11. Analyzes how malcolm used parallelism to establish credibility amongst his predominately christian audience by . Some of them were Christians. He said that Black nationalists believe that African Americans should control the politics and the economy in their communities and that they need to remove the vices, such as alcoholism and drug addiction, that afflict their communities. Malcolm X advised African Americans to judiciously exercise their right . 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. Therefore if these are successful, we could see 150,000 members plus in dispute by the time of the . 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. [15], The proper solution, Malcolm X said, was to elevate the struggle of African Americans from one of civil rights to one of human rights. As such, African-Americans must endeavor to educate themselves on which politicians will best serve the aims of the civil rights movement. Malcolm X delivered a powerful speech on April 3, 1964 at the Congress of Racial Equality in Cleveland, Ohio. Rhetorical Analysis Of 'The Ballot Or The Bullet', Civil Rights Activist, Malcolm X, in his speech The Ballot or The Bullet addressed the issue that the black community needs to take action about how the government treats them unfairly. Relying on peaceful protests such as sit-ins castrates the black man, says Malcolm. A coward can sit. Term Our faith is sure, our resolve is firm, and our union is strong. Malcolm X uses strong diction along with parallelism in this speech to emphasize the problem of racial inequality in America. 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. Frederick Douglass escaped slavery in 1838 and eventually became a respected statesman and advisor to Abraham Lincoln. Identify your study strength and weaknesses. In what follows, we will look at some of the most important rhetorical devices used by the speaker and how they work with the speech. It's time now for you and me to become more politically mature and realize what the ballot is for; what we're supposed to get when we cast a ballot; and that if we don't cast a ballot, it's going to end up in a situation where we're going to have to cast a bullet. By the same token, the time when that same white man, knowing that your eyes are too far open, can send another negro into the community and get you and me to support him so he can use him to lead us astray- those days are long gone too. 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. Inherent: an adjective describing something of a central and permanent nature. 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. Why did Malcolm X deliver "The Ballot or the Bullet"? 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. 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. You can subscribe to whichever religious beliefs youd like, and remain a member of whichever civic organizations youd like. Separate to the "big" ballot, we are running ballots in the Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and other areas. How does Malcolm X think the civil rights problem should be solved? 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. After you go (threw, through) that intersection, take the next left tum. Examining Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in Malcolm X's "BAllot or the Bullet" speech. "The Ballot or the Bullet" served several purposes at a critical point in Malcolm X's life: it was part of his effort to distance himself from the Nation of Islam, and it was intended to reach out to moderate civil rights leaders. 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 GOVERNMENT HAS FAILED US and you walkin' around here singing "We Shall Overcome"- THE GOVERNMENT HAS FAILED US. "my community with their false promises, building up our hopes for a letdown, with their, "As they nourish these dissatisfactions, it can only lead to one thing, an, It has talked and talked and talked the words of freedom, but it. After Kennedy's assassination in November 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson threw his support behind the civil rights bill. Malcolm X closes by defining his goal as a Black Nationalist who wants African Americans to gain political, economic, and social control over their communities. This downplaying of his religion reverberates in the context of a speech advocating for political engagement. Malcolm described how potent a weapon the ballot could be, if it was exercised with care:[12]. We have to see each other with new eyes. Cleage, brothers and sis Grolier India > Latest News > Uncategorized > parallelism in the ballot or the bullet. 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 . They attack all of us for the SAME reason; all of us catch hell from the SAME enemy. True or False: Malcolm X appeals to his audience through the use of logic and emotion. If gaming the political system doesnt work, he recommends African-Americans turn to outright revolution. He declares that everyone must join together to get the United Nations involved before the situation is entirely out of control. "The Ballot or the Bullet" is a speech that Malcolm X first delivered at Cory Methodist Church in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 3, 1964. X's purpose is to awaken the black . The white community is divided by its party affiliations, and as such, elections are often so close that there is cause for a recount. The Question and Answer section for The Ballot or the Bullet is a great This is meant to send a warning to the American government, cautioning them that African Americans are willin. It's either a ballot or a bullet. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Ballot or the Bullet by Malcolm X. A march led by the Black Panthers, Wikimedia Commons. You can't open up a black store in a white community. 