Rhetorical Analysis of MLK and Malcolm X

 

 

(Keeping with our goal to develop academic mindfulness in this class, I encourage you to use a brief mindful breathing practice before you get started with this activity)

Instructions

In this discussion thread you will post a few different comments articulating a rhetorical analysis of both MLK’s “I Have a Dream” and Malcolm X’s “The Ballot or The Bullet.” You can watch/listen to both of the speeches below. Then, make 2-3 posts and be sure to reference specific details from the speeches in your posts. Make sure some or all of your posts are responses to peers.

To do this, first watch the two speeches. Then consider the following questions: When did you find them most/least persuasive? Why? How would you describe their rhetoric (be specific)? What kinds of evidence did they use? What emotions did you experience at different points of the speeches? Why?

 

Will you get feedback on this assignment?

Yes! Your peers will respond to some of your ideas but you will also receive rubric feedback from me. You can see the rubric by selecting the three dots at the top of the assignment for the rubric criteria. Expect feedback on the rubric within 7 days after this assignment is due. An easy place to see your grades and my feedback on rubrics or on assignments in general is to open the grades section from the course navigation to the left.

 

Why are you doing this?

This activity will give you an opportunity to practice some of the course learning outcomes that we will continue to practice throughout the course.

Writing

• Write extended expository text-based compositions on readings and class discussion.
• Formulate an arguable thesis and substantiate it through analysis, logical and systematic organization, supporting evidence, and clarity of expression.
• Use diction and tone appropriate to the academic community and the purpose of the specific writing task.
• Proofread for errors in language and mechanics to the degree that the nature and frequency of errors do not become distracting.
• Use techniques of research, especially textual citations and MLA documentation.

 

Reading

• Analyze college-level expository, narrative, and argumentative non-fiction prose written on a level of difficulty equivalent to the public letters of Martin Luther King, Jr. (“Letter from the Birmingham Jail”), the social commentary of Joan Didion (“Slouching Towards Bethlehem”), the essays of Richard Rodriguez (“Toward an American Language”).
• Comprehend and evaluate the author’s line of reasoning, the overall main point, and the kind of evidence or development presented.
• Identify the author’s intended audience and rhetorical purpose for addressing that audience.
• Draw comparisons to other works.
• Draw reasoned inferences based on careful reading of a text.
• Recognize differences in value systems based on culture in a given text.