Martin Luther King, “I have a Dream” and “The Ballot or The Bullet” by Malcolm X Sample

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Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were raised in different environments. King grew up in a safe middle-class household. while Malcolm X came from a hapless place. Despite the different upbringings. they were both black and had a dream. but unluckily ne’er lived to see it go true. However. both work forces had become high images in the current Afro-american civilization and had so a great influence on Afro-Americans in 1960’s. One was a great peaceable adult male who spoke to all humanity. marched peacefully about. and wanted the inkinesss to accomplish full equality with Whites. His popular address goes like this: “I have a dream. a dream that one twenty-four hours this state will lift up and populate out the true significance of its creed… that all work forces are created equal. ” ( Martin Luther King ) .

The other adult male was Malcolm X. who spoke of a violent revolution. which would convey about indispensable alteration for the black race. “Anything you can believe of that you want to alter right now. the lone manner you can make it is with a ballot or a slug. ” ( Malcolm X ) . Anyhow. I am traveling to lucubrate more on these two great work forces and their addresss ( I Have a Dream by M. L. King and The Ballot or the Bullet by Malcolm X ) by comparing them and composing what the similarities and differences in these two texts are.

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The first text I am traveling to cover with is Dr. Martin Luther King’s address “I Have a Dream” . The address was delivered on August 28. 1963 before more than 1000s of people in forepart of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. D. C. The address became a immense success and a great piece of rhetoric in American History. The address was about the desire for a hereafter where inkinesss and Whites would coexist peacefully as peers. The address contained the dreams. which Martin Luther King wanted to see come true old ages back when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Martin Luther King was a Baptist Minister who non-violently fought to liberate all people from the bondage of separation and unfairness. In his address. he said that the Blacks had to derive their rightful topographic points but non by unlawful workss – “not by imbibing from the cup of resentment and hatred” ( p. 20. l. 65 ) .

He wanted to contend on the plane of self-respect and subject. However. regardless of the jobs and defeats he and the black population had been through during the segregation and contending against segregation. he says that he still has a dream. “I have a dream that one twenty-four hours on the ruddy hills of Georgia the boies of former slaves and the boies of former slave proprietors will be able to sit down together at the tabular array of brotherhood. ”…” I have a dream that my four small kids will one twenty-four hours populate in a state where they will non be judged by the coloring material of their tegument but by the content of their character. ” ( p. 20+21 line. 20-30 ) He says with this religion. he will return to the South. and with this faith the inkinesss will stand up for freedom together – by cognizing that one twenty-four hours they will be free and equal as the Whites. He says Lashkar-e-Taiba freedom pealing from everyplace in USA. By accomplishing the freedom. one twenty-four hours everyone will fall in custodies and state “Free at last” “Free at last! ” “Thank God Godhead. ”

The address is structured on high rhetorical degree besides high degree of linguistic communication ; hence. the words that are used in the address are words. which are non any “everyday” word. The ground Martin Luther King has chosen hard words might be that he wanted to demo the universe that a black adult male could besides be capable of utilizing large words and be every bit good as a white. There has besides been much imagination ( metaphors ) such as ; “Let us non seek to fulfill our thirst… by imbibing from the cup of resentment and hatred. ” ( P. 20. line. 63 ) significance that lets non take the manner of force and beastliness. and there is another illustration “…America has given the Negro people a bad check…” ( P. 20. line. 37 ) significance that the promise which America gave the inkinesss was non good plenty. now they have to “re-cash the check” i. e. do something about it.

Apart from that. there are besides many repeats of some words. which make the address more of a rhythmical address e. g. ( I have a dream. Now is the clip. or allow freedom ring. . ) . one of the grounds for this could be that Martin Luther King is a curate. and curates do rime their words. when they deliver a address etc. He talks to people’s Ethos ( Credibility ) . hence he has good debates and worth to listen to. he besides uses Pathos ( Emotional ) – because he brings some metaphorical phrases where he entreaties with the audience’s feelings. At last Logos ( Logical ) . therefore. he gives illustrations of hundred old ages back. when the inkinesss were promised freedom and equality. yet there has non been any mark of it.

