Rhetorical Analysis Of The Ballot Or The Bullet

“It’ll be the ballot or it’ll be the bullet. It’ll be liberty or it’ll be death.” These are the famous words of Malcolm X in his speech The Ballot or the Bullet. In April, 1964 Malcolm X stood in front of a large crowd in Cleveland, Ohio and explained what the ballot or bullet meant. He was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement and fought to make all African-Americans equal. Malcolm X explained to his audience using a great appeal to ethos, pathos and logos that African-Americans should fight for racial economic and social justice without different religion views standing in the way. He told his audience instead of fighting, meaning the bullet, they could vote for their own leaders or better leaders to represent them, meaning the ballot.

The Ballot or the Bullet was a powerful speech that delivered Malcolm X overall message, to have all races be treated fair, through rhetorical appeals and how he had delivered it to his audience.
Before this speech was given Malcolm X was already a prominent leader in the Civil Rights Movement. This gives him credibility, also known as ethos. Malcolm X was also a Muslim minister. His religion was Islam and in his speech he made this very clear.
Although I'm still a Muslim, I'm not here tonight to discuss my religion.

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…

From the beginning of the speech X tells the audience that his religion is Islam and that he is a muslim, but then proceeds to tell his audience that his religious preference has no ill effect on his passion for fighting for equality. Another part of the speech that builds his credibility is when he mentions that the audience and himself have the same problem. In his speech he says “They don’t hang you because you’re because a Baptist, they hang you ‘cause you’re black. They don’t attack me because I’m a Muslim, they attack me ‘cause I’m black.” This builds his credibility because he is relating to his audience over a common problem. The common problem is them being darker complected,or black, and being treated unfairly by lighter skin, or white,

people.
Another form of rhetoric that Malcolm X uses is pathos.

Pathos is the appeal to emotion and Malcolm X uses a lot of pathos in his speech. Before getting into specific lines of his speech that use pathos, Malcolm X has a great usage of pathos by repeating the line “the ballot or the bullet.” This line created a sense of urgency that his audience needed to do something now to create change. He uses this effectively throughout his speech. A specific part of his speech that uses pathos is when he mentions about the march in Washington. He said “He made a chump out of you. He made a fool out of you. He made you think you were going somewhere and you end up going nowhere but between Lincoln and Washington.” This is an example of pathos because of how he spoke this in a way to spark anger in his audience. He is appealing to their anger towards the injustice they faced from the white man. Malcolm X purpose of trying to spark anger is because anger is a way to get someone passionate about an issue and more likely to do something about it. Another specific part of his speech that uses pathos is when he begins saying that African-Americans have never seen democracy. His exact words are “We don’t see the American dream. We see the American nightmare.” Again this is a way to spark anger in his audience over the injustice they have faced. Malcolm X did not believe in violence, his intent was not to get his audience angry and react out in violence, but to vote for future. This is why he

always kept repeating the phrase “the ballot or the bullet.” According to Dr. Kristopher Burrell, “In Malcolm’s view, the ballot may have offered a possible alternative from violent retribution on the part of blacks towards the US, but Malcolm did not want blacks to use the suffrage to further a racial liberal agenda.” Malcolm X did not want violence which is why he pushed for people to vote, but he did not want them to vote because a white politician promised them free items. He wanted them to vote for a person that will bring justice to them. Malcolm X use of pathos was an effective way to persuade his audience vote instead of acting out in violence.
Malcolm X also uses logos, the appeal to logic, in his speech as well. The appeal to logic in his speech usually backs up a main point in his speech. As a black nationalist, Malcolm X wanted African-Americans to self govern themselves. That is why he wanted people to vote for someone that will help them, he wanted African-Americans to vote for someone that will understand them and help to raise them up from the social injustice. In Malcolm X speech he said,
When we look at other parts of this earth in which we live, we find that black, brown, red, and
yellow people in Africa and Asia are getting their independence. They’re not getting it by singing
“We Shall Overcome.” No, they’re getting it through nationalism. It is nationalism that brought
about the independence of the people in Asia. Every nation in Asia gained its independence
through the philosophy of nationalism. Every nation on the African continent that has gotten its
independence brought it about through the philosophy of nationalism. And it will take black
nationalism to bring about the freedom of twenty-two million Afro-Americans here in this
country where we have suffered colonialism for the past four hundred years.
Looking at this part of his speech, he uses logic by explaining that all these other countries gained their freedom by nationalism. Nationalism is being the main point here. By using logic he is convincing his audience that these countries did it so black nationalism should be able to free the African-Americans in this country. He uses logic like this all throughout his essay to strengthen his main points so he may convince his audience that the solution he is giving is a good and the best solution.
Malcolm X is one of America’s greatest influential figures. He wanted justice, fairness, and for African-Americans to govern themselves. Although his way of creating freedom through black nationalism is not what is practiced today his style of speaking and his passion towards the Civil Rights Movement will forever be historic. Especially his speech The Ballot or the Bullet, which he used all three rhetorical appeals to expertly and inspiring tell his audience that now is the time to stand up because it is either “the ballot or the bullet.”