Civil Rights Movement

"Civil Disobedience."

-Direct views in some portions & some areas he has analysis of why people do what they do. Thoreau does not specify which items in the poll tax he opposes, stating only that he disagrees with the government's policies: It is for no particular item in the tax-bill that I refuse to pay it. I simply wish to refuse allegiance to the State, to withdraw and stand aloof from it effectually. In contrast, Thoreau explicitly conveys his opinions about the government by directly stating that the ideal government would be based on the individual: There will never be a really free and enlightened State until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly. -No authoritative government

In this excerpt from "Letter from Birmingham Jail," King employs irony.The irony in this excerpt comes from the contrast between an amusement park called Funtown and the fact that such a place offers no pleasure to an African American child. This use of irony helps to implicitly convey King's opinions about the enforced separation of white and black citizens.

. . . when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people . . .

When did a lot of movements take place?

Between 1938 - 1957

Identify and analyze the prominent rhetorical features used by each orator in their speeches. Are these persuasive devices effective?

Both orators effectively employ rhetorical devices throughout their speeches. Martin Luther King Jr. uses imagery to convey his thoughts, which is seen in these words: "One hundred years later the Negro lives on a lonely island in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity." In this line, the African American's state is compared to a bereft island, surrounded on all sides by the rich, vibrant ocean, which represents white people. Another rhetorical device that King uses is repetition. He repeats words that he wants to emphasize; for example, he repeats the phrase "100 years" several times at the beginning of his speech. On the other hand, Malcolm X uses metaphors and satire in his speech to reach out to his audience. He compares those who "sit in" to chumps and cowards. He also creates a metaphor that a "second-class citizen" is "nothing but a 20th century slave." Both orators use allusions to motivate the audience. King alludes to the Founding Fathers and Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, while Malcolm X alludes to the freedom attained by people in Africa and Asia, and the means through which they achieved it, that is, nationalism.

Evaluate and compare the central ideas of the speeches. Do Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X have similar or opposing objectives?

Both speeches, "I Have a Dream" and "The Ballot or the Bullet," attempt to motivate Americans to bring about a change in society and win equal rights for African Americans throughout the nation. However, while King wants to help African Americans attain these civil rights through peaceful means, Malcolm X asks his followers to resort to violence, when necessary, to achieve freedom and equality.

What purpose and effect does President Eisenhower's repetition of the phrase "in the eyes of" serve in his address about using military intervention to handle school integration in Little Rock, Arkansas?

His repetition of the phrase "In the eyes of" serves as a reminder to the people of Arkansas that America as a whole witnessed the Little Rock school incident. Americans were watching when nine African American students enrolled in the school were stopped from attending it, and many disapproved of the state's actions. The second time President Eisenhower uses the phrase, he refers to how the United States appeared to the whole world in the light of the incident. This repetition reminded the people of Arkansas and the segregationists everywhere in the United States that the law to ban segregation had been passed and that they were expected to accept and follow the law.

Analysis

I never saw [the march] as something to support a political position or a particular piece of legislation or even a particular issue. I saw it as an opportunity to highlight what we were doing and facing with our direct action all throughout the South, a chance yet again to call the nation's attention to the ugliness and violence and suffering. As a pacifist, Lewis was influenced by Thoreau's views on civil disobedience. A believer in nonviolence, Lewis never advocated any kind of violent action. Instead, he urged "creative disruption" and "aggressive nonviolence" to make a bigger impact on society. Lewis thought the movement should be driven by Thoreau's view of nonviolent civil disobedience, an idea that militant activists such as Malcolm X, another prominent civil rights leader, did not share. Instead, militant civil rights leaders believed that the use of force was justified to protect one's rights and freedoms. We won't stop now. All of the forces of Eastland, Barnett, Wallace, and Thurmond won't stop this revolution. The time will come when we will not confine our marching to Washington. We will march through the South, through the heart of Dixie, the way Sherman did. We shall pursue our own "scorched earth" policy and burn Jim Crow to the ground—nonviolently. By referring to William Sherman, a general for the North during the US Civil War, and using warlike language, Lewis implicitly conveyed a message that serious action was needed. He directed this course of action not only to the attendees of the march, but to the president and the entire country.

"Letter from Birmingham Jail." Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored.

King is implicitly stating his opinion, explaining to the readers of his letter that the treatment of African American citizens must change. He does not begin his statement by using phrases such as "I believe" or "In my opinion" or any other indicator that he is giving an opinion, so readers must consider the context to understand King's opinion.

What is the effect and purpose of the man using prayer as he engages in a debate with the police officer? Consider the man's audience as well as the presence of cameras and journalists.

The man uses prayer to show the cameras and journalists present how African Americans at the time were oppressed by white Americans. By praying instead of reacting with anger, the man's actions elevate the moral purpose of the civil rights movement and show that the police are acting as oppressors, thereby, preventing the policemen from using physical force. The man hopes to evoke sympathy and a reaction from the audience so that more people join the fight for civil rights. He achieves what he is attempting to do as he is arrested and the officers are made to look despotic. The use of prayer highlights the strategy of the SCLC to use nonviolence, reason, and morality in their struggle.

Analyze the differences and the effectiveness of the speeches that you heard by Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X compared to Maya Angelou's poem. How do the mediums influence the delivery and effectiveness of the meaning in the poem as opposed to the speeches?

The two speeches have the advantage of emotion that is conveyed through the orators' voices. The orators, King and Malcolm X, can stress their words by changing the tone, pitch, or volume of their voice. They can also pause at opportune moments to let their audiences reflect on what they say. Experienced only as text, the poem, on the other hand, lacks this presentation element. However, in her poem, Angelou has the ability to use ambiguity and figurative language to draw the reader in to question the meaning. Orators have a difficult time using ambiguity because speakers need to make direct and persuasive statements. Also, this ambiguity and figurative language allows the poem to be timeless and could apply to circumstances in different places and times. Comparatively, the two speeches discuss only the civil rights events of the 1960s.

King vs Randall

Through nonviolent resistance the Negro will be able to rise to the noble height of opposing the unjust system while loving the perpetrators of the system... By grasping his great opportunity in the South he can make a lasting contribution to the moral strength of the nation and set a sublime example of courage for generations yet unborn. Consider King's words as you read these lines from the poem "Ballad of Birmingham" by Dudley Randall: But, mother, I won't be alone. Other children will go with me, and march the streets of Birmingham to make our country free. In his essay, King discusses nonviolent activism as the key to achieving equality. Randall's poem elaborates on one form of nonviolent protests that King suggests.