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Matt Gonzales
Professor Collins
ENGL 1302
17 February 2016
Patho-Logical: Malcolm X
Malcolm X was a polarizing figure of the Civil Rights movement in the twentieth
century. Using his trademark charisma and unorthodox style, on November 10, 1963, he gave a
public speech to a coalition of civil rights leaders in Detroit, Michigan. Pathos, logos and
fallacies are central components of Malcolm Xs speech as he addresses the Northern Negro
Grassroots Leadership Conference. With passionate appeals, he stresses the need for unity and
civil disobedience in order to bring equal rights to all African Americans.
Malcolm X speeches go against the rules when it comes to pathos because reading or
listening will raise ones aggression, anger, and resentment. He further blends ethos with pathos
while making distinctions between the black man and the white man. The main thesis of his
message is immediately stated as he tells the crowd of black leadership that they are Americas
problem and they are not wanted. He also states, You catch hell cause youre a black man. You
catch hell, all of us catch hell for the same reason to emphasize the racial and privilege divide
between the two races (X par. 1-2). This statement resonates with the crowd because the average
black man was experiencing blatant discrimination during the Civil Rights movement, on top of
violent crimes and police brutality. The black and white line in 1963 was very distinct and he
focuses on the line to illustrate the lack of progress for integration. This type of rhetoric builds on
his speech by first educating the audience before appealing for action.

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In his call for unity, Malcolm X gives an example by telling the audience about a
conference in Badung. He magnifies his pathos by blatantly simplifying the common issue. So
they got together under this basis - that they had one common enemy(X par. 7). He was
directing the crowd to first unify, then fuses anger and resentment with his simple point that the
white man is the enemy. As his speech begins to build, he feeds a myriad of negative emotions,
such as hate, rage, and resentment, to keep the audience focused.
Malcolm X paints a vivid picture for civil disobedience using sarcasm and shame about
violence in mid twentieth century that was prevalent, especially in the south where black people
were rallying for equality and opportunity. While he does not make a direct call for his audience
to become violent, he uses logic and emotional anecdotes to incite the audience to violent
considerations. He states, If its wrong to be violent defending black women and black children
and black babies and black men, then its wrong for America to draft us and make us violent
abroad in defense of her (X par. 13). At the time, black people were following both white and
black civil rights leaders instructions to protest peacefully and not react to violence with
violence. He makes fun of his audience by making broad generalizations between the white
mans violent behavior and the black mans lack of response. A clear distinction can be drawn
between Malcolm Xs method and Martin Luther Kings, another high profile civil rights leader,
who advocates for non-violent protests. His point is made knowing that the audience is aware of
deadly attacks carried out by white opposition due to attempts for integration. This bridges
reason with anger, which is exactly what he wants his listeners to feel.
Being a well educated man, Malcolm X again manipulates the emotions of the listening
crowd by using the method of divide and conquer as he reminds them of how slaveowners

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treated slaves. Malcolm X had converted to Islam and often made references to Islam during
speeches and interviews. In his eyes, Christianity was not the religion of black people nor their
forefathers. By characterizing western religion as another tool of white oppression, he blends
pathos with logical fallacies which touches emotions on a spiritual level. He also speaks of a
double standard between white christians and black christians, specifically when it comes to
violence. After stacking the deck against Christianity, Islam is marketed as the better way for
black people. In paragraph twenty seven, he states Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law,
respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery. Thats a good
religion (X). He galvanizes his religion to an already excited audience and makes a highly
emotional appeal. Since Malcolm X was a distinctive high profile leader, this sort of rhetoric is
similar to an officers pep talk before war. He knows that these men are looking at him as a
leader and makes a subtle, yet controversial statement, to incite aggression. By connecting Islam
with the ability to use retaliative responses to physical violence, he subconsciously fuses Islam
with equality which plants a spiritual seed in his captive audience.
Malcolm X consistently strips away distractions and keeps a listening crowd focused on
logic and passion as he elevates his call for reason by elaborating on the failed methods of other
black civil rights leaders. Malcolm calls them out by name, details their faults, even uses
comedic nuances to drive his point into the listeners memory. He also panders to pride as he
states, Its just like when youve got coffee thats too black, which means its too strong. What
do you do? You integrate it with cream; you make it weak (X par. 38). His audience laughs, but
he knows that he has just appealed to pride and self-respect by elaborating on the will and
strength of black people. The momentum keeps going as he declares in paragraph thirty eight

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that he can prove everything he says. He further calls out notable names and asks his listeners to
bring them to him to prove they will not contradict his statements. This also appeals to
skepticism with ethos (X).
In his Message to the Grassroots, Malcolm X gave his audience no new information.
Instead, he simply used his panache to take them on a journey to past and current failed events.
His method was ironic because, at a time when the civil rights movement was pushing for
integration, he was first drawing a dividing line to try to help black people redefine themselves.
Utilizing pathos, logos and fallacies, Malcolm Xs message was successful in persuading black
men and black leaders to promote self-respect and unity to bring about change and progress.

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Works Cited
X, Malcolm Message to Grassroots. TeachingAmericanHistory. TeachingAmericanHistory.
10 Nov. 1963. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.