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Effective communication for leadership
Civil rights movement and Dr.Martin Luther King
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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. Firstly, King and X …show more content…
Even though they both achieve their goal of captivating their audiences’ attention, they achieve it differently. Whereas X achieves it by using a conversational style, King achieves it by using a sophisticated style. King has respect to the audience to whom he is addressing; therefore, his rhetoric needs to reflect that respect; the respect that the people from God deserve. In order for him to be taken seriously by the clergymen, he must show them that he is one of them through his writing. We can see how King reflects his respect to them when he writes, “Since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth…” His respect is accompanied with a sophisticated tone which makes him stand out and shows his audience the type of person who he really is. As King writes: “On sweltering summer days and crisp autumn mornings I have looked at the South 's beautiful churches with their lofty spires pointing heavenward.” Over all, his rhetoric is focused, addressed, and specifically used towards his audience; to show the clergymen that they all held the same position and
In any argument that you come across, you are going to show the audience (if it’s one person or a larger group of people) that you are right and try to change their mind or make then look at the subject of topic differently. If King did not have the reader on his side it would have been extremely difficult to get the outcome he was looking for. The way that king was able to get the clergymen to listen to him was making himself their equals by saying, “I have honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every Southern state with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia." (701). This was one of the strategies King was able to use. This allowed his audience and fellow clergymen to listen ...
History has encountered many different individuals whom have each impacted the 21 in one way or another; two important men whom have revolted against the government in order to achieve justice are Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. Both men impacted numerous individuals with their powerful words, their words carried the ability to inspire both men and women to do right by their morality and not follow unjust laws. “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” by David Henry Thoreau along with King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, allow the audience to understand what it means to protest for what is moral.
Recently you have received a letter from Martin Luther King Jr. entitled “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” In Dr. King’s letter he illustrates the motives and reasoning for the extremist action of the Civil Rights movement throughout the 1960’s. In the course of Dr. King’s letter to you, he uses rhetorical questioning and logistical reasoning, imagery and metaphors, and many other rhetorical devices to broaden your perspectives. I am writing this analysis in hopes you might reconsider the current stance you have taken up regarding the issues at hand.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written while he was “confined in the Birmingham city jail.” His letter was a direct response to the eight Alabama clergymen who insisted that King’s use of nonviolent direct action was unlawful. The clergymen questioned his method of protests even though they had similar goals as King. In his letter, King illustrates the hardships and injustices that African Americans in the United States were enduring during the mid-twentieth century; doing so allows King to justify the nonviolent actions of his fellow protestors. King uses the classical appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos, along with his rhetorical situation, to support his claims about the racial discrimination and segregation in the United States.
In the touching, influential letter, Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. responds to the white, Alabama clergymen who condemned his movement as “unwise and untimely” (1) and delineates his motives for traveling to Birmingham, where whites consider him an “outsider” (1). Hoping to express his ambition of nonviolent protest in a sympathetic, deferential manner, he implores the white clergy to join the struggle for Civil Rights. Throughout the letter, he addresses and disputes each negative argument by the whites, testifying his position unpretentiously, yet confidently. With aptitude, poise, and humility, King establishes his motives for coming to such an unwelcoming environment. In his heart-rending letter, King’s coherent logos, stimulating rhetorical questions, and accentuating parallel structure express to the white moderates who criticized his actions that nonviolent, direct protest is not only essential, but also inevitable to contain agitated hostility and to assume relative peace.
The forceful subjugation of a people has been a common stain on history; Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail was written during the cusp of the civil rights movement in the US on finding a good life above oppressive racism. Birmingham “is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States. Its ugly record of brutality is widely known,” and King’s overall goal is to find equality for all people under this brutality (King). King states “I cannot sit idly… and not be concerned about what happens,” when people object to his means to garner attention and focus on his cause; justifying his search for the good life with “a law is just on its face and unjust in its application,” (King). Through King’s peaceful protest, he works to find his definition of good life in equality, where p...
Speeches are a method of persuading people to do something. For Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, their speeches were to bring equality for the people of color. However, their approaches are different. Consequently, the effects may be different. An example of their contrasting differences is a speech from each, King’s “I Have a Dream” and X’s “The Black Revolution”. Their speeches used pathos, a central metaphor, and a warning, but was presented differently.
