Literary Devices In Malcolm X's Speech

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In the Malcolm X speech, he uses many literary devices in order to convey his message to other African Americans to make a difference. Throughout his speech, he uses anaphora to make his ideas prominent; phrases like “I’m not a …” demonstrate not what he isn’t but what he is, or “One of the 22 million black people” is his way of showing the importance of each and every black person in America. When he talks about his metaphor, comparing waiting for his rights to waiting for a meal in a diner, he is proving that it is not okay to work as hard as you do and sit and wait and wait and wait for something you don’t have while another person can just show up and get whatever they want. “I don’t see any American dream; I see an American nightmare”