In our second discussion, WP2, this was one of the first times that I had compared two different texts showing the contrast between King and Malcolm's "The Ballot or the Bullet." I was showing the contrast between two different individuals and their own ideals. Being contemporaries, they were both revealing how each were viewing the lives of blacks and their communities. Analyzing the text of "The Ballot or the Bullet" was something that I saw was able to coincide with what Coates had to say about living in a black body in America. Reading both what King and Malcolm had to say helped me understand the differences of their audience and interpret what each had to say.

Source - Writing Practice #2 (WP2): Malcolm X, "The Ballot or the Bullet" and King 

1. When Malcolm X says he does not consider himself an American, what he means is that he does not identify with Democrats or Republicans in America but, "one of the 22 million black victims of Americanism" (Malcolm, 7). He does not consider himself to be an American because blacks up to that point were still being oppressed and discriminated against by a majority and there was no change in terms of equality that was being promised when officials were being elected into office, like Congress, or even in local communities.

2. The criminal segregationist is the same as the white moderate because of the fact that both are willing, voluntarily or involuntarily, to keep segregation alive but each in a distinct way. Though the white moderate is "more devoted to 'order'" they are still perpetuating segregation practices, but through a more passive approach to the matter by preferring " a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice" (King, 3). The white moderate is simply trying to not address the situation directly, but rather deflecting and pushing it aside disagreeing with actions taken to help blacks in the communities during the 1960s. This is the same as the criminal segregationist that Malcolm X speaks about in "The Ballot or the Bullet" speech, as members of Congress depend on the blacks being a determining factor during election time he says, "...put them first and they put you last" (Malcolm, 7). The party that blacks back takes them for granted and are "in the hands of a government of segregationists" (Malcolm, 8) that only hand out empty promises, not dealing with the civil rights issues that are present at that time.

3. Each text suggests different problems and expectations of each distinct audience. In the case for King, in his letter to the clergymen he was expecting for them to be more understanding of the situation that he was protesting for and they did not exactly know how to deal with it, labeling what King was doing as extreme and "a force of complacency made up of Negroes" had been drained of ones self-respect that "they have adjusted to segregation" (King, 4). As for the speech from Malcolm X, he was less focused on trying to have the "white moderate" be understanding of the situation that the blacks were in and emphasized that they should take control, empowering them to take action themselves instead of waiting for the party they supported to not follow through on "the promise that it made to you during election-time" (Malcolm, 8). Continuing to follow and support that certain party would make those people "not only a chump but you're a traitor to your race" (Malcolm, 8) and Malcolm makes fun of blacks who are slightly more privileged than others or who think know better, putting them to shame for their pride and condescending  demeanor. These two distinct audiences has helped to revise my perception of each text to see how both King and Malcolm approach their audience in terms of their diction and how they relate to each specific audience.

4. King's ethos in his letter to the clergymen is one of professionalism, being respectful to his "Christian and Jewish brothers" (King, 3) while also putting emphasis on the views that they share, mentioning religious figures that are known by both him and his audience. To further close the gap between him and the clergymen, King says that human progress is from "tireless efforts and persistent work of men willing to be coworkers with God" (King, 4). As for Malcolm, he has a very different approach with his ethos and addressing his audience. He seems to be a little more radical than King is and is very explicit in the way that he details blacks being oppressed by the "government of segregationists" (Malcolm, 8). Malcolm goes into detail about the slums and ghettos, relating to those at his speech because "we're trapped, trapped, double-trapped, triple-trapped" (Malcolm, 3). With his description of these neighborhoods he lets the audience know that he has seen them and knows what is wrong, one of the reasons being that when they spend their money they lose because it is given to "a man who doesn't even live in the community" (Malcolm, 3). Each author's self-presentation accomplishes a sense of trust and familiarity with each audience that they are speaking to, establishing relatability through experiences and being able to be a part of the audience rather than just addressing the audience.

5. The purpose of "The Ballot or the Bullet" is to empower the audience and take action for themselves, rather than having a "sit-down philosophy" (Malcolm, 5) that will lead to "old sit-down thought" (Malcolm, 5) and being in "some kind of sit-down action" (Malcolm, 5). The purpose is at odds with King's purpose in "The Letter From Birmingham Jail" though it may not be as empowering to his audience, calling his fellow clergymen "Christian and Jewish brothers" (King, 3) as opposed to Malcolm being more explicit and saying that George Washington "made a chump out of you" meaning his audience (Malcolm, 6). Malcolm addresses the poverty and government that has kept blacks from progressing in America and wants people to do more than sit and wait for something that never comes.