The Ballot or the Bullet is a speech given by the civil right leader Malcolm X at a symposium on April 3, 1964. In his speech, Malcolm stated that African Americans contine to exist as second class citizens deprived of their civil rights due to the failure of the Congress to grant it to them despite their promises made during previous elections. His tone was militant, and he used cold, precise logic to arouse anger within his audience to urge them to claim their rights even if they had to resort to violence because “time has run out” (Malcolm X). Fear was communicated to his white listeners when he indicated that should the political system (the ballot) fail to give them their rights, civil rebellion (the bullet) is another option. He supported his claim by repeatedly talking about the injustices they continued to experience from the “white man” to appeal to the audience’s emotions, and provided logic as with the “22 million black people who are victims of Americanism” (Malcom X). Throughout the speech, he continued to use “I” to show that he was also a victim and that he is one with them in their desire to call for a change.
The speech subscribed to the Toulmin Model of Argumentation as it exhibited the how and why of the argument through the claim, reasons and evidence presented (Wood). Malcolm claimed that because African Americans are exploited and degraded, a revolution is necessary, which calls for a fight either through the use of a ballot or a bullet since these are the most sensible options available to them.
Works Cited
Wood, Nancy V. Perspectiveof on Argument. Third Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:
Prentice Hall, 2001. Print.
Malcolm X. “The Ballot or the Bullet.” Social Justice Speeches. n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