Martin Luther King Jr's letter expresses a calm and nonviolent tone, in explaining his work and ideas. In the "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" it states, "….. The deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty." He preaches against violent tension and action, in order to create civil relationships with the white community. On the other hand, Malcom X expresses his mood in an aggressive and careless manner. He feels that, blacks have been continuously deprived of rights, opportunities and responsibilities and that it is time to take action. "The Ballot or the Bullet" states, "….and that we don’t cast a ballot, it's going to end up in a situation where we're going to have to cast a bullet." Malcom is done compromising and wants to give a new interpretation, to take part in economics. Martin believes in a nonviolent approach while Malcom will do whatever means necessary in order to get
As one of the most proficient civil rights activist of the 1960's, Malcolm X and his speeches were very influential but particularly one speech was highly esteemed, that being the Ballot or the Bullet speech. A speech that was given after the "I have A Dream speech by Dr. Martin Luther King. Despite, Dr. Martin Luther King being a pacifist and also a civil rights activist as well; Malcolm X was more tyrannical and advocated the use of violence. During this era, the democrats were in control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, therefore both the Senate and the House of Representatives were leaning towards providing more civil rights to African-Americans. The purpose of Malcolm X’s speech was to convince African Americans to become more politically aware and to vote members of their own race into office. The year 1964 is known for civil rights activists, racist groups, and political strife. In order to achieve this goal and increase the speeches effectiveness, X utilizes a variety of rhetorical strategies within his speech.
African Americans are fortunate to have leaders who fought for a difference in Black America. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X are two powerful men in particular who brought hope to blacks in the United States. Both preached the same message about Blacks having power and strength in the midst of all the hatred that surrounded them. Even though they shared the same dream of equality for their people, the tactics they implied to make these dreams a reality were very different. The background, environment and philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were largely responsible for the distinctly varying responses to American racism.
Until the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his life’s work was dedicated to the nonviolent actions of blacks to gain the freedoms they were promised in the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 by Abraham Lincoln. He believed that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (King, 1963). These injustices had become so burdensome to blacks that they were “plunged into an abyss of despair” (King, 1963). The nonviolent actions of the sit-ins, boycotts, and marches were so the “individual could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths…to help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism” and ultimately lead to “inevitably opening the door to negotiation” (King, 1963). Not only was King’s approach effective with the older black generation, it was also successful with white people. They did not feel threatened when approached by King. White people gained a sense of empathy towards the plight of black freedom as King’s promise of nonviolence did not threaten their livelihood. Malcolm X viewed the world similarly to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., however; his beliefs to changing the status quo were slightly different from his political counterpart. Malcolm X realized that “anger could blind human vision” (X, 1965). In realizing this, X knew that in order to achieve racial freedom blacks had to “forget hypocritical politics and propaganda” (X, 1965). While Malcolm X was more so an advocate for violent forces against white people than King, X merely used force when it became necessary for defense. According to X, “I don’t go for non-violence if it also means a delayed solution. I am for violence if non-violence means we continue postponing a solution to American black man’s problem” (X, 1965). However, this le...
On April 12, 1964, Malcolm X stepped in front of a crowd of two thousand in Detroit’s King Solomon Baptist Church. Ministers initially attempted to prevent Malcolm X from using the church to deliver the speech at the last minute, as they had already estimated the potential for controversy (“Say It Plain, Say It Loud”). Many historians deem the speech, titled “The Ballot or the Bullet,” Malcolm X’s greatest performance. Only a month after departing from the Nation of Islam and joining the mainstream Civil Rights Movement, Malcolm X already recognized the vital flaw in the movement: the African American expectation of help from the white population. “The Ballot or the Bullet” aimed to point out that flaw and unite all African Americans through
When giving his speech “The Ballot or the Bullet” Malcolm X spoke in a content and tone that made this speech very impactful to his audience and listeners which is still relevant today. Malcolm X was convinced that voting was the way to change racial prejudice in America. The Ballot or the Bullet is directed at African Americans and encourages them to stand up for their rights at all cost. He spoke with such knowledge, attitude and passion that put emphasis on the importance of African Americans being educated and educating themselves on politics. Malcolm X was a prominent spokesman of the civil rights era, his words when spoken were very potent and influential especially in the black community. Because Malcolm X was very direct in his speech, the audience responded positively and respectfully. “It 's time for
On April 3rd, 1964, during the Civil Rights Movement a Muslim minister gave a rousing and powerful speech in methodist church in Cleveland, Ohio this foreigner and passionate speaker was none other than the infamous Malcolm X. His speech at this occasion was titled “The Ballot or the Bullet,” often considered one of the great successful oratories of the civil rights movement due to his extensive use of ethos, passionate execution of pathos, and liberal application of logos.
When John Earl Ray shot Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4th 1968, he attempted to wake up America from Dr. King’s dream of equality but it was clear that America didn’t want to take steps two steps back, but rather take three steps forward in the fight of civil rights. Martin Luther King Jr.’s work, a “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” defends his strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism and oppression. Then furthermore states the need and moral responsibility to break unjust laws in a peaceful manner. King supports his argument by comparing himself to not only to the clergy men, but also fellow readers by having an emotional appeal and stating religious examples. The letter’s purpose was to further inform the readers about what was really happening during that time and share another point of view so that anyone that was reading could feel the pain and suffering African Americans had to go through by being just another color skin. King writes in an emotional and formal tone for his audience, the readers of a “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” and others interested in the topic of