slam your hands on the table and make your demands
I finally fginished my paper. I'm quite proud of it. I'd love some feedback. =D
Ever since Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation there has been a revolution brewing in America and across the globe. This revolution became especially heated in the 1960’s when two men gave their own speeches, each with it’s own vibrant rhetoric, explaining in detail what has and has not been happening in America considering the non-white population. These men were Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. King was a preacher and a long time advocate for African American rights. Malcolm X was an Islam revolutionary who saw no answer to the problem of segregation other than immediate and possibly violent action. In Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech along with Malcolm X's "The Black revolution" speech both authors threaten their audiences with possible violence if action in favor of the African American population is not taken “now”. Both audiences were two quite different groups. King’s audience was the entire nation. His speech was broadcast to television sets nationwide. Malcolm X’s audience was a liberal group of mostly white men from the Militant Labor Forum. It was not only these two men who were upset with the actions that had, or should we say had not, been taken in recent years. It was also most of the African American population. At the rate that things had been going it was looking like America would soon become what South Africa had became. Both authors used many rhetorical devices in their works, such as imagery, diction, repetition, tone, hyperbole, and similes in order to captivate their audiences and persuade their audiences that racism and segregation need to end now and should have ended decade’s prior when it was promised.
Martin Luther King Jr. uses prominent imagery and diction to display a very vivid picture of what needs to be done to stop segregation. He says, “This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.” (King 517) The words “luxury” and “tranquilizing drug” stand out very vibrantly. His phrasing symbolizes the desperate need for the country to take action and for the black population to stand up for their rights.
After the aforementioned quote, King continuously repeats the word “now” in order to stress the importance of acting rapidly to fight this problem. His use of repetition drastically helps stress his point of the long extended period that racism has existed. At this point it was 1963 and 100 years since the Emancipation Proclamation. While the Emancipation Proclamation did not necessarily promise equality it did promise freedom. One can easily argue that without equality one is not truly free.
King’s harshest use of diction is thrown in somewhere in the middle. He says:
“It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. The sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. 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 bright day of justice emerges.”
King’s tone is very harsh. This seems to be the point where King finally gets fed up with the white man and where all the suffering that the Caucasian has put him through finally kills him inside. Yet, then he has a sudden burst of energy and King rises from the dead, figuratively, and regains control of the shackles that have held him down for so long. He stands up not only for his rights but also for the rights of all men. The terms “fatal” and “revolt” show how this seemingly minor discontent can and will possibly soon turn deadly and violent if action is not taken under his terms. A paragraph such as this seems to have almost kicked open the door for other revolutionaries such as Malcolm X.
Malcolm X was a puppeteer, which is illustrated by how he worked his tone in “The Black Revolution.” He comes off as not only threatening but also persuasive, urgent and informative. He lets his audience and the entire white race as well know that the black population is pissed and on the verge of a war. He is almost the peacekeeper between the two races. He wants “as few sparks as possible [to be] tossed around.” He even seems to know the things that will be said about him in the future when he gives his metaphor for a man running into a house that is on fire and subsequently being blamed for setting it. This is exactly what happened to X. He came in with peaceful ideas. He said flat out, “I don’t favor violence” (Malcolm-x.org) but for some reason most people tend to forget that. Most people remember his quotes that were not threats, but warnings of future threats. Most people remember, “I hope that this little conversation tonight about the black revolution won’t cause many of you to accuse us of igniting it when you find it at your doorstep.” Unfortunately, it did.
Perhaps he used the wrong diction? Either way, the message was still the same. What it comes down to is the fact that X was fed up as well. He wanted peaceful means of freedom but after one hundred years of little to no progress it is very hard to stay optimistic. X used repetition too. In his third paragraph he repeats the word “human.” This is used to remind the white man that despite what most Caucasians may want or choose to believe, black, brown, red, and yellow people are humans as well. Though the white man has been ignoring it for ages this ignorance will last no longer. It is time to recognize the colored man as just that, a man.
