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Malcolm X “The Ballot or the Bullet” Speech Analysis

Edward Capps

Kent State University

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Title of Paper

In 1964 Malcolm X gave a speech call The Ballot or The Bullet in Cleveland, Ohio encouraging blacks to take a political or physical stance against civil injustices. Malcolm X was once a pimp, robber, and gangster when he was incarcerated he found the Nation of Islam as a way to turn his life around. This paper will talk about the rhetorical design logic, nonverbal cues and evaluative listening skills I used to interpret the speech. Malcolm X was considered one of the best speakers of his time, his speech was used to educate his people, so that they could come together and make a change. It’s clear that Malcolm X uses rhetorical design logic and strong nonverbal cues to construct a reality for his listeners, urging them to use the ballot or the bullet.

Rhetorical design logic

Malcolm X traveled around the world organizing temples and different organization until he gained interest in the civil right movement. During this time cites all over the U.S were experiencing the effects of race riots, Jim Crow laws and lynching. Blacks in America were in much need of justice most of them were uneducated and unable to produce the funds. Malcolm X gave the speech because he seen the importance in educating his people about there political strength. Malcolm’s urgency and vision is what makes his speech design rhetorical logic.

Campbell Eichhorn, Thomas-Maddox, & Bekelja Wanzer, (2008) said that success is determined by Malcolm’s words, character and political position which he used to construct a vision for his people. In his speech Malcolm gives examples how African countries use there votes in order to give power to smaller third world countries, countries are being controlled by larger countries such as Russia. By Malcolm painting good visuals throughout his speech and connecting examples he exemplifies good rhetoric.

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Nonverbal Cues

There are a few short video clips of Malcolm X giving his speech in which you can clearly see his nonverbal cues. The first thing I saw was his kinesics he stood square and upright using multiple hand gestures to illustrate his point. Malcolm X gave an energetic speech his stern looks and lack of facial expression showed the importance and seriousness of his message. I believe that the solid look on his face is not for his audience but for the non-believers or those who oppose his speech, a look to show that he is unyielding in his efforts to convey a message to his people. Though Malcolm X is a wonderful speaker his nonverbal cues makes him much more effective. Malcolm X is know for being very aggressive in his fight for civil rights and he displays that in his speech by exemplifying fortitude. Two other nonverbal communications types Malcolm x used were paralanguage and physical appearance. Physical appearance can be described as how visibly pleasing or pleasing someone is to work with (Campbell Eichhorn et al., 2008). Malcolm X had a lot of followers and he always presented himself in a most prominent way showing great physical appearance.

Listening Skills

While listening to Malcolm X speech I use the evaluative listening style, Campbell

Eichhorn et al., (2008) says evaluative listing occurs “when a sales person is trying to persuade us to buy a product or when we listen to political speeches.” Malcolm X established a great sense of credibility and competence to majority of his listeners. When Malcolm X gave the Ballot or the Bullet speech he had already amassed a great following. I would consider myself a fan of

Malcolm X and a firm believer in what he stood for. It’s easy to categorize myself as an evaluative listener because my motivation is beyond comprehension; I’m simply judging the messages that he is sending (Campbell Eichhorn et al., 2008). Ballot or Bullet 4

Conclusion

Malcolm X is a great speaker who is known for his powerful rhetoric, he also displays a good variety of nonverbal cues. I believe the design logic a speaker chooses greatly impacts how their messages are received. When a speaker uses rhetoric it is easy to be an evaluative or discriminative listener depending on the physical appearance and credibility of the speaker.

When this speech was given I’m sure there were a lot more discriminative listeners than there are today. This is one of the best speeches Malcolm X gave during his lifetime and can be used as a good example of rhetoric for any speaker preparing for a speech.

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References

Campbell Eichhorn, K., Thomas-Maddox, C., & Bekelja Wanzer, M. (2008). Interpersonal

communication: Building rewarding relationships. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.