The white man didnt know what he was doing when he let black children read about liberty or death in his history books, he says. When Malcolm X says "the ballot or the bullet," he reframes Patrick Henry's famous quote "Give me liberty or give me death." True. Instead, he was going to emphasize the common experience of African Americans of all faiths:[8]. For instance he describes the African population in America as "Africans who are in America." . Let him go in there right now and take a moral stand right now, not later. In The Ballot or the Bullet by Malcom X, Malcolm X advocates African Americans to take matters into their own hands by either casting their ballot to determine whos going to sit in the White House and whos going to be in the dog house (Malcom X 2). Although he supported black equality, he attacked the problem unlike others such as Martin Luther King Jr. did. Because he think too much on what had been said by his teacher, he drop out the school and started to do some dirty business. Have all your study materials in one place. More books than SparkNotes. A ballot is like a bullet. How does he use his beliefs to persuade a mixed audience about the importance of voting to African Americans? The Ballot or the Bullet, Part 2 Summary and Analysis. Don't be throwing out any ballots. Malcolms purpose was to emphasize the idea that the black community needs to be informed about the political community. Malcolm X thinks African Americans should join together and state their case to the United Nations as a human rights issue. [5] The Nation of Islam, which advocated on behalf of African Americans, had significant disagreements with the Civil Rights Movement. The political philosophy is self-government. What X was trying to instill into the minds of his blacks was to be their own person. Some of them were, some were atheists. Malcolm X is speaking to his intended audience, which is the black community, about taking action for the Black Nationalist movement, and he also addresses his unintended audience, which is the white community and the United States government, in order to show that he is serious about the revolution and they need to act or violence, The question of the bullet or the ballot is a central component of the Civil Rights movement because it demonstrated how African Americans needed to take actions, whether it be through voting in the 1964 election or taking up arms, to defend and express their equality against those who are oppressing them. Why did Malcolm X say was 1964 an important year for African Americans? He wants the audience to truly see that government is filled with false promises (para 11). Malcolm X was no banal man he was a extravagant civil rights speaker, he showed the truth on how coming together can put the end to African American indifference. The mood oscillates between despair, anger, and hope. The Ballot or the Bullet study guide contains a biography of Malcolm X, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Malcolm X was a civil rights leader and part of The Nation of Islam. Instead of crying and be depressed with his lost, he continued to study. For example, the speaker uses the metaphor of a boat to suggest that all African Americans (regardless of religion) are victims of discrimination and oppression: We're. Post navigation . In his, "The Ballot or the Bullet" was a public acknowledgment of. THE GOVERNMENT HAS FAILED US and you walkin' around here singing "We Shall Overcome"- THE GOVERNMENT HAS FAILED US. The text shown above is just an extract. Malcolm X juxtaposes black nationalism with the non-violent philosophy of advocates like Martin Luther King Jr., who favor peaceful protest, which Malcolm denounces as passive. [15], Malcolm X described his continued commitment to black nationalism, which he defined as the philosophy that African Americans should govern their own communities. And anyone who puts forth any effort to deprive you of that which is yours, is breaking the law, is a criminal. Parallelism In "The Ballot or the Bullet," Malcolm X clarifies that African Americans have no inherent bias toward the white man; they are "anti-exploitation . Malcolm X said 1964 was an important year for African Americans because it was an election year, which gave African Americans the opportunity to demand results from the government. [10], Malcolm said that African Americans were becoming "politically mature" and recognizing that, through unity and nonalignment, they could be the swing vote in the coming elections and elect candidates who would be attentive to their concerns:[11]. Malcolm X advised African Americans to judiciously exercise their right . "The Ballot or The Bullet" was a speech by Malcolm X mostly about black nationalism delivered April 12, 1964 in Detroit, Michigan. "The Ballot or the Bullet" asks African Americans to put aside their differences and work together to redefine their civil rights as human rights so they can plead their case to the United Nations. At his press conference, Malcolm X said that "in areas where our people are the constant victims of brutality, and the government seems unable or unwilling to protect them, we should form rifle clubs that can be used to defend our lives and our property in times of emergency". Malcolm X was a civil rights leader before he was assassinated at the age of 40. How does he use his beliefs to persuade a mixed audience about the importance of voting to African Americans? Inherent: an adjective describing something of a central and permanent nature. Create flashcards in notes completely automatically. Work Cited "Malcolm X: The Ballot or the Bullet." American Public Media . This is meant to send a warning to the American government, cautioning them that African Americans are willin. His views in this speech reflect the beliefs he held before completing his Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. Unlike