“The Ballot or the Bullet” was written by Malcolm X, on April 3, 1964 in Cleveland Ohio. His purpose is to inform readers that blacks or “Negros” are being unfairly treated. The government is not doing any good for anyone but themselves. Malcolm gets the audience worked up with words like “catch hell, anti- exploitation, anti- degradation, and Southern cracker.” He is angry and indignant about how he is being treated. Malcolm’s intent is to expose the unfair treatment blacks are receiving and how the government is running a crooked system. Malcolm means to make people uncomfortable. He means to upset people. He wants America to wake up to what is really going on. He encourages the audience to take a look at how the government runs the country.
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Malcolm says, “The same government that you go abroad to fight for and die for is the government that is in a conspiracy to deprive you of your voting rights, deprive you of your economic opportunities, deprive you of decent housing, deprive you of decent education.” He is explaining all the ways our leaders are conspiring against us. His argument in this quote in particular makes the audience stop and think about what the government really is doing with their rights. Another argument he makes is about the giving of what is rightfully ours to begin with. He states, “How can you thank a man for giving you what’s already yours? How then can you thank him for giving you only part of what’s already yours? You haven’t even made progress, if what’s being given to you, you should have had already. That’s not progress.” He later goes on to say, “Whenever you are going after something that is yours, you are within your legal rights to lay claim to it. And anyone who puts forth any effort to deprive you of that which is yours, is breaking the law, is a criminal. And this was pointed out by the Supreme Court decision. It outlawed segregation.” These statements are supporting the same idea. It is one thing to thank someone for a gift; it is another to try and thank them for your own rightful possessions. …show more content…
The claim is that human rights are God- given rights, everyone is born with them. The point explained is the idea that human rights mean different things for people of different backgrounds and skin color. Many people are treated in a totally different way because of their origination. Many are also judged, same as always, by the color of their skin. One example Malcolm uses to support his claim is, “An African can go anywhere he wants right now. All you’ve got to do is tie your head up. That’s right, go anywhere you want. Just stop being a Negro.” He then introduces a story about a friend who was treated differently in a white restaurant simply because he was wearing a turban. He was Negro, but because he had his head wrapped, he passed as something other than a Negro. This is true exposure of the human nature to treat others how we feel fit based on our diverse and various contrasting traits. Sometimes looks will change all
Malcolm says, “The same government that you go abroad to fight for and die for is the government that is in a conspiracy to deprive you of your voting rights, deprive you of your economic opportunities, deprive you of decent housing, deprive you of decent education.” He is explaining all the ways our leaders are conspiring against us. His argument in this quote in particular makes the audience stop and think about what the government really is doing with their rights. Another argument he makes is about the giving of what is rightfully ours to begin with. He states, “How can you thank a man for giving you what’s already yours? How then can you thank him for giving you only part of what’s already yours? You haven’t even made progress, if what’s being given to you, you should have had already. That’s not progress.” He later goes on to say, “Whenever you are going after something that is yours, you are within your legal rights to lay claim to it. And anyone who puts forth any effort to deprive you of that which is yours, is breaking the law, is a criminal. And this was pointed out by the Supreme Court decision. It outlawed segregation.” These statements are supporting the same idea. It is one thing to thank someone for a gift; it is another to try and thank them for your own rightful possessions. …show more content…
The claim is that human rights are God- given rights, everyone is born with them. The point explained is the idea that human rights mean different things for people of different backgrounds and skin color. Many people are treated in a totally different way because of their origination. Many are also judged, same as always, by the color of their skin. One example Malcolm uses to support his claim is, “An African can go anywhere he wants right now. All you’ve got to do is tie your head up. That’s right, go anywhere you want. Just stop being a Negro.” He then introduces a story about a friend who was treated differently in a white restaurant simply because he was wearing a turban. He was Negro, but because he had his head wrapped, he passed as something other than a Negro. This is true exposure of the human nature to treat others how we feel fit based on our diverse and various contrasting traits. Sometimes looks will change all