As reasoned by John F. Kennedy “If we cannot now end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity”. Safety for all races of people was one factor that drove Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X to be leader figures figures during the fight for racial equality. In the famous speech, “I Have a Dream” given at the March on Washington, Dr. King was optimistic that the American government could achieve racial equality through integration opposed to segregation. It was clear that Dr. King’s non-violence approach to the racism issue was greatly because of his loving, stable, and religious childhood. He saw segregation as wrong and it was also against the teachings of his religion. Dr. King had strong hope that …show more content…
African Americans and Caucasians could coexist equally. In contrast, Malcolm X gave a speech during the Harlem Freedom Rally of 1960 and his tone and message was the complete opposite of Dr. King’s. He felt that is was impossible for all people peacefully live together, so he believed in segregation. Malcolm X wanted an all African American Nation and wanted the American government to fund billions of dollars in damage repair. This leader’s mindset was impacted by his rough childhood. His father joined the Civil Rights Movement early in Malcolm X’s life which led to death threats against the entire family and consequently forced his family to move around a lot. At a point in Malcolm X’s life, his father was incidentally killed on trolley tracks, but no one believed it was an accident. Malcolm X’s mother had a mental breakdown after his father’s death and she had to be checked into an institution. Malcolm X and his remaining family were split into different orphanages and foster care that impelled him to fall into the wrong crowd and have several instances where the police was involved. Although both men became crucial to the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. King did not have a violent approach. Dr. King was one of the most inspirational leaders in the Civil Rights Movement. Some may even argue that his speech “I Have a Dream” was one of the most optimistic and refined speeches in American History. His inspiring message changed the course of history with the message in his speech- integration will work if civil disobedience is what is used to fight for racial equality.
King spread his message when he inspired,”There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the brights days of justice emerge. And that is something that I must say to my people who stand on the worn threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seed to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred” (King 3). King planted mental images of his message when recalled “drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred”. Dr. King believed the only way to achieve racial equality was through integration and peaceful protesting when he spoke about how the people must not be guilty of wrongful deeds when justice emerges, unlike Malcolm X’s theory. King’s inspirational and optimistic tone is shared through his strategic …show more content…
diction placed within his speech. Dr. King’s tone is introduced when he expressed,”I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream… I have a dream that one day in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and little white girls as sisters and brothers” (King 5). Dr. King provides phrases such as “I have a dream” and “they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the color of their character” to set the tone, inspirational and optimistic, for his speech. He shared his hope and belief that racial equality will happen by sharing his dreams and hopes. Dr. King also took advantage of compound complex sentences with imagery to, once again, help maintain his message and tone. One instance where King crafted an optimistic and inspirational sentence is when he embodied,” When we allow freedom to ring- when we let it ring from every city and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, ‘Free at last, Free at last, Great God a-mighty, We are free at last’” (King 6). King formed a sentence that is extremely compound and complex. Imagery is witnessed when King talked about the cities and states that African American people would be free. It was also demonstrated when he spoke of the different religions that would not be discriminated. All of the elements that went into Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream” speech made it one of the most inspirational and optimistic speeches in American history. Malcolm X had a different view than Dr.
King did on scoring racial equality and there is a noticeable line between the two speeches. Malcolm X’s speech at the Harlem Freedom Rally of 1960 gave the message to people that there was only one way to attain racial equality, create a separate, independent nation in the Southeast because he opposed integration and said that it would never work. Malcolm X also demanded that the government paid him billions of dollars in damage fees. Malcolm X’s message was established when he recited,”Why do we want some land of our own? Because land is essential to freedom” (X 1). Malcolm X does not speak about violence leading to get what he wants, but on the other side of Dr. King, Malcolm X portrayed his mind set that in order to be free and equal, land is essential. Malcolm X does not want integration like his fellow leader, Dr. King, but he wants segregation and he clearly sends this to anyone that heard his speech because of his angry and demanding tone. His rage toward the movement is displayed when he exaggerated,”...God will erase the American government and the entire race that it favors and represents, from this planet… and God will then give the whole earth back to the original owners, the black man” (X 2). Malcolm X uses ideas such as God eracing people to make sure that his anger and demands that the earth is given back to the “black man”. Contrasted to Dr. King’s speech that used long and complex sentences, Malcolm X’s
speech includes short and simple sentences that back up his tone and message. Malcolm X composed a simple and short sentence when he demanded,”WE MUST HAVE SOME LAND!” (X 2). The capital letters and only having five words helped develop Malcolm X’s demanding, angry, and violent message. Malcolm X was able to use short and simple sentences to set the tone and share his message. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s and Malcolm X’s speeches were polar opposites in their tone, message and sentence structure. Dr. King’s speech demonstrated peace and hope through its optimistic and inspirational tone, and this was achieved by complex sentence structure spread throughout the speech. King also was able to disperse his message via his speech- every person will be equal through integration and peaceful protest. Dissimilar to Dr. King’s nonviolent approach, Malcolm X used an angry and demanding time to share his message that creating a new, segregated nation was the only way to live equally. To make his message more understood, Malcolm X phrased the sentences in his speech short and simple. The two influential leaders were able to express their thoughts through their speeches, even if they were opposites of eachother.
