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Compare And Contrast Malcolm X And Martin Luther King Jr

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Two of the most influential civil rights activists who fought for the rights and equality of African Americans were Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. both had different views on whether or not violence or non violence was the key to gaining equality for blacks. They very much differed on the question of violence because as Malcolm was for it King was against it. King believed in a nonviolent approach to end segregation, and knew that white segregationist would eventually act on behalf of his nonviolent acts because the issue couldn’t be ignored forever. Malcolm, on the other hand, believed violence was the only way to get segregationist to act. Though Malcolm never used violence, Malcolm knew that by threatening the white man the white man would then react to the threat. Although they viewed things differently, one can see how both Malcolm and King structured their work around Bitzer’s rhetorical analysis method. Lloyd Bitzer’s method usually starts with the exigence also known as the problem. Both Malcolm X and King faced the same problem during their time. The problem for them was how unjust and unfairly blacks were treated …show more content…

One strong constraint that he gives is when he talks about, women and children being hosed down tearing off their clothes. He knew that they had seen it, but they didn’t really know what it’s like to have that happen to them. Another constraint is that the government passes laws, but they can’t enforce them, for example the Supreme Court desegregation decision. Malcolm states, “When you have a country that can’t enforce laws that will benefit a black man how much heart do you think we will get when they pass more civil rights legislation.”(4:00) Malcolm believed the only way they would be able to enforce them properly is by going to a measure of

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