A Rhetorical Analysis Of Nonviolence, By Cesar Chavez

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Dr. Martin Luther King was a well known civil rights activist who worked during the 1960’s. This decade was perhaps the pinnacle of the civil rights movement in USA. King dedicated his life to see improved conditions for colored people in USA. He was assassinated during one of his speeches. His dedication in bringing equality has lead to him becoming a martyr. On the tenth anniversary of King’s assassination, a labor union organizer and civil rights leader, Cesar Chavez published an article in a magazine, further preaching nonviolence. Cesar Chavez tries to tell the people that nonviolence is the key to beneficial and effective change. He mentions that King’s actions were an example of the strength that nonviolence holds. He strengthens his …show more content…

The author uses the words “power” and “non-violence” to depict that nonviolence is powerful. The author mentions “Dr. King” as an example of the “power” of “non-violence”. These words force the audience to acknowledge nonviolence to be a powerful force. The author later states that “ men and women who are truly concerned about people are nonviolent by nature”. This is a statement that forces the audience to take the side of nonviolence because according to this statement, people who don’t, are selfish and detrimental. The use of the words “truly concerned” places a limitation on people, almost in a criticizing manner. The author ties the words “Freedom” and “perfect” to nonviolence, while he ties the words “vicious” and “oppression”. These comparisons portray violent revolt in a negative light and encase nonviolence in a positive light. Chavez utilizes the tool of diction to weave the audience into a trap which forces them to agree with him. To establish some neutrality in the tone of his article , Chavez writes, “we are not blind to the feelings of frustration, impatience and anger”. These words establish that the author is not ignoring the natural human feelings, he is just moving past them to be more efficient. In this segment, the author used diction to establish the tone. Towards the end, the author ties the words “fail” and “kill” with violence in

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