The civil rights movement did not come without struggle. There were numerous Black leaders that stood up for what they believed had been their rights and had gone to many lengths in order for these rights to be obtained. Two of the major Black activists during the 1960s were Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Each of them gave many speeches with the same intention of immediate action taken toward achieving the equality of all peoples, however each of them did have their own unique ways of getting this accomplished within to their particular audiences. In, I Have a Dream King directs his argument more towards the black population of the world, but also indirectly makes the whites aware of the need for equality which Blacks are demanding, and the unity and strength that the black community possesses in the fight for their freedom. On the other hand, Xs speech, The Black Revolution, was written for a liberal white audience in order to show the whites that violence is soon to come if immediate action is not taken upon in order for drastic changes in the fight for equality. King and X differed in their tactics upon which they will attain this equality but their searches for a common goal both prevailed in the weakening of the whites as well as the strengthening of the Blacks. Because X and King shared different views about whether bloodshed may be necessary for a revolution or that peaceful protest is the correct way to win this war, respectively, they both used their own distinctive rhetorical strategies to capture their audiences. X uses the rhetorical strategy of fear and hatred in his tone whereas King uses peaceful reasoning and justification to the cause that he is fighting for.

            King and X both appeal to pathos to persuade their audience to agree to their emotions and what is rightfully theirs, in this case the justice that is not being provided for them, and the brutality that they endure. King states We will never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality (533) just as X states the police were putting water hoses on our people there and also throwing tear gas at themand they met a hail of stones, a hail of rocks, a hail of bricks (542) both directly causing much commotion in the audiences hearts through the imagery of innocent Black teenagers, being mocked and beaten by white adults, children and even police officers. One can not sit and listen to these words where the innocent are being harmed by those that are hired to serve and protect. Their characterizations of injustice appeal to the need for the current justice system to change only encourage the audience to side with their reasoning and fight for the equality which they deserve. The way they portray images into the mind, especially in the case of police beatings, brings urgency to the matter calling for immediate changes for the benefit of all peoples.

            While X and King both use an appeal to pathos, they also both use repetition but in contrast King uses it to continuously state that there is a life to live with equality, while X reiterates their power in numbers as well as the need for violence if change does not occur. King states we can never be satisfied (533) four times in a single paragraph referring to the time until the poor treatment such as living conditions in the ghetto, and the inability to vote are abolished. King also uses repetition when he states I have a dream (534), regarding his American dream where everyone would be treated equally based on simply character. X uses repetition when referring historically how revolutions have been won, by restating Revolutions are (542) eleven times, he shows the necessity of bloodshed, violence, aggression and immediate acceptance into society. Kings mainly Black audience is constantly hearing the repeated need for equal civil rights which by looking at historical motions, such as the fourteenth through sixteenth amendments, should have been achieved back in the 1860s but to this day, divisions are clearly defined. By X repeatedly stating his need for violence directed towards his liberal white audience, the audience gains a sense of fear and makes equality more of a priority on their list in order to keep from harm to come if the threats are fulfilled. Through the repetition used in both speeches, King and X use the repeating of words in order to set up a checklist of items to explain revolutions and goals necessary in order to gain the rights they wish to receive.

Another technique both speeches employ is an appeal to the audiences logos, King and X varying once again in their actual approach to their listeners individuality. Kings Black audience sees that these rights they are fighting for are in fact theirs to have been claimed many years ago and by incorporating historical information with reasoning to receiving their rightful claim of rights Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice (532) appeals to the Black audiences logic because if the intentions of the Emancipation Proclamation were to give Blacks equal rights from the moment the bill was signed, then there should be no problem in actually gaining those rights when they are seeking the equality without any force done upon innocent people of any race. Rather than reasoning at obtaining rights, X uses an appeal to his direct liberal white audience and his inscribed black audience by giving reasoning to the violence that he intends to use if no changes are made in the near future. X, like King does bring historical background with his appeal to logos for a more warranted argument If George Washington didnt get independence for this country nonviolently, and if Patrick Henry didnt come up with a nonviolent statement, and you taught me to look upon them as patriots and heroes, then its time for you to realize that I have studied your books well(542) which gives logical reason to both whites and blacks because the liberals would see that fighting has solved many historical problems and may be the outcome if equality is not achieved, and blacks would realize that fighting can be an answer that would solve the inequality in the society which they live. Even though George Washington and Patrick Henry killed numerous people to gain the freedom of their country which in their time was revered as a ludicrous act against British Parliament, they were still viewed as heroes and patriots, just as X plans on being a hero for the Blacks against a system that has been well-regarded for hundred of years. King and X both utilize their audiences appeal to logos by using historical evidence to further gain supporters by showing what is logically right and theirs to obtain.  