Malcolm X continues on with his protection of himself. He uses language of warning like, “You should not feel that I am inciting someone to violence. I’m only warning of a powder-keg situation.” He knows people will not be pleased to read or hear his speech but he is okay with that. His cause is so important to him that he is risking his own safety in speaking. This is something that most people would most likely not do today despite what the cause may be. There is mass genocide happening in Sudan and still not many are standing up and making a stand for themselves or for their friends. In America there seems to be almost more defense of the Darfurians than in Africa. Then again one cannot know this unless one visits Sudan first hand.
It is a heartbreaking situation that what was fought so strongly just forty years ago is now happening in another, poorer part of the globe. If the white community leaders had not given the colored man the equality he so deserved (or at least some of it), America could be in the same situation as Sudan is in right now.
Let’s end on a hopeful note, shall we? Martin Luther King Jr. stated as his first sentence from that balcony in our nation’s capital, “I am happy to join you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” This line, at first glance, seems rather blasé and the reader skims right past it. One must remember that he said this in 1963, a time of severe racial discrimination. The reader needs to go back in time and place him or herself in 1963 in order to get the proper perspective. King’s statement of this being the “greatest demonstration for freedom” was no doubt considered extreme, at least to his white listeners. They probably thought, “No Martin, this speech will not be the Declaration of Independence. Calm down.” Little did his viewers and listeners know how wrong they were. This little speech was a hyperbole at the time, probably even to King himself. It was most likely used to “rally the troops”, if you will. Nothing is more encouraging than hearing that something you are involved in will “go down in history.” Now come back to 2006. Think of what your life is like. Are you friends with many people of other races? Is race even an issue in your relationships with those around you? The answer to that last question is probably no. Now you should be thankful because you are a product of this revolution. Whether you lived in it or not your life has been changed by it. While it is true that we have made progress in race relations don’t be fooled by it. As shown by the state of Sudan, South America and numerous other countries, we still have quite a ways to go.
that's 6 pages of glory right there...i hope
now on to my next paper, yay
Ever since Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation there has been a revolution brewing in America and across the globe. This revolution became especially heated in the 1960’s when two men gave their own speeches, each with it’s own vibrant rhetoric, explaining in detail what has and has not been happening in America considering the non-white population. These men were Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. King was a preacher and a long time advocate for African American rights. Malcolm X was an Islam revolutionary who saw no answer to the problem of segregation other than immediate and possibly violent action. In Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech along with Malcolm X's "The Black revolution" speech both authors threaten their audiences with possible violence if action in favor of the African American population is not taken “now”. Both audiences were two quite different groups. King’s audience was the entire nation. His speech was broadcast to television sets nationwide. Malcolm X’s audience was a liberal group of mostly white men from the Militant Labor Forum. It was not only these two men who were upset with the actions that had, or should we say had not, been taken in recent years. It was also most of the African American population. At the rate that things had been going it was looking like America would soon become what South Africa had became. Both authors used many rhetorical devices in their works, such as imagery, diction, repetition, tone, hyperbole, and similes in order to captivate their audiences and persuade their audiences that racism and segregation need to end now and should have ended decade’s prior when it was promised.
Martin Luther King Jr. uses prominent imagery and diction to display a very vivid picture of what needs to be done to stop segregation. He says, “This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.” (King 517) The words “luxury” and “tranquilizing drug” stand out very vibrantly. His phrasing symbolizes the desperate need for the country to take action and for the black population to stand up for their rights.
After the aforementioned quote, King continuously repeats the word “now” in order to stress the importance of acting rapidly to fight this problem. His use of repetition drastically helps stress his point of the long extended period that racism has existed. At this point it was 1963 and 100 years since the Emancipation Proclamation. While the Emancipation Proclamation did not necessarily promise equality it did promise freedom. One can easily argue that without equality one is not truly free.
King’s harshest use of diction is thrown in somewhere in the middle. He says:
“It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. The sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. 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 bright day of justice emerges.”
