Malcolm X Ethos Pathos Logos

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Malcolm X was seen as one of the most proficiency civil rights activists of the 1960s. One speech in particular, the Ballot or the Bullet, was a very highly esteemed and influential one.It was a speech that was given after the “I Have A Dream” speech by Dr. Martin Luther King. Despite, Dr. Martin Luther King being a pacifist and a civil rights activist as well; Malcolm X, however, was tyrannical and advocated the use of violence. During this era, the democrats who were in control of the Senate and the House of Representatives, were leaning towards providing more civil rights to African Americans. The sole purpose of Malcolm X’s speech was to persuade African Americans to become more politically aware and to vote members of their own race into …show more content…

This is evident when he states that he is “one of the twenty-two million black victims of the Democrats.” X also establishes ethos by the use of comparison in his speech by mentioning the names such as Martin Luther King. King was known for his involvement in the movement towards desegregation in America and issues concerning civil rights. King was also a Christian minister. Likewise, Malcolm X was a black minister. This makes his credibility even more defined by comparing himself to King as a fellow minister. Therefore by referring to King in the beginning of his speech, Malcolm X establishes a firm base in order to attract listeners to his words. X also utilizes rhetorical questions to strengthen the effectiveness of his speech when he states “Why were they filibustering the civil rights legislation.” This technique gets the reader thinking and actually initiate the stage of cognition within him, by specifically asking a question they would not know the answer directly to. However, X establishes that he is knowledgeable of the topic and he knows the solutions that is required to make this drastic change