Centuries later the Negro community was still riddled by racial injustice and oppression. These contradictions to the original visions of the founding fathers were still very much in existence when Dr. King made his speech. A scholar who graduated and received a bachelor degree in sociology from Morehouse College, Martin Luther King’s speech, “I Have a Dream” was carefully crafted to encourage and motivate the predominantly Negro audience to take a stand for an equal democracy. “This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off… Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.” King’s tone when he delivered his speech was derived from the cadence and rhythms of a preacher. His speech consisted of various literary elements such as figurative language and repetitive phrases that painted a vivid mural in the mind of the listener: “My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
sMalcom X versus Martin Luther King Emily Voutes Malcolm X (1925-1965): Even his own name is a stab to the opinions of prejudice white folks during his era. This is true because his own, self declared last name "X" represents "the rejection of slave-names” and the absence of an inherited African name to take its place." Meaning that he was prepared to create a personal identity that represented himself and his race, and not a name that a white man forced upon him. Though they had similar characteristics and morals; his approach to the civil rights movement compared to the strategies of other civil rights leaders of his time, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. differed greatly. Rather than trying to integrate the black community into the white, Malcom X focused on the complete separation of the two races.
He speaks of solving problems for them not with them. For example, Quayle states; “we can start by dismantling a welfare system that encourages dependency and subsidizes broken families.” The way he articulates his solutions indicates that he clearly sees the blacks as a handicapped people. Thus, the white man must parent the black people as a father does his son. Quayle shows dexterity in using religious belief to influence his compatriots that the black man should learn to be like the white man. He says: “we are as our children recite every morning, one nation under God.” The Vice-President desired the black man to be assimilated in some sort and to respect the white man for his unseen ability to rectify all difficulties.
President Obama’s A More Perfect Union speech that he delivered conveyed many messages about his beliefs concerning racism. He starts off explaining how the founders of our nation made the Constitution creating all men equal, but not actually practicing that idea. Obama is the son of a white woman and a Kenyan man, and there is much criticism about his supporters supporting him purely because of his race. His former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright recently spoke some very controversial words concerning the issue of racism, which created much unease. Obama goes on to say that his former pastor is a good man, that he just has lived and grew up in a time where segregation and the Jim Crow Laws were very much legal in the U.S.
Malcolm X as an Activist During the 1960’s, there was one man who really stood out about expressing the hardships of being an African American. This man was Malcolm X. Ultimately, Malcolm X believed to the fullest extent, that African American’s could not reach their full potential in society because of white racism, and the historical events leading from slavery in the United States. However, due to the events that happened in his childhood, Malcolm X tries to reverse this feeling of victimization throughout his life and tries to become a positive activist for all African Americans. Throughout his life and up until the day he dies, Malcolm X tries to pursue this ultimate goal of seeing white racism in a positive light and making something good come out of the events that happened in his life.
Due to slavery's impact on Malcolm, he became a minister of Mr. Muhammad’s; gaining knowledge that would lead him to fighting for African American's human and civil rights. Malcolm X, “A Homemade Education” is an essay from the book The Autobiography of Malcolm X. The purpose of this essay is to show how powerful reading and knowledge are. You should never allow your background, your situation, even your life style to keep you from bettering yourself. You can accomplish anything you set your mind on doing.
The Nation of Islam advocated black nationalism and racial separatism and condemned Americans of European descent as immoral "devils." Muhammad's teachings had a strong effect on Malcolm, who entered into an intense program of self-education and took the last name "X" to symbolize his stolen African identity. After six years, Malcolm was released from prison and became a loyal and effective minister of the Nation of Islam in Harlem, New York. In contrast with civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X advocated self-defense and the liberation of African Americans "by any means necessary." A fiery orator, Malcolm was admired by the African American community in New York and around the country.
Upon release, Malcolm X rapidly gained prominence in the Nation of Islam and traveled the United States, founding new mosques in many cities. During his travels, he became acquainted with public speaking while trying to gain converts, and advocated for a black uprising. Unintentionally gaining more attention than the founder himself, Malcolm gained the position of National Minister, only to have a falling out with the Nation of Islam after a scandal and disagreement on how to best draw in black support. After the falling out, he founded Muslim Mosque, Inc., an organization that calls on all African-Americans, regardless of religion, to help take a stand against white racism. In his autobiography, Malcolm X continued his controversial, yet honest arguments.
King emphasized that the only way to achieve this was through improved civil rights and equality. He also stated that the existing laws and social conditioning were to blame for the discrimination. The location and timing of the speech had a tremendous affect in King’s favor…in an era when racial discrimination and public bigotry towards African Americans in the United States was intensifying; using the Lincoln Memorial as the location was pivotal because Lincoln was the President at the time of the Civil War and had played a leading role in the freeing of slaves; and Washington, DC because it’s the residence of the President and the Congress, which was a direct way of
Rhetorical Analysis: “A More Perfect Union” Responding to the controversy raised by Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Obama’s former pastor and campaign participant, Senator Barack Obama delivered a speech, “A More Perfect Union” on March 18, 2008. Reverend Wright was criticized by the public because of his criticism of the American government’s policies in the Middle East. He holds an extreme view toward racial issue by asserting the poor black man “live in a culture controlled by rich white people” (Wright), and “[the United States] government lied about their belief that all men were created equal”(Wright). This divisive allegation was enlarged by the media and aroused many listeners’ doubts about Obama’s political association with Rev. Wright, who, being close to him, threatened Obama’s pursuit of the presidency.