Rhetorical Techniques Used In Malcolm X's Black Revolution

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Malcolm X was an activist and powerful voice of the Black Muslim faith and the Civil Rights Movement. He believed in black separatism, a philosophy that urges Black Americans to cut political, social and economic ties with the white community (X, 1). Unlike Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X did not want African-Americans to cooperate or interact with Caucasians. He strongly believed that violence was the way to defend his people against the Caucasian oppressors. He presents radical ideas, which are influenced by his experience as he faced racial discrimination. Malcolm X in his speech “Black Revolution” presented on April 8th, 1964, uses rhetorical devices to create a convincing argument to get his audience to be more open to his ideas and …show more content…

Martin Luther King. King argues for integration and loving one’s enemy. His vision is not to harm the oppressors, but to love and pray for them. His goal is to get African-Americans to forgive white people who have brutalized them. Furthermore, King is a dominant figure who believes in non-violent resistance. Non-violent resistance meant that African-Americans would resist and refrain from violence in a strong and determined way. He thought that this method would cause the extremists to feel shame, guilt, and tap into their consciousness to want …show more content…

If the American black man will start thinking about his human rights, and then start thinking of himself as part of one of the world’s greatest peoples, he will see he has a case for the United Nations.” Malcolm continues to unpack why African-Americans should be fighting for human rights instead of civil rights. He believes that fighting for human rights should be the first step. He suggests that African-Americans should begin to think about their human rights because this approach will help them gain pride for one’s self and see that they are so much more than just the oppressed that fights for integration and equality. Furthermore, focusing on human rights can help African-Americans have a stronger fight, in which they do not give up or feel hopeless that change is not possible. Finally, he believes that this fight will be convincing to the United Nations and open up the world’s eyes because the extreme issues do not only reflect civil rights. These ongoing issues go far beyond and deeper than just civil