In a time of political and social redefinition, two men with
the same dream, but very different plans rose to leadership. Martin Luther King
Jr. and Malcolm X both delivered very influential speeches regarding their role
in a civil rights movement.
MLK’s speech, commonly referenced in history classes across
the US, is full of beautiful figurative language. His whole speech is packed
with visuals. From the “lonely island of poverty” to the “bank of justice,”
everything is given an analogy that can be pictured. Throughout his piece, he
stresses non-violent protesting—a key difference from Malcolm X. His use of
repetition is also a very common thing in oratorical work. His most common line
“I have a dream” is repeated multiple times as he describes a vivid picture of
his “dream.” He then transitions to repeating “let freedom ring,” which is
restated until the very end of his speech.
Malcolm X’s speech, less widely reviewed due to his seeming
radicalism, is obviously more violent. “The ballot or the bullet,” he repeats
throughout the whole speech; “it’ll either be the ballot or the bullet.” His
language is nowhere near as smooth as that of MLK; it has a crude, almost
offensive tone. He begins with a discussion of hatred towards white people,
which he then refines to say is purely based off of their exploitation,
degradation, and oppression. He even alludes to MLK saying, “I don’t see any
American dream, I see an American nightmare.” One key part of his ideology is
that of Black Nationalism. He says that blacks must fight for not only their
civil rights but also their human rights. Violence is permitted when violence
is procured. Throughout his speech he alludes to the American Revolution, “It’ll
be liberty or it’ll be death,” clearly comparing this to a revolutionary moment
in history.
Although the two pieces seem very different, they have many
commonalities—repetition, allusions to our nation’s history, visual language,
and the same goal. The goal of true
equality among men.
