From Malcolm X's "The Ballot or Bullet"
So I studied this man, Billy Graham, he preaches white
nationalism, that's what he preaches. I say that's what he preaches. The whole
church structure in this country is white nationalism. You go inside a white
church that's what they preaching is white nationalism. They got Jesus white,
Mary white, God white, everybody white - that's white nationalism. So what he
does the way he circumvents the jealousy and envy that he ordinarily would
incur among the heads of the church, wherever he go into an area where the
church already is you going into trouble, 'cause they got that thing what you
call it - syndicated, they got a syndicate - just like the rest of the
Racketeers have. I'm going to say what's on my mind 'cause the churches are,
the preachers already proved to you that they got a syndicate.
And when you're out in the rackets, whenever you're getting
in another man's territory, you know, they gang up on you. And that's the same
way with you ran into the same thing. So
how Billy Graham gets around that, instead of going into somebody else's
territory, like he going to start up a new church, he doesn't try to start a
church. He just goes on preaching Christ. And he says everybody who believes in
Him, wherever you go wherever you find him. So this helps all the churches and
since it helps all the churches they don't mind fight him.
My Thanksgiving, Paralleled
So my family likes this beer company, Yuengling Lager, they
make good alcohol, that's what they make. I say that's what they make. The
drinking scene on Thanksgiving involves the whole family. You go into my house
that's what they drinking is just about anything. They got beer, vodka,
tequila, every alcohol out there - that's good alcohol. So what they do the way
they circumvent the underage drinking and alcoholism that is normally present
among the members of my family, wherever they go into an area where the family
is they going to make a profit, 'cause they want that thing what you call it - alcohol,
they want alcohol - just like the rest of the families have. I'm going to drink
what I want to drink because my family is, my family already proved to me that
they got alcohol.
And when I'm out among my family, whenever they pull out
another man's keg, I know, they are going to share that keg. And that's the
same way with me pulling out my own. So how Yuengling Lager gets around that,
instead of not being used during my family's holiday, like they going to make a
new alcohol, he doesn't try to make alcohol. They just go on making beer. And
they say everybody who drinks it, wherever you go wherever you find it. So this
helps all the people in my family and since it helps my family we don't let it
go.
This is so good! You followed the structure of the paragraph you mimicked perfectly!
ReplyDeleteI think it was difficult to choose a fitting paragraph from Malcolm X's speech since it was so lengthy, but you did a really nice job! I find the tone very relaxed, and humorous in a sense, without sounding too much like the original. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteBrian, I love the humor of this post, and I would love to know your family's reaction to your perception of the holidays! The best part of this is, as Kai said, the relaxed, playful tone and your very careful attention to the punctuation and sentence structure. What works less well is that, in adapting Malcolm X's sentences, you slipped into his grammar at some points--"that's what they drinking," "like they going to make"--which makes sense for Malcolm X but not so much sense for you. Stick with your voice, but his sentence structure. (It's tricky!)
ReplyDelete