoken beliefs in self-defense and gun ownership branded them a militant group, they created much-needed social programs for their communities, such as health clinics and free breakfast programs. "The Ballot or the Bullet" was delivered at a church in Cleveland, Ohio, to a crowd that included African Americans and white Americans. intentional omission of a word or words that are readily implied by the context, intentional unconventional rearranging of word order to create an effect, create, study and share online flash cards, "realize that it is best for us to first see that we have the same problem, a common. Their eyes are coming open. 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. Insulting his listener is meant to stoke the listeners sense of anger and injustice, and therefore to provoke him into more direct action against white supremacy than the peaceful protests advocated for by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are able to do. The Black Panther Party was organized in 1966 in California to combat police brutality, and it eventually spread to many other parts of the country. The most significant modification of Malcolm X's rhetoric that can be observed in "The Ballot or the Bullet" is the broadening of his audience, as he "emphasizes individualized judgement rather than group cohesion"[29] and allows for more analytical "flexibility restrained by a purposive focus on particular goals. In America at the time The Ballot or the Bullet was given, segregation was still occurring. A coward can sit. The. California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, and activists like Dennis Peron whose partner died of AIDS in 1990 played key roles in organizing the ballot measure. Likewise, by stating his continued commitment to Black nationalism, Malcolm reassured his followers that he had not made a complete break with his past. What is Malcolm X's rhetorical strategy in The Ballot or the Bullet? Did Malcolm X believe the Democrats wanted to help African Americans achieve equal rights? "When you take your case to Washington, D.C., you're taking it to the criminal who's responsible; it's like running from the wolf to the fox. April 8, 2021; energy difference between n=1 and n=2 in joules. Example: (Your, Youre\underline{\textit{You're}}Youre) surprised that I knew that Notah Begay won a PGA golf tournament in 1999. The Ballot or the Bullet essays are academic essays for citation. Then you wonder why where you live is always a ghetto or a slum area. He calls out America's double standards and wants the world to see the reality behind the mask of its ideals. _____Cole had all *ready *toasted the bagels by the time his parents woke up. 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. [and] anti-oppression" and that, if white Americans take issue with being considered a problem, all they have to do is stop treating African Americans in those ways. 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. At the time, blacks did not have much say in who they wanted to elect. given on July 5, 1852. 5- Parallelism: Wrapping Up. Not affiliated with Harvard College. When a racial powder keg goes off, it doesn't care who it knocks out of the way. Parallelism What are the main points of "The Ballot or the Bullet"? Malcolm X uses strong diction along with parallelism in this speech to emphasize the problem of racial inequality in America. The Ballot or the Bullet, Part 2 Summary and Analysis. 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. Malcolm X then orders President Johnson to push through the civil rights legislation that had been floundering in Congress to avoid the dire consequences that would occur if African Americans continued to be denied them. "The Ballot or the Bullet" opens by addressing the differences in religious beliefs that divide the African-American community. . Malcolm X invokes one American dream while condemning another. In one of many clever turns of phrase, Malcolm employs both humor and repetition to rename the situation facing African-Americans as an American nightmare.. anti-degradation . Instead of crying and be depressed with his lost, he continued to study. ", "Patrick Henry was a patriot, and George Washington. If gaming the political system doesnt work, he recommends African-Americans turn to outright revolution. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Ballot or the Bullet by Malcolm X. He declares that religion is a personal matter, not a political one. Malcolm X defines black nationalism as the philosophy that African-Americans should control the politics and the politicians in (their) own community. Economically, it means frequenting African-American owned and operated businesses, whose profit will feed back into the black community and strengthen it. This downplaying of his religion reverberates in the context of a speech advocating for political engagement. The speech is among the top persuasive speeches of the 20th century. Thesis: In The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm X in his telling of his life to Alex Haley uncovers the theme of positive and negative environments unearthed by the interaction of African Americans and White Americans in his life and what those kinds of environments inherently produce. Due to the lack of government the dichotomy between african americans and the white men was still a major problem ; as African americans needed to put and end to the separation and earn civil rights. If the ballot doesn't work, Malcolm X says, then African-Americans will have to resort to the bullet. And where you and I are concerned, not only do we lose it when we spend it out of the community, but the white man has got all our stores in the community tied up; so that though we spend it