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Rhetorical Analysis Of The Ballot Or The Bullet

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Several people now and throughout history have experienced a sense of inequality within their lives. In his speech, “The Ballot or the Bullet,” Malcolm X, addresses how the depletion of rights within his race has led to many conflicts. In, “The Ballot or the Bullet,” the speaker--Malcolm X--explores through ethics, establishing a commonplace, a historical reference, anaphora, and analogies to prove to his audience they must take action in order to gain their human and civil rights. Malcolm X urges his audience that in order to achieve equality, they must take action and set aside differences. He develops his point through an ethical appeal. Malcolm states that we must set aside our differences, it 's morally right, “Muslims or nationalists …show more content…

No white man that should tell them their rights, “If it is necessary to form a black nationalist army, we will form a black nationalist army. It’ll be the ballot or the bullet. It’ll be liberty or it’ll be death” (Malcolm 45). This first analogy is saying that if the white man does not listen to their cries for rights, they must strike back; it’ll be the ballot (freedom) or the bullet. A further example is the true meaning of segregation, “Segregation means that he puts you away from him, but not far enough for you to be out of his jurisdiction...i’ll die saying one thing: the ballot or the bullet…” (Malcolm 48). Malcolm uses powerful word choice to convey that they need to gain freedom, and if the movement for rights does not work out as planned, come down with pride saying: “the ballot or the bullet.” Malcolm X focuses his entire speech on the “ballot or the bullet” reference. In these cases, he uses them to establish what they need to execute to take action against the government that is abusing their human and civil rights. In conclusion, “The Ballot or the Bullet,” presented by Malcolm X, includes the rhetorical strategies ethics, establishing a commonplace, a historical reference, anaphora, and analogies to display to the reader we must strive for equality. Malcolm X uses these examples to fabricate his point: setting aside differences, the problem is the Democrats, America is being corrupted, black nationalism, and the “ballot or the bullet” reference. The obvious would be, instead of gaining control of one another, we must learn to forgive and forget our

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The speech opened the eyes of many blacks, inspiring a change to begin to occur. Through analogies, metaphors, and a vitriolic and urgent tone, Malcolm X concisely and clearly informs the audience of their mistreatment and encourages them to get their just deserts. X’s intelligence, passion, and oratorical skills helped make “The Ballot or the Bullet” one of the greatest rhetorical acts in black history. This phrase, “The Ballot or the Bullet”, truly defines Malcolm X’s stance on the current treatment of blacks and how he believes a violent response is necessary when all other means of communication are ignored or

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Malcolm X and his ideals are arguably a representation of the transition from the early 1950 's non-violent movement for integration to a more aggressive black power movement. Evidence of this is shown through powerful strands of his novel “The Ballot or the Bullet” including when he writes, “I don 't mean go out and get violent, but at the same time you should never be non-violent unless you run into some non-violence.” (Malcolm 439). In writing that members of the civil rights movement should never be non-violent he does so facetiously. This excerpt indicates a call for violence as a more powerful method for achieving the equality he feels they deserve.

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(West 140) West argues “[Malcolm X’s] claim is both subtle and problematic. It is subtle in that every black freedom movement is predicated on an affirmation of African humanity and a quest for black control over

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According to X, “The ballot or the bullet”... “Now in speaking like this, it doesn't mean that we're anti­-white, but it does mean we're anti­-exploitation,we're anti­-degradation, we're anti­-oppression. And if the white man doesn't want us to be anti-­him, let him stop oppressing and exploiting and degrading us”(Malcolm #2). The essence of Malcolm’s argument is that he is not anti white, he is anti whites oppressing and disenfranchising African Americans and if the white person wants to not be hated, then he should stop hating himself. In a letter written in Mecca, Malcolm X says,“on this pilgrimage, what I have seen,and experienced, has forced me to re-arrange much of my thought-patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions” (Malcolm X).

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