Malcolm’s explanation of the difference between field and house slaves.Īlthough this is patently false (there was no such distinction between slaves at the time), the rhetoric allows Malcolm to explain the difference between his platform and “less aggressive” black movements, such as Martin Luther King Jr.’s rhetoric of nonviolence. Malcolm explains that, at the time of slavery, there were two types of slaves: the house slave and the field slave. In the film, this occurs in a television segment where Malcolm is arguing his platform against another black man who calls him an extremist. Therefore, Plymouth Rock “landing” on them represents this subjection.Īnother key element of Malcolm’s rhetoric that appears in the film is his use of the slave dichotomy. Plymouth Rock landed on us!” This phrase intends to illustrate how white people “conquered” America and took it over of their own accord while, for black people, they were forced to come to America and were subjected to horrors by white people. One moment of the film includes Malcolm’s most famous use of this technique, his declaration that, “we didn’t land on Plymouth Rock.
Some examples of Malcolm’s use of chiasmus include, “You end up hating your friends and loving your enemies,” “People accept wrong as right and reject right as wrong,” and “People actually think that the criminal is the victim and the victim is the criminal.”Īn example of Malcolm’s rhetorical technique. Some of Malcolm’s most famous techniques appear, including his use of chiasmus, the use of words and phrases in reverse order, to underscore the broken reality that is a black person’s life in the United States. Obviously, Malcolm X’s rhetoric features heavily in the film. The film largely depends on Malcolm’s rhetoric to drive the story and appeal to the audience. Lee’s film stars Denzel Washington and features such black leaders as Bobby Seale, Reverend Al Sharpton, and Nelson Mandela.
Arguably Spike Lee’s best work, the film largely takes its inspiration from the book The Autobiography of Malcolm X, a collaboration between Malcolm X and Alex Haley (who completed and published the book after Malcolm’s death in 1963).
In 1992, Spike Lee’s biopic Malcolm X hit the theaters.
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