In reading the first few paragraphs in the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King Jr shows commitment to all African Americans. He says, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. In the one sentence King declared that he would fight racial...
In the letter, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr, and the speech, “The Ballot or the Bullet” by Malcolm X, the authors discuss their very different viewpoints on what form of freedom would it take to accomplished their goal. While King believes that peaceful approaches would allow the black community to achieve equality with the white Americans, Malcolm X thinks achieving equality with white Americans is nearly impossible; therefore, he preaches a separatist doctrine. Although King and X are both fighting for the black community’s rights and their integration into the nation’s system, their approaches differ significantly. King and X differ in three main areas: their ultimate goals, the strategies to accomplish those goals, and their use of rhetoric.
Martin Luther King jr. and Malcolm X are still highly controversial African-American leaders. Martin, a Christian integrationist, and Malcolm, a Muslim nationalist have been a powerful force against racial injustice. Each man sacrificed his life for the freedom of his people; however, Martin and Malcolm had taken very different approaches in achieving equality and identity for African-Americans in the land of their birth.
In history we know that no two men are alike but, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were phenomenal people and leaders. Both had visualized some type of change in the future, yet were not literally able to see it. Both Dr. King and Malcolm X set out to bring a sense of confidence to blacks all over the United States. Their main purpose was to help instill black’s power and strength so that they could overcome racial disparity and prejudice that surrounded them, but both of them had very unique and distinct different ways of promoting their message. Martin was more geared and focused on equality and wellness of the world as a whole, a Malcolm X’s personal interpretation of the world was very well blinded by anger, bitterness, and the desire to get revenge at the expense of the world that he thought treated him unfairly.
He believed that African Americans should control their own communities and businesses. Malcolm X's message was appealing to many working-class African Americans who felt left out of the mainstream civil rights movement. In conclusion, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were two prominent leaders who had different philosophies and methods on the racial emancipation of African Americans. Dr. King believed in non-violent resistance and peaceful protests, while Malcolm X believed in using any means necessary to bring about change. Both leaders shared a common goal of living in a society with equal opportunity and a world free of segregation.
On August 28, 1963 more than 250,000 civil-rights supporters attended the March on Washington. Addressing the protesters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Profoundly, he proclaimed for a free nation of equality where all race would join together in the effort to achieve common ground. King stated his yearning for all colors to unite and be judged by character, not by race. African Americans would not be satisfied until their desire for freedom from persecution, bitterness, and hatred prevailed. Not only were the points in his speech powerful, but also the delivery he gave was so persuading and real that it changed the hearts of many people across America. By using four artificial proofs, mythos, logos, ethos, and pathos, Martin Luther King was able to open the eyes of people who were blinded by the color of skin.
Each of these two leaders had different views on how to go about gaining freedom. While King believed a peaceful means would allow the blacks to achieve equality with the white Americans, Malcolm X took a more pessimistic approach. He believed achieving equality was nearly impossible and preached a more separatist doctrine. Each man's beliefs were formed in their youth.
