Malcolm X Speech Analysis

In Malcolm X’s book, Malcolm X on Afro-American History, Malcolm X states that, “...you’re never going to get rid of it until you get rid of the cause, and man, you know who the cause is”(51). After Malcolm X claimed this, a huge applause followed, of hundreds of people who felt the same way. Malcolm X was a civil rights advocate, who fought for the end of racial segregation and to improve the lives of fellow African Americans. In his book, it highlights several speeches he gave during his life. These speeches were given during the 1960’s where racism was a major problem in the United States. In his speeches he tries to persuade his audiences, as well as the world, why his philosophy on ending racism is correct and should be followed. To do …show more content…
And by being polite it shows how the speaker is professional. However, being polite and respectful is not the best way to get a point across to someone, especially when it is concerning civil rights. This is something that Malcolm X understood very well. Because in most of his speeches he is very aggressive and blunt. And he is not afraid to insult people that were against him, and to show how they are worse than him. He does this in his speech “European “civilization” where he states, “ They were eating raw meat, raw food...You watch them go in a restaurant, they say, “Give me a steak rare, with the blood dripping in it”(31). By saying this, he captures the audience 's attention and surprises them. And evokes strong emotions within the audience. As most people are not used to speakers insulting others, especially in the 1960’s. By using an aggressive tone in his speeches, it can lead to the audience being uncomfortable. And when people are uncomfortable, they tend to overgeneralize and arrive at a conclusion based on any evidence. Malcolm X uses this to his advantage by following up with a fact when he is overly aggressive. An example of this is in the same speech following the above quote he states, “You like cooked food, because you’ve been cooking a long time; but they haven’t been cooking so long….This is true”(31). This is the fact the audience walks away with, believing that it is true. And by saying “This is True”, it further assures the audience that he is right. So when Malcolm X finishes his speech, his audience will have a firm belief in his viewpoint. But, even having an aggressive tone is not enough to be believable, he needs to prove his knowledge