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Rhetorical Analysis Of The Ballot Or The Bullet

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Patrick Henry and Malcolm Little (more commonly known as Malcolm X) were powerful spokesmen of their times. Years after Henry persuaded the United States president in time of the American Revolution to fight for the rights of Americans in his “Give me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech, Little encouraged the black community of his time to stand for their own deprived civil rights as a race in his own speech, “The Ballot or the Bullet.” While these two men stood at the head of separate movements in different points of history, both believed in a similar goal to be accomplished through the same means: to win their battle for the rights of Americans and African Americans through fighting hard, not necessarily through violence, but through whatever …show more content…

Henry and Little used a variety of rhetorical devices to convey an urgent tone in their speeches to the president and the black community for immediate action against the British ministry and the white men who stood in the way of their rights. Henry and Little built foundations upon their tone of urgency to fight in their speeches to the president and black community through rich vocabulary. Thier diction added an element of excitement and emphasis to the need for action. “Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty” (Henry 2) is one example in which Henry uses the words “arduous struggle” to depict the great challenge that is being placed in front of the president and Americans. An “arduous struggle” would be defined in simpler terms to be a difficult challenge; therefore, Henry described the problem of the controlling British ministry to be just that, creating a tone that this problem is complicated and therefore …show more content…

The order of words in Henry’s sentences through anastrophe and the repetition of Little’s words through anadiplosis are key elements that built the urgent tone of their speeches. “I ask gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array-” (Henry 4) is one example of Henry using anastrophe to keep a tone of prestige and sophistication that makes the president see the high value in Henry’s message to fight. When words are put out of their causal order and into one of a high level, the tone is built up to be serious and in no way undeserving of attention; therefore, Henry’s word were viewed as credible by the president and the option of fighting is seen in a positive, and favorable tone. “So we’re trapped, trapped, double trapped, triple trapped. Any way we go we find that we’re trapped” (Little 5) is another example in which Little uses anadiplosis to emphasize the meaning of the word “trapped.” The repetition of this word makes the black community think about its value as it is repeated over and over again and they realize, they truly are “trapped” in a world that is depriving them of their rights. Little therefore develops the urgent tone of his speech through this device as the black community sees they are being shut out by the white man without their rights, and action needs to be taken for

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The murmurs of respectful grievance went unnoticed; palpable resentment ignored. Through the use of rhetorical devices, Henry captivates the colonial sentiments of the revolutionary era. Anaphora, biblical allusions, and rhetorical questions ignite a call for action. Inciting inevitable rebellion, not only in Virginia, but throughout the colonies.

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“It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to god and our country” (Henry) during the time the speech was written, the colonist were trying to be separate from Britain. People wanted out of British laws, but had fear of fighting war. The colonist struggled with no money for an army nor the support to create one. In Patrick Henry’s, “Speech to Virginia convention ” he primarily used pathos to persuade the audience to stand up and fight.

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Patrick Henry writes his Speech to the Second Virginia Convention to convince the delegates that war is necessary to escape the unjust rule of Great Britain. Henry strategically uses his words and questions to illuminate the situation the way he sees it. Henry’s strategic word usage includes rhetorical devices such as repetition, figurative language, and rhetorical questions. In order to emphasize the importance of his experience, Henry uses repetition.

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In 1775, at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Patrick Henry wrote “Speech in the Virginia Convention,” for the President of Virginia, Peyton Randolph, to convince the delegates to secede from Britain; moreover, to fight back against them. This speech incorporates great rhetorical strategies that Henry emphasizes to make a clear and concise point. These rhetorical strategies will help receive a better perspective for seeking American Independence. In his speech, Henry analyzes allusions and repetitions to overcome a troublesome problem that foreshadows America. Ethos and allusion are similar because both strategies represent credibility for an event or person.

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It came as no surprise to the current politicians at the March 23, 1775 Second Virginia Convention in Richmond that Patrick Henry’s purpose was to convince them of the necessity for revolution and war leading to their secession from England. At the time, the orthodox perception of Henry was not positive. Patrick Henry was considered to be quite the extremist, and this bias is a major stymie in the ethos and respectability of his speech to his fellow politicians. To overcome this bias, Patrick Henry persuasively conveys his ideas through a careful manipulation of rhetorical devices appealing to pathos and logos throughout a meticulous and intensifying organization of opinions and ideas. The most foundational of these is undeniably the organizational

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The speaker, Patrick Henry, was effective in his purpose of persuading the colonists to stand up and fight for their freedom and liberty. Patrick Henry is speaking to the colonists to rally them against the British. The occasion is that after years of abuse and neglect from the British Parliament, many colonists, such as Patrick Henry, believed it was time to revolt against the British and their mistreatment of the colonists. The subject of Patrick Henry´s speech is explaining to the colonists why they need to break free from British control. Patrick Henry uses logos to rationalize to the colonists why their beliefs in their rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are under attack.

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Henry continues by emotionally describing how he is ready to endure any pain that will come his way from finally learning the truth. He feels he is ready to stand up and be change that must come from the colonies, despite any despair he might face. 2. “There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged!

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The writers of the American Revolution use parallelism to leave a lasting impact on readers and emphasize the fact that the colonists need to take action. In Patrick Henry’s “Speech to the Virginia Convention”, he states that “Gentleman may cry peace, peace – but there is no peace” (Henry). This highlights the idea of peace and really stresses to the audience that the war for independence has already started and they need to do something about it. Patrick Henry’s last line of his speech is: “Give me liberty, or give me death!” (Henry).

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Henry alludes to the Quartering Act because the act is another example of how the British are preparing for the war for freedom. The Quartering Act makes the delegates angry because they now understand that the only reason the act exists is so that Britain can be ready for the war against the colonies. This new discovery develops Henry’s viewpoint because it explains to the delegates that the colonies should not resist the war but, rather, the colonies should actually “let [the war for freedom] come.” To conclude, Patrick Henry develops his viewpoint on the necessity for fighting against the British by explaining how violence is a

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1). Henry claims there is only two ways: it is either fighting or slavery/British rule. This is an appeal to pathos because he attempts to use it to create anger and purposely upset them with the idea of slavery. This idea is carried on further in the paragraph, "Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received?" (par. 3).

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We know that in order to create an effective message whether on speech or paper, the three rhetorical appeals are essential. The Ballot or the Bullet by Malcolm X demonstrates all three appeals superbly. Malcolm X himself builds ethos very well, as well as displays his automatic ethos. He also appeals to logos through an ample amount of solid reasoning and several facts. In this speech pathos is extremely well present and effective.

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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 Martin Luther King Jr. were both two African American civil rights activists who were very prominent throughout history. They fought for what they believed in but in vastly different ways. Martin Luther King Jr. was born to a middle class family and was well educated. Malcolm X, on the other hand, grew up in a rather hostile environment with barely enough schooling. Both their speeches, “I Have a Dream” and “The Ballot or the Bullet” may have shared some common traits, but at the same time, differed greatly in various aspects.

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On March 23, 1775, Mr. Patrick Henry made history when he delivered a speech at the Virginia Convention. Mr. Henry's purpose in his speech was to convince the Virginia patriots attending the convention that the only option with Britain remaining was war. Mr. Henry used many rhetorical devices throughout his speech, and with the use of pathos, ethos, and logos he had an effective advantage that appealed to almost every person at the convention. To begin with, Mr. Henry’s speech contains much use of pathos as he relates to the emotions of the people of Virginia. An example of Mr. Henry's use of pathos is when he states, “I consider it as nothing less than freedom or slavery...”.

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