Vincent Lewis

Professor Reynolds
English Com 1101-101
4-20-2015
Message to Grassroots
On November 10, 1963 Malcolm X presented a speech called
Message to Grassroots. In this speech he made key points that
made the audience better understand what he was going to discuss.
His main topics were the common enemy between societies, the
revolution between Blacks and Negro. He stated for his thesis
that Once you face this as a fact, then you can start plotting a
course that will make you appear intelligent, instead of
unintelligent. So with that being said I feel that his topics
helped strengthen his speech were people could understand how
feel about certain topics.
As Malcolm X starts his speech he starts with the topic of
common enemy between African Americans who dealt with the racism
on the daily bases. He points out that everyone gets judge by
just being black rather than what they do or are in society. With
Malcolm X talking about how that you still get judge no matter if
you religious or if political. He says that

What you and I

need to do is learn to forget our differences. When we come

together, we don't come together as Baptists or Methodists. You
don't catch hell because you're a Baptist, and you don't catch

hell because you're a Methodist. You don't catch hell 'cause

you're a Methodist or Baptist. You don't catch hell because
you're a Democrat or a Republican. You don't catch hell because
you're a Mason or an Elk, and you sure don't catch hell because
you're an American; because if you were an American, you wouldn't
catch hell. You catch hell because you're a Black man. You catch
hell, all of us catch hell, for the same reason. With saying this
Malcolm x quickly relates to crowd making the crowd understand
how he feels with racism. This helped make the speech strong by
stating these issues. Malcolm X makes that part of the speech
clear were it made the crowd connect to him more just for saying
that.
Now when he continues the speech with the topic of revolution
and how people use the word all freely and where they dont get
the power behind what revolution really is. This part I also feel
that helped his case on how the revolution of black people has
come about during slavery to now where black people have a
history of a bad life in America were its still being carried
pass into life today were Malcolm X speaks on how it plays a
major role in America.
In the middle of his speech he talked about how the revolution
of Negro and Black and how it was used to freely. With him
stating this I think that I brought his speech to a standstill. I
felt that this part of his speech wasnt really needed. But in

another case I see where this part of his speech can be important
where he talks about how people in other countries handle issues
was all similar. By contrast, Malcolm X said, advocates of the
Negro revolution in the United States think they can have a
nonviolent revolution. Malcolm X speaks on peaceful revolution
and this gives his point on revolution is clear for the audience
to understand.
Throughout his whole speech Malcolm is very calm and
passionate. His tone is very calm and relax towards his crowd.
Malcolm X ethos was that If violence is wrong in America,
violence is wrong abroad. If it`s wrong to be violent defending
black women and black children and black babies and black men,
then it`s wrong for America to draft us and make us violent
abroad in defense of her. Malcolm X logos is, Revolution is
based on land. Land is the basis of freedom, justice, and
equality.