in the community, at sundown the man who runs the store takes it over across town somewhere. Create and find flashcards in record time. Analyzes how malcolm used parallelism to establish credibility amongst his predominately christian audience by . ", "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. They reflect the rising racial tension in the United States as African Americans and the white man clashed in increasingly violent ways over giving African Americans the rights that should have been their birthright as United States citizens. He is not here today to discuss his relationship with God, but to speak about black nationalism. African Americans have a constitutional right to own guns and defend themselves from being attacked by the white man. Lyndon B. Johnson is the head of the Democratic Party. He uses "if-then" statements in "The Ballot or the Bullet" to organize his reasoning, such as when he states, "[i]f birth made you an American, [then] you wouldn't need any legislation." Zip. symbolism What is the central message behind the title? the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. In 1964, it's the ballot or the bullet. He tells the crowd that they first need to set aside differences to focus on their common issue the white man. He wanted them to vote for who they felt was the right choice to benefit blacks. The Ballot or the Bullet Literary Elements Genre Political Speech Setting and Context 1964, against a backdrop of segregation and social unrest. His black protectionist outlook called separation instead of unity and equality. In these opening paragraphs, Malcolm X calls for increased political participation and awareness in the black community. Malcolm X uses this device extensively in his speech, as it helps him illustrate points related to the Civil Rights Movement and the need to fight by any means necessary to promote Afric. 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. Whether you're educated or illiterate, whether you live on the boulevard or in the alley, you're going to catch hell just like I am. He chose this speech to express cause and effect within the black community because he wants his audience to see that they are being taken advantage of. Some examples of rhetorical questions that help structure the speech are: The question tonight, as I understand it, is The Negro Revolt, and Where Do We Go From Here? or What Nex. Why was "The Ballot or the Bullet" important? The political philosophy is self-government. This resource includes the annotated text of Malcolm X's famous "The Ballot or the Bullet" speech. 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. Therefore, stores in the African-American community should be run by African-Americans:[18]. "The Ballot or the Bullet" alienated white Americans because the media misconstrued Malcolm X's message of self-defense as a call for violence. The Question and Answer section for The Ballot or the Bullet is a great Everything that came out of Europe, every blue-eyed thing, is already an American. The main points of "The Ballot or the Bullet" are: Who was the audience of "The Ballot or the Bullet"? 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. Inherent: an adjective describing something of a central and permanent nature. In doing so, the African-American community loses money and becomes poorer while the community the dollar was given to gains money and becomes richer. "The Ballot or the Bullet" is a speech made by Malcolm X in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 3, 1964. Malcolm X uses "if-then" statements and examples designed to evoke emotion to appeal to his audience. He also references Abraham Lincoln's statement, "To give victory to the right, not bloody bullets, but peaceful ballots only, are necessary," from his speech on May 18, 1858. 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. 1483 Words6 Pages. Malcolm X was no banal man he was a extravagant civil rights speaker, he showed the truth on how coming together can put the end to African American indifference. "The Ballot or The Bullet" was a speech by Malcolm X mostly about black nationalism delivered April 12, 1964 in Detroit, Michigan. Being a black nationalist, Malcolm X says, does not require you to give up any of your personal organizational affiliations. Cone, pp. The history of America is one of colonialism; Malcolm likens the colonists struggle against the British to that of African-Americans against white supremacy. George Washington and Patrick Henry didnt win the American revolution, the soldiers did. He was also muslim. What do we care about odds? Don't be throwing out any ballots. Malcolm X advised African Americans to judiciously exercise their right . After you go (threw, through) that intersection, take the next left tum. 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. His speech The Ballot or the Bullet, was about black nationalism during the current election year. Create beautiful notes faster than ever before. As a member of PrimeStudyGuides.com, you get access to all of the content. (The Ballot or the Bullet) Definition Parallelism (Repitition) 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. Malcolm X was a civil rights leader before he was assassinated at the age of 40. The main aim of the speech is to urge African Americans to vote, and if they do not attain equality through voting, they can use violence to fight for their rights. Not affiliated with Harvard College. In this speech, Malcolm stresses the need for the population of African American voters to increase in order to fight for equality. Also, his teachings were able to connect to a wide audience and allow them to even set aside their differences to focus on the information Malcolm talks about. 