John Lewis Speech Questions
1. How does John Lewis open up his speech? How is it different from Martin Luther King’s
speech? Cite evidence.
2. What does Lewis say the bill will not protect African-Americans from?
3. What are two main claims that Lewis makes that African-Americans lack in terms of
politics?
4. In his speech, what two main things is Lewis seeking? Cite evidence.
5. How does Lewis’ speech differ from King’s? How is it similar? Cite evidence.
“What Does is Mississippi Have to Do with Harlem” by Malcolm X
1. How does Malcolm X open his speech? What is the tone? Cite evidence.
2. In the third paragraph, what literary device is his reference to language? What is
the effect of his comparison?
3. In his fourth paragraph, Malcom X uses both metaphor and parallelism to get his
message across. What is the metaphor and what does it imply? What is the effect of
parallelism in this section?
4. What is his answer to the question: “What does Mississippi have to do with
Harlem?”
5. What is his answer to getting freedom?
6. What does Malcolm X believe is the way to freedom in comparison to MLK Jr.? Cite
evidence.