The Ballot Or The Bullet Rhetorical Analysis

“In my little humble way of understanding it,” (paragraph 1, page 1,) Malcolm X certainly wanted freedom for his fellow blacks. In 1964, on April 12th, Malcolm X delivered a riveting speech, named “The Ballot or the Bullet.” And with this speech he states his opinion on America being anti-black and not so free, and he uses rhetoric elements such as ethos, logos, and pathos, to further his purpose. At the start of the speech, Malcolm X uses ethos to further his purpose of America being very anti-black, and not very free. “I’m not here to try and change your religion. I’m not here to argue or discuss anything that we differ about, because it’s time for us to submerge our differences and realize that it is best for us to first see that we have the same problem, a common problem…” (Paragraph 2, Page 1.) With this statement, Malcolm X is trying to bring out that he isn’t there to change anyone’s religions or opinions, he’s just there to bring up an issue. The reason he brings this …show more content…
“…letting some cracker senators, Northern crackers and Sothern crackers, sit there in Washington D.C…” (Paragraph 14, Page 3.) In the quote, Malcolm X uses the word cracker, another word for white people, and he is considerably using it to call them names. He isn’t happy with the whites, so he decides to call them crackers, a type of food. He tries to degrade them, like they have probably done to him. Ethos, logos, and pathos further Malcolm X’s purpose of America being anti-black and not very free in “The Ballot or the Bullet,” by Malcolm X. Ethos, logos, and pathos did further Malcolm X’s purpose by illustrating through emotions how he is angry with the white men for deciding the black peoples fate, showing through ethos that he himself shouldn’t be the only voice or opinion, and through logos just how many people are out there