Cesar Chavez Speech Analysis

Cesar Chavez, a civil rights activist, published an article in a religious magazine devoted to helping those in need. The date this was published was particularly significant in that it had been the tenth anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This occasion allowed Chavez to tie in the work of nonviolence to his own cause. Cesar Chavez convinces the audience to proceed in a nonviolent manner toward their goals by utilizing juxtaposition to contrast the consequences of violence and pacifism, allusions to appeal to the moral aspects of humanity, and a diction that relates positive output to nonviolence. Chavez uses juxtaposition in his text compare the beneficial nature of nonviolence to the detrimental effects of violence. He first uses this strategy when he lists the overall effects of violence to the readers: “If we resort to violence then one of two things will happen: either the violence will be escalated … or there will be total demoralization of the workers” (17-21). Chavez intends to inform the audience of the devastating consequences caused through violent pathways by showing two viable outcomes. By doing so, Chavez persuades the readers into believing nonviolence is a

In order to convince those who displayed skepticism, Chavez employed juxtaposition to show differences between the effects of nonviolence to the effects of violence. Consequently, Chavez utilized allusions to give his speech credibility and to show that his position was along the lines of Ghandi and Dr. King. The diction used throughout the entirety of the speech gave Chavez the ability to cause readers to associate certain words together in order to strengthen his own argument. Chavez decided upon using these devices to inform the audience and everyone else that peaceful protests would be the best way to attain