Rhetoric appeals In Malcolm X’s and Martin Luther King’s speeches
The United States has constantly been faced with the issue of civil rights throughout its history up until the current day. Though racism was by far more prevalent in the past because of the issue of slavery, it is nevertheless still an issue of debate today. It is this issue of civil rights that helped to mould great civil rights leaders such as Malcolm X and Marin King Jr. Their choice of expression in regard to the issue of civil rights was somehow different in that King chose a peaceful revolution with his ‘I have a Dream’ speech, while Malcolm chose a more assertive revolution with his ‘The Ballot or the Bullet’ speech. Both Malcolm and King in their speeches try to convince the black people that they have equal rights just like the white people and they should be given their rights. Both their speeches utilize the rhetorical elements of ethos, logos and pathos to help accomplish their objectives and Malcolm X is more effective in his persuasion as compared to Martin King.
Ethos can be defined as the practices of using ethical appeals or one’s reputation to help with the persuasion. Malcolm begins his speech by first identifying his religion, where he had recently broken of his association with an Islam organization that did not support his civil rights war. Malcolm’s civil right movement encouraged people to fight for their voting rights and the Islam organization forbade its members from engaging in political matters (Cone et al., 173).
Malcolm clearly points out that he is a Muslim, but his main interest is dealing with the common issues affecting the society. ‘….a common problem…a problem that will make you catch hell whether you are a Baptist, a Methodist or even a Muslim…’ (Malcolm, 1). By addressing the issue of his religious affiliation he explains to his listeners that he is not interested in radicalization or separation. King begins his speech by calling for people to unite against discrimination. He illustrates ‘I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation” (King, 1). He defines his objective but he does not create a persuasive opening as that of his counterpart. Malcolm is able to prove to his listeners that his main interest is in fairness and so religion has no influence in his believe for equality right from the beginning.
Pathos can be defined as the use of emotional appeals to help in making a persuasion more effective. Malcolm in his speech speaks about how the government lies to the blacks by mentioning how political powers at the time kept shifting blames to confuse the people (Cone et al., 173). He mentions how Democrats have always blamed Dixiecrats for the civil rights issue that were being faced at the time. He illustrates ‘Dixiecrats is nothing but a Democrat disguise’ (Malcolm X, 1). King on the other hand utilizes the concept of pathos appeal in his speech by making it more dramatic but at the same time engaging. His anger is evident when he elaborates the rights that the black people have been denied. His choice of words like; ‘Seared in the flames of withering injustice’ and ‘quicksand of racial injustice’ all help to show the reality of the tragedy that faces the black people (King, 1). His pathos appeal inspires energy of peace when the whites and the black people are united and treated equally. Malcolm’s ethos appeal is however more effective in that it incites anger and instils a passion in black people to fight for their rights and insert a change in the U.S political system.
Logos can be defined as an appeal that concentrates on reason and logic. Malcolm’s application of these concepts is clearly seen in his choice to first discuss the issue of religion. He ensures that his listeners understand that his interest is to help everyone irrespective of their faith. The appeal is also used when he tells the black people not to be so thankful about getting their civil legislation passes, because that is their civil rights and it is something that had been denied to them for years (Cone et al., 173). He argues that the legislation passes were just a small part of what the black people are being denied. ‘he illustrates ‘How can you thank a man for giving you what is already yours……You haven’t made progress if what is being given to you is what you should already have had’ (Malcolm X). His argument makes a lot of sense and it helps the listeners to make coherent connections, and thus connect to his point of fighting for their voting rights.
King’s use of logos appeal is perceived when he logically illustrates the losses that the black people are undergoing all because the promises made to them in the past were not fulfilled. He points out facts from American history and uses phrases like ‘a hundred years later’ to support his argument and to show that the black community has been neglected for so long (King, 1). King brings a solution to the people urging them to be peaceful and to always avoid violence because it will cause recklessness. ‘We must not allow our creative protests to degenerate into physical violence’ (King, 1). King’s urge for choice of nonviolent tactics in fighting for their rights is effective for his speech, as it helps to speak the message of peace in America. Malcolm’s persuasion is however more logical because he is able to show the black community that they have a long way to go, and so they need to work harder and do all they can to achieve their civil rights.
Comparing the two speeches in regard to their rhetoric appeal, Malcolm’s is more persuasive and assertive as compared to King’s. His speech appeals more strongly to his listeners, because he clearly points out the areas that he feels that the black community has been neglected. He is not scared to criticize the black people on the part that they have played in all these; he tells them that they should not be comfortable with the little that they are given. He goes ahead to challenge them indicating that what they are given is their right and they deserve more than that. The motivation for Malcolm to be more persuasive in his speech could be because he needs to be more convincing given his extreme views. Malcolm uses credibility, emotional and logical appeals effectively to help persuade his listeners of the need to take serious actions in order to achieve their denied voting rights.
Works Cited
Cone, James H. “Martin and Malcolm on Nonviolence and Violence.” Phylon, vol. 49, no.
3/4, Fall/Winter2001 2001, p. 173. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2307/3132627.
Malcolm X. ” Malcolm X: The Ballot or the Bullet. EdChange, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2019.
King, Martin Luther. “‘I Have a Dream," Address Delivered at the March on Washington for
Jobs and Freedom.” The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute, 25 Jan. 2019, https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/i-have-dream-address-delivered-march-washington-jobs-and-freedom.
