First lets talk about repetition. Martin Luther King Jr. repeats the phrase "I have a dream" near the end of his speech over and over again. Now to some this may seem ridiculous. why would he repeat the same thing over and over? Well think about what he accompany's it with each phrase. He is saying different things that build his message of hope. He has dreamed of a day when his children can play with other children and race would hold no bearing. He dreamed of a day where states like Alabama would treat people equally. Putting all of these phrases together and uniting them with a common phrase makes the delivery of his message that much more powerful. Repetition is an effective tool when it comes to giving speeches.
Lets look at something Malcolm X does in his speech. There is something called Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. It basically describes what human beings need to survive. For example at the base you have the most basic needs like food and sleeping. Then next up is the need to feel safe, followed by the need to belong, then self esteem, and finally at the top is becoming everything you can be as a human being. Now I say this because if you are able to incorporate these needs into your speech, the speech can be made more effective. Malcolm was able to hit on the saftey needs in his speech. His method of delivery was one which hit on the safety needs. He was able to take the sense of not feeling safe and turning it into a means of motivation. His speech is one geared to helping people realize that they are fighting the same enemy. Look at this line for example.
"Whether you are -- Whether you are a Christian, or a Muslim, or a Nationalist, we all have the same problem. They don’t hang you because you’re a Baptist; they hang you 'cause you’re black. They don’t attack me because I’m a Muslim; they attack me 'cause I’m black. They attack all of us for the same reason; all of us catch hell from the same enemy."
You see the phrases "attack" and "hang" bring to attention all of the violence that some people had to deal with. This hits on the hierarchy needs of safety. People are getting killed and the feeling of safety for some is nonexistent. Along with this he also uses some repetition. This is also a very effective technique.
I only touched on a few methods that can make a speech powerful. When it comes down to deciding whose was better it is very difficult. They both use very similar methods like repetition and using Maslows needs. This one in my opinion can be a coin flop. Read their speeches and tell me who you think wins.
I think that Malcom X wins because he uses more fundamental techniques. MLK was obviously a very influential and educated man, however, appealing directly to the things that people need is more concrete. Just like after large economic crises people flock to churches, MLK's speech would be more effective after the crisis than during it. Malcom X was a strong speaker with an angry agenda, and that's the kind of action that was needed at the time for such a serious problem.
ReplyDeleteThey were both motivational and influential which stirred up the revolution of equality. MLK had the charisma to keep people going and Malcolm X gave them something to fight for and gain a freedom they deserved and needed.
ReplyDeleteAs a rhetorician, I try to place texts in context of their social time and their intended audience. While King and X might have been writing at the same time, they wrote for very, very different audiences. Ultimately, I would label King as more effective, but only because his message reached many more people. Although, I would admit that it is impossible to measure the extent to which X motivated a generation of young African Americans to speak out against injustice.
ReplyDeleteWell we like to pick difficult problems and questions don't we? King and X have opposite ethos as well. King approaches human emotion from a positive angle, that of hope and potential peaceful resolution to a growing problem. Malcolm X grabs hold of the survivalist instinct, almost an "us against them" mentality, and activates emotions of fear and anger. So they preached to completely different audiences, as well as different orientations of the human brain and emotions.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think they both win. Both men set out, against all odds, and make an impact against racism. They risked their lives to empower the country. I personally favor martin Luther King's methods, but I respect them both. They both contributed greatly against racial oppression.
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