Since the dawn of time, there has always existed the concept of good vs evil. Normally, this concept is used to explain two forces battling against each other in order to influence people’s actions. However, these concepts also exist on a realistic level; although the realistic form is based on race rather than morals. Like a recessive gene, black people were suppressed by the dominant gene, white people, in the 1950’s. With the white race oppressing the black race being a colossal dilemma, few people chose to solve it. Among them were Martin Luther King, and Malcolm X. While King wanted to solve the problem with peace, Malcolm knew the only way to solve the dispute was fighting back. Malcolm X was born in 1925 in Omaha Nebraska, and was one
King peacefully pleads for racial tolerance and the end of segregation by appealing to the better side of white Americans. His attempt to persuade America about the justice of his cause, and to gain support for the civil rights movement was emotionally moving. He spoke to all races, but his rhetoric was patriotic, and culturally similar to, and focused on African-Americans. He was able to make practical use of a history many Americans are proud of. The use of repetition reinforced his words making it simpler and more straightforward to follow. His speech remains powerful because it is still relevant today, like economic injustices and stereotyping. This reading can be applied to remedying current issues of stereotyping, racism, and discrimination by changing white racial resentment and eliminating racial
Martin Luther King did not know that his “I Have a Dream” speech would still be iconic 50 years later. In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington. He was facing the problem of racial injustice for himself and everyone like him. He needed to create a speech that everyone could and would understand, could learn from, and could draw inspiration from. He had to address blacks and whites, he had to say things that everyone could relate to and he had speak in a way that he get the
Whereas Martin Luther King, Jr. used Christianity as his speech accelerant, Malcolm X believed that religion was his personal and private business, at least during the time of his "The Ballot or the Bullet" speech. He made it very clear that bringing religion into the mix just causes too many differences, and that the arguments that would sprout would cause them to never gather together. (CITATION) In 1964, when Malcolm X gave his "The Ballot or the Bullet" speech, his main philosophy was Back Nationalism. Malcolm X was very adamant about getting black Americans to take control of the political, social, and economic structure of their own community. He believed that if "you are going to live in a black community, you must understand the politics the community is supposed to produce" (CITATION). If not, they can be easily misled by a white politician who does not have it in for their best interest. Malcolm X preached of self-help and self-perseverance when it came to his philosophies, meaning that the black community had to turn to themselves to make a change "by any means necessary", which was often Malcolm's slogan when talking about how to carry out a civil rights movement. (CITATION) His brash personality and his "by any means necessary" policy opened the floodgates to violent protests. Unlike King, Malcolm believed that you could not have a civil rights protest without violence because "if you want a revolution, there's never been a non-violent revolution (CITATION). Like the title of his speech, Malcolm stated it is "the ballot or the bullet; liberty or death." (CITATION) It is either one or the other when it comes to fighting for their rights. Malcolm X was extremely successful in giving hope to the fighting cause, his views on race appealing greatly to the struggling black community. However, the shortcomings of his radical
While marching toward the Lincoln Memorial to give his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King Jr. and his supporters were singing “We Shall Overcome.” The lyrics of that hymn reference a day when all men will live together in peace. Dr. King clearly stated this day had not yet come when he said, “One hundred years later, the Negro still is not free” (King Jr., 1963). A broad spectrum of injustice inspired Dr. King to speak, and after looking at the acts of racism and civil injustice prior to 1963, Dr. King was prophetic.
Martin Luther King Jr is one of the wisest and bravest black man the world has ever seen. He has set the path way for the black community and other miniorities. In his Nobel Prize Speech the “Quest for Peace and Justice”, King had three major points that he addressed in the “Quest of Peace and Justice”. One of the points he made was about racial injustice and how we need to eliminate it. King stated that, “when civilization shifts its basic outlooks then we will have a freedom explosion”. Overtime things must change, nothing never stays the same. King’s way of making parallels with this is making the claim is saying, “Oppressed people can’t oppressed forever, and the yearning will eventually manifest itself”. He insisted that blacks have,
Martin Luther King, Jr. in his persuasive speech, I Have a Dream (1963) argues for the equal constitutional rights for all races not just one. He addresses the nation about his cause for equality and that it was time for them to now “cash a check” that would bring equality for black and white men. He supports his claim by first outlining the cause that he is advocating and the right to equality among all men and women of all races, then he speaks out against the hate and violence in the nation that has been centered around the racial equality, and finally he depicts his vision of a better and brighter future for not only his children but for all the children of the nation. King’s purpose is to not only advocate for a change but to actually bring about a change in the nation in order to create a more better future for his children that entitles equality and safety for all children of the nation. He carries out his speech with a peaceful and inspirational tone for the national audience of all races that encourages hope, faith, love, and equality. Martin Luther King, Jr. was not only an advocate for the racial equality but a force that moved the nation into a better future.
Have you ever met a person who was so determined for something that they would do anything and everything in their power to accomplish it no matter what the consequences are? Martin Luther King Jr. was a man of that image. He thoroughly pounded thoughts of equality into our nation’s head over and over. Ironically, he went to jail 29 times before he made the speech that changed the world. This speech, titled “I Have a Dream,” forces America to realize that racial inequality is unacceptable by stating: “But 100 years later the negro is still not free” (King 1). Simply put, he is talking about the past present and future of the nation and how he wants this colossal change. One idea that King emphasized above all