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Malcolm X's The Ballot Or The Bullet

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Malcolm X’s “The Ballot or the Bullet”
1964. The year Mary Poppins floats into theaters on her umbrella, The Beatles sing on the Ed Sullivan Show and the Mariner VI orbits Mars. The world is expanding as well as becoming closer. Life is good. However, the US is racially and politically divided, and Mister Malcolm X has a few words to share about it. On April 3 of 1964, Malcolm X, a distinguished civil rights activist, delivered a speech that is still admired today because of its influence and ingenuity. “The Ballot or the Bullet.” The speech focused on encouraging African-Americans to vote wisely for a new candidate in the upcoming election. He urged the people to rise up and oppose the corrupt government. The speech warned, that if one would …show more content…

He establishes his authority through comparison and parallels between his actions and identity and the actions and identities of others. He begins by comparing himself to other civil rights leaders such as “Adam Clayton Powell [who] is a Christian minister. . .but at the same time takes part in the political struggles to try and bring about the rights to the black man” (Malcolm X). By establishing a connection between him and other successful civil rights leaders, his hope is that people will trust his ideas more. He also uses this technique between himself and other celebrities of the time in order to justify his actions: “Billy Graham is a white nationalist; I’m a black nationalist” (Malcolm X). This use of transfer gives grounds to his movement and makes it seem less extreme and nonconformist. Malcolm X also uses the authority and success of other’s actions to make the audience believe his plan by association. Malcolm X uses prosperous government operations to convince the people that, “If the late President Kennedy could get together with Khrushchev and exchange some wheat, we certainly have more in common with each other than Kennedy and Khrushchev had.” He persuades the people that their differences are not as wide as they believe and pleads for them to work together for the greater good. The example of this form of action working increases the credibility of his idea. He uses these examples of powerful leaders and famous celebrities to create a transfer of their influence over to his ideas. By doing these the plan seems more plausible and

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