Rhetorical Analysis Of The Ballot Or The Bullet

Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and the Civil Rights Struggle of the 1950s and 1960s. A Brief History with Documents written by David Howard-Pitney is a great history book that gives us an entry into two important American thinkers and a tumultuous part of American history. This 207-pages book was published by Bedford/St. Martin’s in Boston, New York on February 20, 2004. David Howard-Pitney worked at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project at Stanford University in 1986, and that made him a specialist on American civil religion and African-American leaders ' thought and rhetoric (208). Another publication of Howard-Pitney is The African-American Jeremiad: Appeals for Justice in America.

In 1775, at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Patrick Henry wrote “Speech in the Virginia Convention,” for the President of Virginia, Peyton Randolph, to convince the delegates to secede from Britain; moreover, to fight back against them. This speech incorporates great rhetorical strategies that Henry emphasizes to make a clear and concise point. These rhetorical strategies will help receive a better perspective for seeking American Independence. In his speech, Henry analyzes allusions and repetitions to overcome a troublesome problem that foreshadows America. Ethos and allusion are similar because both strategies represent credibility for an event or person.

Patrick Henry writes his Speech to the Second Virginia Convention to convince the delegates that war is necessary to escape the unjust rule of Great Britain. Henry strategically uses his words and questions to illuminate the situation the way he sees it. Henry’s strategic word usage includes rhetorical devices such as repetition, figurative language, and rhetorical questions. In order to emphasize the importance of his experience, Henry uses repetition.

In both the speech to the Virginia Convention and The Crisis, Number 1, Henry and Paine write to persuade the colonists to fight. But, they both have different methods in doing this. Paine uses figurative language, tone, and rhetorical devices to convince the colonists to rise up against the British and fight for their independence. Paine’s writing uses ethical and emotional appeals, or ethos and pathos, in order to achieve his goal. Henry, on the other hands, uses logical appeal, or logos, to convince the colonists to secede from England and to fight the British.

It came as no surprise to the current politicians at the March 23, 1775 Second Virginia Convention in Richmond that Patrick Henry’s purpose was to convince them of the necessity for revolution and war leading to their secession from England. At the time, the orthodox perception of Henry was not positive. Patrick Henry was considered to be quite the extremist, and this bias is a major stymie in the ethos and respectability of his speech to his fellow politicians. To overcome this bias, Patrick Henry persuasively conveys his ideas through a careful manipulation of rhetorical devices appealing to pathos and logos throughout a meticulous and intensifying organization of opinions and ideas. The most foundational of these is undeniably the organizational

Henry alludes to the Quartering Act because the act is another example of how the British are preparing for the war for freedom. The Quartering Act makes the delegates angry because they now understand that the only reason the act exists is so that Britain can be ready for the war against the colonies. This new discovery develops Henry’s viewpoint because it explains to the delegates that the colonies should not resist the war but, rather, the colonies should actually “let [the war for freedom] come.” To conclude, Patrick Henry develops his viewpoint on the necessity for fighting against the British by explaining how violence is a

“It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to god and our country” (Henry) during the time the speech was written, the colonist were trying to be separate from Britain. People wanted out of British laws, but had fear of fighting war. The colonist struggled with no money for an army nor the support to create one. In Patrick Henry’s, “Speech to Virginia convention ” he primarily used pathos to persuade the audience to stand up and fight.

The speech opened the eyes of many blacks, inspiring a change to begin to occur. Through analogies, metaphors, and a vitriolic and urgent tone, Malcolm X concisely and clearly informs the audience of their mistreatment and encourages them to get their just deserts. X’s intelligence, passion, and oratorical skills helped make “The Ballot or the Bullet” one of the greatest rhetorical acts in black history. This phrase, “The Ballot or the Bullet”, truly defines Malcolm X’s stance on the current treatment of blacks and how he believes a violent response is necessary when all other means of communication are ignored or

On March 23, 1775, Mr. Patrick Henry made history when he delivered a speech at the Virginia Convention. Mr. Henry's purpose in his speech was to convince the Virginia patriots attending the convention that the only option with Britain remaining was war. Mr. Henry used many rhetorical devices throughout his speech, and with the use of pathos, ethos, and logos he had an effective advantage that appealed to almost every person at the convention. To begin with, Mr. Henry’s speech contains much use of pathos as he relates to the emotions of the people of Virginia. An example of Mr. Henry's use of pathos is when he states, “I consider it as nothing less than freedom or slavery...”.

Additionally, Henry asserts that “[they] have petitioned; [they] have remonstrated; [they] have supplicated; [they] have prostrated [themselves] before the throne” to “avert the storm” of the upcoming war. Henry’s appliance of anaphora with “we” at the beginning of subsequent clauses emphasizes that the colonists have done much to avoid any violent outcome with the British. He notes that the colonists are trying to resolve problems while Britain is only “produc[ing] additional violence and insult.” Hence, Henry underscores Britain’s neglect of possible solutions and their inclination for violence. In essence, Henry’s clever use of various rhetorical strategies persuades the colonies to achieve their freedom from Britain.

Patrick Henry utilized one -word sentences to put emphases on his ideas about going to war. For instance, when he said “Nothing” ( 264). This demonstrates the idea that they have done so much and nothing has changed. This helps him gain more trust and respect because all the information he is giving is true. They have tried everything and the British keep omitting them because in the British eyes they are nothing.

His choice of language is effective at evoking emotion. Through rhetorical questions, Henry was able to emphasize his points, and grab the audience’s attention, creating an emotional effect on the listeners. “Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation?” These statements prove the speaker’s argument and stir the audience’s emotions.

The purpose of Patrick Henry’s Speech to the Virginia convention was to convince his fellow delegates to fight for their freedom. Henry uses the rhetorical devices of repetition and pathos to effectively get his point across. Henry uses the rhetorical device of repetition through repeatedly referring to the choice of freedom or slavery. He says this more than one time to try and get his point across the the delegates that he is talking to. He believes that american should be free and if we do not become free soon that the british are going to start to treat us like slaves.

We know that in order to create an effective message whether on speech or paper, the three rhetorical appeals are essential. The Ballot or the Bullet by Malcolm X demonstrates all three appeals superbly. Malcolm X himself builds ethos very well, as well as displays his automatic ethos. He also appeals to logos through an ample amount of solid reasoning and several facts. In this speech pathos is extremely well present and effective.

Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. were both two African American civil rights activists who were very prominent throughout history. They fought for what they believed in but in vastly different ways. Martin Luther King Jr. was born to a middle class family and was well educated. Malcolm X, on the other hand, grew up in a rather hostile environment with barely enough schooling. Both their speeches, “I Have a Dream” and “The Ballot or the Bullet” may have shared some common traits, but at the same time, differed greatly in various aspects.