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. Read this article to know What is Ballad in Literature, characteristics of a ballad, types of ballads, a ballad in literature, ballad literary definition. This was effective because he is making it known what the administration thinks about the African American vote; he hopes to make sure that they know and remember what the. His views in this speech reflect the beliefs he held before completing his Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. Parallelism As a member of PrimeStudyGuides.com, you get access to all of the content. 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. Malcolm X is the protagonist. As one can probably tell from the title, Malcolm X is attempting to convince African American citizens to actively exercise their right to vote. What are the main points of "The Ballot or the Bullet"? 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. 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. The ballot or the bullet Malcolm X during his speech of the ballot or the bullet was the fullest declaration of his black nationalism philosophy. Directly or indirectly labeling those against you in a negative way. 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. Let the world know the hypocrisy that's practiced over here. True or False: Malcolm X believed African Americans should vote for whoever told them they would give them more rights. 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. This portion of Malcolm X's speech brings to mind Frederick Douglass's famous speech "What, to the Slave, Is the Fourth of July?" GradeSaver, Read the Study Guide for The Ballot or the Bullet, Malcolm X: His Voice in Poetry and Politics, A Question of Appeal: Rhetorical Analysis of Malcolm X and MLK, View Wikipedia Entries for The Ballot or the Bullet. The speech is among the top persuasive speeches of the 20th century. Only members can read the full content. 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 bill proposed a ban on discrimination based on race, religion, sex, or national origin in jobs and public accommodations. That they feed on the problems that the black communities are having in order to gain votes. 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." What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, Emancipation from British Dependence Poem, Poems on Various Subjects Religious and Moral. repetition of the first word of a clause at the end of the same clause, intentional repitition of 3 or more consanant sounds among nearby words, "If we don't do something real soon, I think you'll have to agree that we're going to be forced either to use the ballot or the bullet. I'm not a Republican,", repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses, repitition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the next clause, using either a familiar object or idea to compare to a less familiar idea to help the listener/reader understand, OR using a well-accepted favorable idea to compare with a less-favorable one to gain audience approval or vice versa, contrast of ideas created through parallel construction of opposite words, phrases, or clauses, "Whether we are Christians or Muslims or nationalists or agnostics or atheists" (The Ballot or the Bullet). 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. ", "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. He was also muslim. (Malcolm X) Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska on May 19, 1925. . "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. He contrasted civil rights, which he described as "asking Uncle Sam to treat you right", to human rights, which he called "your God-given rights" and "the rights that are recognized by all nations of this earth". Putting normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases together to generate a new/interseting effect. Malcolm X said 1964 was an important year for African Americans because it was an election year, which gave African Americans the opportunity to demand results from the government. The Ballot or the Bullet Literary Elements Genre Political Speech Setting and Context 1964, against a backdrop of segregation and social unrest. Malcolm X addressed the issue of "rifles and shotguns", a controversy that had dogged him since his March 8 announcement that he had left the Nation of Islam. Nothing but Africans." Be perfectly prepared on time with an individual plan. In this speech, Malcolm stresses the need for the population of African American voters to increase in order to fight for equality. At the start of "The Ballot or the Bullet," Malcolm X dispenses with the divisive issue of religion in favor of the common cause of civil rights. Then you wonder why where you live is always a ghetto or a slum area. According to Malcolm X, 1964 is the year of the ballot or the bullet not only because it is the year of what he considers a failed march on Washington, but because it is an election year, and because there is a new generation of African-Americans who are no longer willing to be subjugated. Whereas the Civil Rights Movement advocated on behalf of integration and against segregation, the Nation of Islam favored separatism. . Malcolm X maintained his use of repetition as "communications of the passion that is satisfied by a single statement, but that beats through the pulses",[27] and this can be exemplified by his consistent use of the phrase "the ballot or the bullet". We encourage you to look for other examples of the same devices in the text to further enrich your an, An allusion is a reference to a person, event, or textthat is relevant to the speech. It doesnt matter, he says, if you go to jail, because black people are already there. 