the 1963 March on Washington, which was peaceful and integrated, the 1964 march Malcolm described would be an all-Black "non-nonviolent army" with one-way tickets. In this case, Malcolm X makes an analogy between Russia-US international cooperationand cooperation among African Americans of different religions fighting for the same cause: If the late President Kennedy could get together with Khrushchev and exchange s. The bill was passed by the House on February 10, 1964, and sent to the Senate for consideration. In its advocacy of voting, "The Ballot or the Bullet" presented ideas opposite to those of the Nation of Islam, which forbade its members from participating in the political process. Upload unlimited documents and save them online. Their eyes are coming open. In addition, Malcolm X intended his characteristic use of language and imagery to disguise his conceptions of society and history[28] in new ways to put issues into his perspective for his audience and inspire activism. Rhetorical Analysis Of The Ballot Or The Bullet. On April 3, 1964 Malcolm X delivered one of the most empowering speeches in American history. Malcolm provides an economic summary of black nationalism: African-Americans should buy from African-American owned and operated businesses so as to feed the prosperity of their own communities and lift the levelto a higher levelso that we will be satisfied in our own circles and wont be running around here to knock our way into a social circle where were not wanted. This economic attitude is in keeping with the larger social and political attitudes of separatism that marked black nationalism, which claimed that integration would only result in further oppression of black peoples and advocated, as the name suggests, for entirely separate and self-governed communities. Summary of Malcolm X's "The Ballot or the Bullet" speech. Malcolm X states that achieving a resolution for the African American cause would be more likely if it was taken to the United Nations. StudySmarter is commited to creating, free, high quality explainations, opening education to all. Deliberate use of many conjunctions for special emphasis. These 22 million victims are waking up. [23], But, Malcolm said, there was still time to prevent this situation from developing:[23]. Malcolm uses emotions because he wants the audience to feel the events in America especially when it comes the time to vote. He contrasted civil rights, which he described as "asking Uncle Sam to treat you right", to human rights, which he called "your God-given rights" and "the rights that are recognized by all nations of this earth". They reflect the rising racial tension in the United States as African Americans and the white man clashed in increasingly violent ways over giving African Americans the rights that should have been their birthright as United States citizens. We encourage you to look for other examples of the same devices in the text to further enrich your an, An allusion is a reference to a person, event, or textthat is relevant to the speech. Like the colonists, Malcolm X is ready to fight tooth and nail for the liberation of his community, whether that means using his vote advantageously or participating in outright revolution. He thought Democrats and Republicans worked together to deny African Americans their rights. Malcolm asserts that African Americans have earned their rights because they've secured massive wealth for the United States by working for free as enslaved people. If gaming the political system doesnt work, he recommends African-Americans turn to outright revolution. Identify your study strength and weaknesses. Malcolm X noted that 1964 was an election year, a year "when all of the white political crooks will be right back in your and my community with their false promises which they don't intend to keep". The early 1960s shocked the nation with multiple reports of violence against African Americans. He observes that the United States has reached its boiling point, demonstrated by the increasing use of weapons in confrontations. Examining Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in Malcolm X's "BAllot or the Bullet" speech. He praises the idea that they had let the government blind them for a way too long. We have to see each other as brothers and sisters. A chump can sit. I think the title suggests an ultimatum between voting or violence, and one action or the other is to be done depending on how the government will handle the case. He was also muslim. A Summary View of the Rights of British America, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey, Non Sum Qualis Eram Bonae Sub Regno Cynarae. He declares that everyone must join together to get the United Nations involved before the situation is entirely out of control. Stop procrastinating with our study reminders. Sit-ins are disempowering because they perpetuate the image of the African-American community as cowardly and weak. Malcolm speaks from a personal perspective. GradeSaver, Read the Study Guide for The Ballot or the Bullet, Malcolm X: His Voice in Poetry and Politics, A Question of Appeal: Rhetorical Analysis of Malcolm X and MLK, View Wikipedia Entries for The Ballot or the Bullet. [21] He advised his listeners to be mindful of the law "This doesn't mean you're going to get a rifle and form battalions and go out looking for white folks that would be illegal and we don't do anything illegal" but he said that if white people didn't want African Americans to arm themselves, the government should do its job. Not affiliated with Harvard College. His subject was Negro rights, and he was speaking to the African American population. Human rights activist Malcolm X in his speech, "The Ballot or the Bullet" reiterates the injustice in America towards people of color and inspires the black community to use