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Comparing MLK Jr. And Malcolm X's Speech

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Civil rights activists will always be the heroes of the black people in America. MLK Jr. and Malcolm X will be at the top of this list engraved in the hearts of black Americans. Neither of these men out worked each other and that wasn't their intention either. The main goal of these great men was to achieve political and social greatness for their fellow black people. MLK and Malcolm X appeal to their audience's emotions and religious beliefs in their documents “A letter from a Birmingham jail” and “The Ballot or the Bullet.” King was a man of peace and he knew that two acts of violence would not result in the outcome of friendship. King starts his letter off with “My Dear Fellow Clergymen”. King starts his …show more content…

This strategy allows King to show his audience that he is no different from them and they believe in the same ideals and religious interests. The beginning of X’s speech had similar traits to the letter that King wrote. X’s first line says “Mr. Moderator, Brother Lomax, brothers and sisters, friends and enemies: I just can't believe everyone in here is a friend.” Even though X was a by any means necessary type of guy he still wanted to appeal to his audience as friends. Also with this X is trying to make his audience appeal to his reasons for blaming the white men. Another similarity in the two speeches is when X says “I myself am a minister, not a Christian minister, but a Muslim minister.” This is just like what King did in his letter with bringing up religion. However the slight contrast is how King appeals to his audiences religious beliefs but X says “I'm not here tonight to discuss my religion.” The differences in the documents outweigh the similarities in the rest of the ways that they speak to the audience. An example is when King said “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” King is establishing that there is a enemy of justice in America but he doesn’t

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MLK’s use of pathos and repetition is an effective way to persuade his audience about his position on civil disobedience. In King’s speech he says, “Its ugly record of police brutality is known in every section of this country” (King Page 6). This evidence, revealing MLK’s use of pathos, was used to reach out to the emotional citizens who have either experienced or watched police brutality. The use of pathos is effective because it appeals to emotions and the issue of civil rights and civil disobedience. Civil rights is an emotional subject for those who were affected by it, and MLK is proving his argument on civil disobedience.

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While writing this letter, King uses various rhetorical devices and appeals to argue that his activities are not "unwise and untimely". In his letter, King establishes credibility and claims that

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For example, the support in the clergymen’s letter is found when they are stating that there has been local “friction and unrest” from these protests proving that these protests are stirring up trouble (Wood 174). In King’s letter, the supports that he uses throughout his letter are references from people back in history such as Socrates, biblical references, and personal anecdotes about how he has to explain to his children when they ask him “Why do white people treat colored people so mean?” (Wood 179). Furthermore, the warrant in the clergymen letter is that protests and violence are not the way to figure out these problems about segregation. Similarly, King’s warrant includes how violence is not the answer, but sees protests and peaceful demonstration are necessary for change and attention.

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King had to utilize each of them to get his point across. Each of King’s statements could not be boiled down to one single persuasive tool, therefore a lot of comorbidity exists within “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. Such as the difference between order and justice appeals to logos and

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When thinking of black history month and how so many people fought for the rights of African American people, most of think of patriarchs like Dr. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, but how many of us know of the feats done by people like Claudette Colvin or Noble Drew Ali? Many people such as them go unheard of during this time of year and yet, they have accomplished such high feats considering what they went through. Being a minister and a politician who denounced racism like Henry McNeal Turner or the protests that prisoned Soledad Brothers began have not been recognized for so long and its time to remind people of what they have done. Many feats have been done, such as leading a revolt against a police station that refused to do the law services to a black family in need or the case of going against imperial influence from Britain. You can only wonder who else went unnoticed.

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(paragraph 2) this means king is not in Birmingham to just visit friends and family member ,but also he was invited. King develops this claim through the use of ethos when he called clergymen “men of genuine goodwill.” (paragraph 1) It states “Injustice anywhere is a threat to Justice everywhere.” (paragraph 4) In conclusion, King is not only in Birmingham because he is invited but he feels the need to be there when something bad

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King just wants to see the “immoral end of flagrant racial injustice” (paragraph 3, King) he has stated this often throughout his whole letter to his fellow clergymen. I feel that he states this as kind of a statement that he will not stop till eventually they are free of racial injustice. Throughout his letter he uses a lot of different word choice, some of this helps him create imagery to explain more in depth. He uses his imagery to compel the reader into listening. Some examples of his imagery would be when he stated: “Before the pen of Thomas Jefferson etched across the pages of history…we were here” (paragraph 1, King)

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When responding to the eight white clergymen, he states, “Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas,” giving the reader the notion that a plethora of criticism must come across his desk. But, he has chosen to write a response and explain himself simply because King feels they are “men of genuine good will” and their criticism is “sincerely set forth.” After the introduction of his letter, he feels he must next explain his location at the time: Birmingham Jail. “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here,” says King. This quote lets the reader know there is a reason behind King’s arrest, a very good reason, too.

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King writes to the eight clergymen who were critical of his protests and to the indifferent people of the United States. In the essay, he claims that he has done nothing wrong by protesting peacefully. In paragraph 11, King says “freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” He is saying that freedom is something they have to fight for because the authorities will not give it to them. He is directing this statement at the clergymen while reaching the apathetic people of the United States.

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Throughout the text, King utilized the values of his audience to gain sympathy and later on support. His use of diction and syntax would align his mission to God’s, and show that he was in the right and the clergymen were in the wrong. In his letter, King effectively used an extended periodic sentence that consisted of more than 300 words. The sentence has an extreme appeal to pathos, with such vivid imagery

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King shows Ethos in his letter by writing back to the clergy men who had objections against King’s protest in Birmingham. They basically called him an outsider but by establishing his credibility, King shows that he is in fact an

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Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela were two influential figures that have both made a cultural impact on black history. The fact that their lives run parallel further stresses the significance of racial equality. However, they each influenced the world around them with their respective ideologies and beliefs. Their opinions and experiences differed in terms of equality and character throughout their movements. Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela both tried to achieve similar goals of equality but on different paths.

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Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail addresses his fellow clergymen and others who critiqued him for his actions during this time. The clergymen along with others are addressed in an assertive tone allowing them to fully understand why his actions are justified. Throughout the letter critics are disproved through King’s effective use of diction and selection of detail. Martin Luther King opens the letter stating that the clergymen are being “influenced by the argument of ‘outsiders coming in” consequently he explains the reason for him being in Birmingham. In the opening of his explanation he states the injustices occurring, relating it to the prophets of eighth century B.C.

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MLK states in paragraph 3, “...just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town.” King uses an analogy to give his audience an idea of what he is doing when fighting for civil rights. Lastly, King uses a rhetorical question in his letter. He asks the question on page 278 in paragraph 24, “But is this a logical assertion?” MLK uses this question to make his

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- The clergymen because they had good will. Discuss Dr. King’s use of allusions throughout the text. How do they strengthen his argument and underscore his overall message? - In what ways does the “letter” attack the clergymen even when being outwardly deferential towards them?

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