0; Despite their religious, differences, they came together. In June 1963, President John F. Kennedy sent Congress a civil rights bill. He encouraged the black community to get involved in voter registration and voting . Why was "The Ballot or the Bullet" important? These 22 million victims are waking up. Understand this, it's dangerous. He made you think you were going somewhere and you end up going nowhere but between Lincoln and Washington. One of the goals of the Civil Rights Movement was to end disenfranchisement of African Americans, but the Nation of Islam forbade its members from participating in the political process. Likewise, by stating his continued commitment to Black nationalism, Malcolm reassured his followers that he had not made a complete break with his past. Its 100% free. Lyndon B. Johnson is the head of the Democratic Party. Note that these are only some examples and not a full list of all the devices the speaker uses. If the ballot doesn't work, Malcolm X says, then African-Americans will have to resort to the bullet. Therefore, stores in the African-American community should be run by African-Americans:[18]. For example, the speaker uses sarcasm to suggest that European immigrants are better treated than African Americans: Everything that came out of Europe, every blue-eyed thing, is already an American., Repetition is one of Malcolm Xs favorite rhetorical devices. What does this mean? Two thousand people including some of his enemies turned out to hear him speak in Cleveland, Ohio. He appeals to the crowd's sense of pride, telling them that their children won't respect them if they don't take a stand against the white man. "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. African american rights were the main concern of many people, along with government corruption and the unwillingness to help. 5- Parallelism: Wrapping Up. Sign up to highlight and take notes. Malcolm X emphasizes Black Nationalism as a way to help African Americans gain political, economic, and social control over their communities. 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.. In his, "The Ballot or the Bullet" was a public acknowledgment of. 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. Malcolm X juxtaposes black nationalism with the non-violent philosophy of advocates like Martin Luther King Jr., who favor peaceful protest, which Malcolm denounces as passive. 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. One sentence he said stuck out like a sore thumb. [9] He said that President Johnson and the Democratic Party claimed to support the civil rights bill, and the Democrats controlled both the House of Representatives and the Senate, but they had not taken genuine action to pass the bill. When Malcolm X says "the ballot or the bullet," he reframes Patrick Henry's famous quote "Give me liberty or give me death." When a racial powder keg goes off, it doesn't care who it knocks out of the way. He declares himself to be a black nationalist freedom fighter.. Malcolm X was a fighter for civil rights. Did Malcolm X believe the Democrats wanted to help African Americans achieve equal rights? GradeSaver "The Ballot or the Bullet Literary Elements". Summary of Malcolm X's "The Ballot or the Bullet" speech. In addition, many African American men have fought and died in each war the United States has been involved in. [5] He reassured leaders of the Civil Rights Movement that "I've forgotten everything bad that [they] have said about me, and I pray they can also forget the many bad things I've said about them."[7]. Malcolm X, a Muslim, credits Elijah Muhammed, the leader of the Nation of Islam, with making him into the man he is today. You're nothing but Africans. Before this ultimatum could ever be proposed . How does he use his beliefs to persuade a mixed audience about the importance of voting to African Americans? Malcolm X was a civil rights leader and part of The Nation of Islam. "Those Honkies that just got off the boat, they're already Americans; Polacks are already Americans; the Italian refugees are already Americans. Anything can sit. Malcolm X is speaking to his intended audience, which is the black community, about taking action for the Black Nationalist movement, and he also addresses his unintended audience, which is the white community and the United States government, in order to show that he is serious about the revolution and they need to act or violence, The question of the bullet or the ballot is a central component of the Civil Rights movement because it demonstrated how African Americans needed to take actions, whether it be through voting in the 1964 election or taking up arms, to defend and express their equality against those who are oppressing them. Because he think too much on what had been said by his teacher, he drop out the school and started to do some dirty business. ", "And until we become politically mature we will always be mislead, lead astray, or deceived or maneuvered into supporting someone politically who doesn't have the good of our community at heart. Narrator and Point of View Malcolm X narrates the speech from a first-person point of view. Nie wieder prokastinieren mit unseren Lernerinnerungen. The Ballot or the Bullet study guide contains a biography of Malcolm X, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Why did "The Ballot or the Bullet" alienate white Americans? Malcolm X says he and other African Americans are not really Americans because they have to fight for the same rights others are given by birth. ", "Patrick Henry was a patriot, and George Washington. The current dispute mandate runs out on 6 May, and so the new ballot will run from 20 March until 9 May. 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