Malcolm X- The Ballot or the Bullet Speech.
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The Ballot or the Bullet speech was delivered by Malcolm X, a human rights Activists. The speech was delivered at Cory Methodist Church in Cleveland, Ohio. It was on the 3rd of April 1964. The African Americans had undergone decades of fruitless social and political struggles, and therefore Malcolm X’s speech described how the African Americans would fight for their rights. The speech is about the fate of the black nation, and since the speaker is an African American and also a human rights activist, he, therefore, qualifies to give the speech.
Malcolm X repeatedly uses the phrase “the ballot or the bullet” to emphasize the need for the black nations to realize their judicial rights to vote and if not then the “bullet” will determine the way ahead as a revolution for change. The speaker artistically switched his rate of speaking from fast to slow and vice vasa depending on the contents being said. Malcolm X speaks calmly and softly at the beginning of the speech; however, the volume varies as the speech progresses. Throughout the speech, the speaker adopts different tones varying from ironic, angry to critical tone to appeal to the emotions of the audience which served to arouse irritation and anger among the blacks while instilling fear in the whites.
Malcolm X delivers his speech more forcefully as he uses ethos to persuade his audience. At the beginning of the speech, Malcolm X develops his credibility by addressing his religious affiliation. Other than being a Muslim, he also affirms to his addressees that he is not a radical and that he appeals to the authority of laws and international organizations. Malcolm says that he is not there to preach Muslim but to address “a common problem, a problem that will make you catch hell whether you’re a Baptist or a Methodist or a Muslim” (Mislaina, 2019). He also says that “Article number two of the constitutional amendments provides you and me the right to own a rifle and a shotgun” (Mislaina, 2019. With the use of ethos, the speech is successful because the speaker gets acceptance from the audience since they believe that Malcolm X is genuinely fighting for fairness and equality for the black nation.
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Works Cited
“Digital History.” UH – Digital History, www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=3&psid=3624.
Mislaina, Azizur. An Analysis of Persuasive Language in Malcolm X’s Speeches. Diss. UIN Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh, 2019.