King’s tone is very harsh. This seems to be the point where King finally gets fed up with the white man and where all the suffering that the Caucasian has put him through finally kills him inside. Yet, then he has a sudden burst of energy and King rises from the dead, figuratively, and regains control of the shackles that have held him down for so long. He stands up not only for his rights but also for the rights of all men. The terms “fatal” and “revolt” show how this seemingly minor discontent can and will possibly soon turn deadly and violent if action is not taken under his terms. A paragraph such as this seems to have almost kicked open the door for other revolutionaries such as Malcolm X.
Malcolm X was a puppeteer, which is illustrated by how he worked his tone in “The Black Revolution.” He comes off as not only threatening but also persuasive, urgent and informative. He lets his audience and the entire white race as well know that the black population is pissed and on the verge of a war. He is almost the peacekeeper between the two races. He wants “as few sparks as possible [to be] tossed around.” He even seems to know the things that will be said about him in the future when he gives his metaphor for a man running into a house that is on fire and subsequently being blamed for setting it. This is exactly what happened to X. He came in with peaceful ideas. He said flat out, “I don’t favor violence” (Malcolm-x.org) but for some reason most people tend to forget that. Most people remember his quotes that were not threats, but warnings of future threats. Most people remember, “I hope that this little conversation tonight about the black revolution won’t cause many of you to accuse us of igniting it when you find it at your doorstep.” Unfortunately, it did.
Perhaps he used the wrong diction? Either way, the message was still the same. What it comes down to is the fact that X was fed up as well. He wanted peaceful means of freedom but after one hundred years of little to no progress it is very hard to stay optimistic. X used repetition too. In his third paragraph he repeats the word “human.” This is used to remind the white man that despite what most Caucasians may want or choose to believe, black, brown, red, and yellow people are humans as well. Though the white man has been ignoring it for ages this ignorance will last no longer. It is time to recognize the colored man as just that, a man.
Malcolm X continues on with his protection of himself. He uses language of warning like, “You should not feel that I am inciting someone to violence. I’m only warning of a powder-keg situation.” He knows people will not be pleased to read or hear his speech but he is okay with that. His cause is so important to him that he is risking his own safety in speaking. This is something that most people would most likely not do today despite what the cause may be. There is mass genocide happening in Sudan and still not many are standing up and making a stand for themselves or for their friends. In America there seems to be almost more defense of the Darfurians than in Africa. Then again one cannot know this unless one visits Sudan first hand.
It is a heartbreaking situation that what was fought so strongly just forty years ago is now happening in another, poorer part of the globe. If the white community leaders had not given the colored man the equality he so deserved (or at least some of it), America could be in the same situation as Sudan is in right now.
Let’s end on a hopeful note, shall we? Martin Luther King Jr. stated as his first sentence from that balcony in our nation’s capital, “I am happy to join you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” This line, at first glance, seems rather blasé and the reader skims right past it. One must remember that he said this in 1963, a time of severe racial discrimination. The reader needs to go back in time and place him or herself in 1963 in order to get the proper perspective. King’s statement of this being the “greatest demonstration for freedom” was no doubt considered extreme, at least to his white listeners. They probably thought, “No Martin, this speech will not be the Declaration of Independence. Calm down.” Little did his viewers and listeners know how wrong they were. This little speech was a hyperbole at the time, probably even to King himself. It was most likely used to “rally the troops”, if you will. Nothing is more encouraging than hearing that something you are involved in will “go down in history.” Now come back to 2006. Think of what your life is like. Are you friends with many people of other races? Is race even an issue in your relationships with those around you? The answer to that last question is probably no. Now you should be thankful because you are a product of this revolution. Whether you lived in it or not your life has been changed by it. While it is true that we have made progress in race relations don’t be fooled by it. As shown by the state of Sudan, South America and numerous other countries, we still have quite a ways to go.
that's 6 pages of glory right there...i hope
now on to my next paper, yay