The other text we are covering with is the address by Malcolm X. entitled “The Ballot or the Bullet” . Malcolm X was born in 1925. Later in his young person. he joined a Negro separationist motion called Nation of Islam. and converted to Islam where he became the interpreter. In this address. he explains how the Blacks should contend for their civil-rights in America. He emphasizes that vote is the solution for stoping favoritism against Blacks. Malcolm X says that either “the ballot or the bullet” will come next in the civil rights battle. By this. he means that authorities should let Blacks to legitimately vote ( Ballot ) or else force ( Bullet ) will be their agencies to act upon authorities. He says the other solution to the civil rights battle is ; “to expand the degree of civil rights to the degree og human rights…” ( P. 18. l. 30 ) . This would let Blacks to take their instance to the United Nations. He says “then our African brothers can throw their weights on our side…” ( P. 19. l. 10 ) He besides urges the inkinesss to non make concern with a white adult male. neither should they take their money out and pass it in a white society. therefore their society gets richer while the black’s society becomes more of a ghetto.

For bettering the black society’s concern and in order to go richer the inkinesss need to re-educate themselves in order to cognize how to assist the black community and concern. However. Malcolm X argues for these solutions from a Black Nationalist prospective. Black Nationalism is anti-assimilation. significance that it is non their end to to the full incorporate into white American society ; Blacks should have their ain concerns and have their ain politicians in their communities. However. his pick of linguistic communication differs from Martin Luther King’s address. He has used the mundane manner of words. He besides repeats some of the words in his address. possibly to do certain the audience has the message. E. g. . on page 16. the last line and line 36th where he repeats “You and I” a twosome of times. He besides uses the least sum of nonliteral linguistic communication. therefore makes the address more direct and easy to understand. He talks to people’s feelings and senses. He uses poignancy and Son.

Both X and King spread their message through influential. unsmooth addresss. Even so. their ends were represented in different manners and intents. King was a non-violent leader who besides advised non-violence to his followings. He reminded his followings that all people are God’s kids and that hopefully one twenty-four hours all Americans can fall in together to sing ( On P 21. line. 75 ) “My state Ti of thee. Sweet land of autonomy. of thee I sing…” . King wanted the black and Whites united while on the other manus. Malcolm X. for the most portion. believed that non-violence and integrating was a fast one by the Whites to maintain inkinesss in their topographic points. He dreamt of a separate state for the inkinesss. ( On P. 19 l. 35 ) “I think separation will acquire me freedom” . He besides mentioned that Whites were inherently enemies of the Negroes and that integrating was impossible without great bloodletting.

Albeit the difference of turn toing their messages about black regard and pride. they both had the same end in head. That end was to accomplish equality between all races. Their methods are perceived as somewhat different. Other than the fact that they were different in some ways. they besides had many similarities that people admired. in both belief and address. Both tried to convey hope to inkinesss in the United States. They shared a common land. a common dream. the land which would acquire the inkinesss their freedom and equality. A dream that one twenty-four hours their people would be able to be free from the bondage of bias and racism. This feeling lay so deep within their psyches. that it drove them to talk out to a state whose people were non ready to hear such words. Martin L. King and Malcolm X were both assassinated. but were destined to be fables for all and everlastingly.

The method Dr. King was utilizing. was the best method. harmonizing to me. hence it was a peaceable manner where the political orientation of non-violence was practiced. We must follow the peaceable manner in order to acquire a peaceable consequence. However it requires a great sum of clip. but if you are patient and believe in what you are making. so you would decidedly make your end. However. if you use the violent manner. many people would be killed. guiltless kids. adult females etc. would endure and yet you would non acquire any good consequence out of it. Anyhow. we must seek to demo we are right through peaceful. non violent agencies. Love must be the ideal guiding of our actions.

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