Rhetorical Analysis Of The Ballot Or The Bullet - 706 Words

Rhetorical Analysis: â€Å"The Ballot or the Bullet† by Malcolm X The 1960s were a tumultuous time in American history, where many Americans were rejecting the status quo, and advocating for the advancement of their rights. The feminist movement, Native Americans, Mexican Americans, and African Americans were all making noise and calling for change. Malcolm X, who at that point was mostly known through his work with the Nation of Islam, had had a falling out with the NOI, and after a pilgrimage to Mecca, came back to the US with a new ideology and approach to the racial issues. In his speech, â€Å"The Ballot or the Bullet,† Malcolm X uses the repetition of a single phrase- â€Å"the ballot or the bullet- to summarize his argument, present a dichotomy,†¦show more content†¦Malcolm X then works to justify the use of violence that he just suggested, by painting a gruesome and bloody picture of the United State’s oppression of its people, putting it on the same scale as other human rights issues that have come before the United Nations. He writes of Uncle Sam, â€Å" Let the world know how bloody his hands are. Let the world know the hypocrisy thats practiced over here. Let it be the ballot or the bullet. Let him know that it must be the ballot or the bullet.† Here, the X further expands the meaning of â€Å"the ballot† to mean asserting themselves in the United Nations, beyond the American political system, and further justifies the use of â€Å"the bullet† by describing it as retribution for all blood on the hands of the US. Finally, X connects his ideas specifically to the black nationalism movement, saying â€Å" And at that time, if we see fit then to form a black nationalist party, well form a black nationalist party. If its necessary to form a black nationalist army, well form a black nationalist army. Itll be the ballot or the bullet.† This ties this memorable phrase not just to some abstract ideas in a speech, but to a organized opposition movement, while at the same time summarizing the points made before- that it’s either political opposition, or armed opposition.Show MoreRelatedEssay on Rhetorical Analysis of Artifact: The Ballot or the Bullet2568 Words   |  11 PagesRhetorical Analysis of Artifact: The Ballot or the Bullet Speech Given by Malcolm X I. Introduction: Though almost half a century has passed, the Civil Rights Movement remains one freshly imprinted in not only the history books of US schools but also in the minds of countless Americans. 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Spending forty-nine days in Parchman