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. Create flashcards in notes completely automatically. GradeSaver "The Ballot or the Bullet The Ballot or the Bullet, Part 1 Summary and Analysis". I'm not here to try and change your religion. Let the world know how bloody his hands are. "I'm not here tonight to discuss my religion. balanced sentence), comparision of two unlike things using "like" or as", deliberate omission of conjunctions in a series of related clauses, "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. It outlawed segregation. [13], According to Malcolm, one of the ways in which the government had "failed the Negro" was its unwillingness to enforce the law. For example, the speaker uses the metaphor of a boat to suggest that all African Americans (regardless of religion) are victims of discrimination and oppression: We're. "The Ballot or the Bullet" discusses the power of the African American vote and charges the United States government with conspiring against allowing African Americans to achieve their due rights. His name was Malcolm Little (known as Malcolm X), a widely acknowledged human rights activist. Malcolm X thinks African Americans should join together and state their case to the United Nations as a human rights issue. African american rights were the main concern of many people, along with government corruption and the unwillingness to help. On the other hand, "The Ballot or the Bullet" alienated white Americans. What parts of African American society did Malcolm X want them to control? 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. . ", 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). Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring! Malcolm X: ( 06:52) The economic philosophy of Black Nationalism only means that we should own, and operate, and control the economy of our community. ", "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. On April 3, 1964, human rights activist Malcolm X gave the speech "The Ballot or the Bullet." The speech was . 11. 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. And this was pointed out by the Supreme Court decision. First he says, It. Nothing but Africans." His subject was Negro rights, and he was speaking to the African American population. Malcolms purpose was to emphasize the idea that the black community needs to be informed about the political community. [6], When he left the Nation of Islam, Malcolm declared his willingness to cooperate with the Civil Rights Movement. The current dispute mandate runs out on 6 May, and so the new ballot will run from 20 March until 9 May. These 22 million victims are waking up. In June 1963, President John F. Kennedy sent Congress a civil rights bill. It was very influential speech that . The tone of "The Ballot or the Bullet" is both urgent and angry. [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. 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 African-American community has enormous political power, Malcolm X claims, if they vote as one. in "the Ballot or the Bullet" with Malcom X. what made the speaker qualified to give this speech. I'm nonviolent with those who are nonviolent with me. They will get change one way or another. Malcolms main purpose of the speech is to persuade African Americans to fight for their right to vote and to warn the U.S. government that if they restrict minorities from equality, violence will in turn take effect (Montoya 211). That old Uncle Tom action is outdated. "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-. Will you pass the quiz? He made his The Ballot or the Bullet speech during April, 1964 in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 . Malcolm X delivered a powerful speech on April 3, 1964 at the Congress of Racial Equality in Cleveland, Ohio. He says non-violence is foolish when an opponent approaches with violence. Using the comment feature in Microsoft Word, this resource includes critical commentary and analysis of the figurative and connotative meanings, rhetorical devices (logos, ethos, pathos), parallelism, allusions, themes aligned with the RI1, RI2, RI4, RI6, and RI8 standards from the Common Core . ambitions so big they seemed Texas-boastful. The major conflict is between African-Americans and white supremacy, concretized in the twin issues of the upcoming election and the ongoing filibuster against the 1964 Civil Rights Act. He accused the Democrats of playing a "political con game", with African Americans as its victims. Malcolm X delivered "The Ballot or the Bullet" shortly before leaving the United States to travel through North Africa and the Middle East. Anything can sit. [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. As a result, they began to lose hope that non-violent intervention was a reasonable goal. You can't open up a black store in a white community. Summary of Malcolm X's "The Ballot or the Bullet" speech. Although he advocated exercising the ballot, Malcolm X expressed skepticism that voting would bring about full equality for African Americans. X's purpose is to awaken the black . 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. Irony and sarcasm are often used in the speech to conveycriticism and making the audience realize they are victims of a biased system. Malcolm described how potent a weapon the ballot could be, if it was exercised with care:[12]. 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. In the speech, The Ballot or the Bullet, Malcolm X urges African-Americans to fight the discrimination put towards them by using their votes to vanquish the evilness in America. He was assassinated at the age of 40 Literary Elements Genre political speech Setting context... 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