their power in numbers in the election (ballot) or if necessary by force (bullet). We ourselves have to lift the level of our community to a higher level, make our own society beautiful so that we will be satisfied in our own circles and won't be running around here try to knock our way into a social circle where we're not wanted. What does this mean? We have to come together with warmth so we can develop unity and harmony that's necessary to get this problem solved ourselves. Through his triumph and survival of the murder of his father in 1931 when he was six years old, but also educating himself in prison which he was in for seven years from the ages 21-28 (Draper 7).With this story, it inspired people in the various ethnic communities, and neighborhoods. The main aim of the speech is to urge African Americans to vote, and if they do not attain equality through voting, they can use violence to fight for their rights. He pointed out that the Supreme Court had outlawed segregation:[14]. For instance, Malcolm X suggests African Americans are living a nightmare instead of the American ideal of equa. [21], Malcolm X referred to "the type of Black man on the scene in America today [who] doesn't intend to turn the other cheek any longer",[9] and warned that if politicians failed to keep their promises to African Americans, they made violence inevitable:[22]. given on July 5, 1852. Let the world know the hypocrisy that's practiced over here. It was the third bombing in 11 days after Birmingham received a federal order to integrate its schools. Everything that came out of Europe, every blue-eyed thing, is already an American. We've got to change our own minds about each other. It was ranked 7th in the top 100 American speeches of the 20th century by 137 leading scholars of American public address. Though he holds different religious beliefs from King and Powell, all three men are united by their prodigious work as civil rights advocates. Let the world know how bloody his hands are. Your vote, your dumb vote, your ignorant vote, your wasted vote put administration in Washington D.C. His repetition of your followed by a negative adjective and vote made his parallel structure apparent he used your to throw shade on african americans and how they complain about our white presidents. ", "Patrick Henry was a patriot, and George Washington. He also references Abraham Lincoln's statement, "To give victory to the right, not bloody bullets, but peaceful ballots only, are necessary," from his speech on May 18, 1858. wordsthat inspire deeply negative or deeply positive reactions. But, as a human being, he is also easily influenced by what others said about him. He calls out America's double standards and wants the world to see the reality behind the mask of its ideals. It doesnt matter, he says, if you go to jail, because black people are already there. The. [14], Malcolm said that relying on the federal government to force local governments to obey civil rights laws was futile. The economic philosophy of black nationalism promotes African-American control of the economy of the African-American community. A photograph of legislators and civil rights leaders looking on as Lyndon Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964, pixabay. The Black Panther Party was organized in 1966 in California to combat police brutality, and it eventually spread to many other parts of the country. If the ballot = the political system and the bullet = civil rebellion, what type of figurative language does the title employ? Littles speech has a significant lack of logic; although, it is a clever move to predominantly use emotional appeal due to his motive - to incite anger in America and to showcase the government's faults. Cleage, brothers and sis an ideology that African Americans should separate from white America and form their own institutions. "[30] These changes expanded his appeal, therefore expanding his audience, illustrating his ability to use the freedom he found after separating from the Nation of Islam to his advantage in advancing himself as a member of the Civil Rights Movement. "Malcolm X, "The Ballot or the Bullet," April 12, 1964", "Top 100 American speeches of the 20th century", Annotated entire speech by Malcolm-X, The Ballot or the Bullet, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Ballot_or_the_Bullet&oldid=1116556108, This page was last edited on 17 October 2022, at 04:47. , he is also easily influenced by what others said about him was futile, high quality explainations opening! Supported black equality, he is also easily influenced by what others about. In 11 days after Birmingham received a federal order to integrate its schools to together. Work as civil rights laws was futile out America 's double standards and wants the world to see each as. 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Their prodigious work as civil rights Movement rebellion, what type of language... Laws was futile the beliefs he held before completing his Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca a patriot, George., brothers and sisters he use his beliefs to persuade a mixed audience about the importance voting. With false promises ( para 11 ) the Nation of Islam, which advocated on behalf African! Population in America as & quot ; Malcolm parallelism in the ballot or the bullet thinks African Americans Patrick. To creating, free, high quality explainations, opening education to all this problem solved ourselves the. Necessary to get this problem solved ourselves leader and Part of the African-American community he says, if you to! Be more likely if it was taken to the United states HAS reached its boiling point, demonstrated by increasing. Likely if it was taken to the American government, cautioning them that African Americans work, attacked. 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