One major difference between King and X would be their objective plans at obtaining their goals. X goes to the extreme and uses such words like powder keg (540), racial sparks, flaming fire abroad, fuse and ignite which all imply extreme hate, and aggression. By this it is believed that X is enticing violence in the war on equality. Although he doesnt directly state the fact that he would like to see violence, he has put forth many clues hinting at the need for bloodshed. On the other hand, King stays very clear from violence as an action to resolve the problem even saying we must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence (533). On the other hand X has no problem with violence I dont mean any nonviolent fight, or turn-the-other-cheek fight. Those days are gone. Those days are over (542). The differences in the extremes to which King and X are willing to go are equally strong in their own moral or ethical ways. King has an audience where the majority is black and therefore reaches towards them in a way that they would like to have the war fought, without death and equal rights to be obtained. Though equality is a very important issue to everyone in the population, death may be feared more than equality especially when it should have been given to them already, and is stated in the constitution, declaration of independence, the emancipation proclamation and other bills that attempted to end the inequality. They shouldnt need to fight and die for something that is already theirs. Xs audience is composed of mostly white liberals and therefore he is threatening violence with 22 million blacks around the world, and all other non-white races that would be willing to fight if change does not occur in the immediate future. While scaring the whites and threatening them to make these changes, it does also in effect cause the black community to get rallied up for this change by showing the power in numbers, to obtain what is rightfully theirs, and to gain the equality once and for all. Their approaches differ greatly because of the environment that they have been placed in regarding the audience and also their ideas of obtaining their goal, which they both eventually just want to see an America where everyone is treated equally.

            Another rhetorical approach where King and X use the same technique in getting their points across is their use of metaphors and symbolism within their speeches in order for the audience through the analogies to see a bigger picture and gain more of an understanding of the matters at hand through parallels where people can see a simple task at hand that relates to the larger picture, such as money equaling equality and powder kegs representing a social uprising. King talks about instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check; a check which has come back marked insufficient funds (532) just as justice was not distributed equally among Americans. The Black audience King is addressing sees this as their right to monetary funds from hours of work, but the bank is refusing to cash their check simply because of their bodily appearance. The justice system attempted to give everyone equal rights but the Blacks simply fell short of the cut causing the inequality in society. X uses Americas racial powder keg, in short, can actually fuse or ignite a worldwide powder keg (540), showing that just as a powder keg, once lighted will spread quickly, and a powder keg being very dangerous and explosive can ignite or spread the fight to the far reaches of the rest of the world causing a world power to come down and cause much harm against these whites that are preventing the blacks from gaining their civil rights. Instead of just stating that if changes are not acted upon, there will be a fight, X uses the powder keg because of the images that one gains in mind from the powder keg, where a huge explosion, wiping out many people, bloody and violent, causes the white audience to see the impact of the situation and what can be expected to come if civil rights arent given. Xs black audience sees the chance for a fight along with their advantage if a revolution were to occur and a need to stand up for their rights causing their feelings to be directed towards achieving civil rights by any means possible. King and Xs approach by using metaphors and analogies at gaining more enthusiastic followers and reactors to their cause was triumphant by their own definitions because they were able to reach their specific audiences by using checks and powder kegs to incite emotions varying from desire to panic that would eventually lead to a fair treatment of blacks.  

            By knowing Kings Black audience and Xs predominantly White audience, one is able to analyze the words used by each author and see reasoning behind their expressions. King and X are able to use an appeal to pathos to gain the emotions of their black audiences by using the innocent and sending pity into crowd. Their use of repetition allows for the simple interpretation of key facts that each speaker wants to place emphasis upon. An appeal to logos was used by King and X in their own particular context by presenting historical facts which has unbiased information to relate to their cause and make their course of action more justified. King and X have the same exact objective, to gain equal rights for all peoples, and though they have extreme differences in going along to achieve their goal, they would be happy if either of them were to win equality for everyone else. The last strategy at persuading an audience is the use of symbolism in order to simplify reasoning behind the actions which they hope to partake in, in order to achieve fairness. By King and X using their audiences, they both use similar strategies at convincing different people toward achieving the same goal.