Cesar Chavez Rhetorical Analysis

Cesar Chavez, a prominent labor union organizer and civil rights leader, passionately persuades the laboring class in his article published in a religious magazine that nonviolence is the best course of action. Printed on the tenth anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s death, Chavez proposes that acting nonviolently to get better working conditions, better treatment, better pay, better rights, and higher respect is more effective than acting in a violent manner. Chavez integrates personification by expressing how the laboring class’s struggles has “grown and matured.” By humanizing an idea such as “struggle”, Chavez aids the reader into feeling a sense of connection to the struggle even though they are not directly involved in it.

Readers then begin to feel sympathy for these laborers who value a person’s life and do not intend to harm others to gain rights. Consequently, this guides the audience to support the workers and help them improve their conditions. Furthermore, Chavez incorporates an anaphora into his writing by repeating “we” in paragraph five. The repetition conveys a sense of emphasis about how the laborers act in nonviolent ways. By identifying the laboring class as peaceful, the writer gains the assistance of the readers. This further encourages the laborers that being nonviolent works and thus fuels their revolution. Continuing on, Chavez reminds the readers that the laborers experience “feelings of frustration” during their struggle for better rights. Drawing the attention of the readers to the line, the aliteration emphasizes the laborer’s feelings. Readers now gain insight on how the laborers feel and wish to support them. This enables the laborer to keep searching for better conditions. Moreover, the way “Gandhi taught the boycott” is “most nearly perfect” in Chavez’s eyes. Including a renowned figure like Gandhi highlights the strength of nonviolent actions and demonstrates to the audience that peaceful