Section of the Speech
So it’s the ballot or the bullet. Today our people can see that we’re faced with a government conspiracy. This government has failed us. The senators who are filibustering concerning your and my rights, that’s the government. Don’t say it’s Southern senators. This is the go- vernment; this is a government filibuster. It’s not a segregationist filibuster. It’s a govern- ment filibuster. Any kind of activity that takes place on the floor of the Congress or the Sena- te, it’s the government. Any kind of dilly-dallying, that’s the government. Any kind of pussy- footing, that’s the government. Any kind of act that’s designed to delay or deprive you and me right now of getting full rights, that’s the government that’s responsible.
Who is speaking?
Malcolm X
Why was/is the speech important to society?
Because he is fighting for racial, economic, and social justice. Does not want religion to stand in the way of justice.
Why do you feel in is important or interesting?
It was different from what other speakers were talking about then. Malcolm X emphasizes religion a lot.
What is the emotion, mood, tone, personality, feeling of the speech?
Malcolm X has an angry and critical tone. Outraged outlook and also a negative tone.
What is intonation, emphasis, what is loud, stressed, or soft. Where are there pauses...
The section of the speech I chose, he emphasizes the word government throughout the whole 45 seconds to a minute. He has some pauses like at the beginning when saying “So its the... Ballot or the Bullet. Most of his speech though is loud and stressed.
What do you FEEL should be loud or soft, long pause or rushed?
The section of Malcolm Xs speech I chose to do, I feel the loud parts of the speech are appropriate. He really yells the word government everytime he says it.
Is there a call to action? When listening to it what are key/emphasized words?
The emphasized words are ballot or the bullet because of the pause he takes before that. Again, the word government is very emphasized.
How does it make you feel?
It kind of an emotional speech. He talks through it very well and gets you to feel how he feels, mad.
How do imagine that the audience felt?
I feel that most of the audience was mad with him and agreed with everything he had to say.
Could there be another interpretation of the speech?
Write/find a short bio, of the person giving the speech.
Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. His mother, Louise Norton Little, was a homemaker occupied with the family’s eight children. His father, Earl Little, was an outspoken Baptist minister and avid supporter of Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. Earl’s civil rights activism prompted death threats from the white supremacist organization Black Legion, forcing the family to relocate twice before Malcolm’s fourth birthday.