Rhetorical Analysis Of Nonviolence In Cesar Chavez's Article

During the 1960’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a civil rights movement activist. He used nonviolence to fight for what he believed until he was assassinated in 1968. In the article Cesar Chavez pleads to the audience that the only way to achieve meaningful change is not by killing or violence, but by nonviolent actions. His use of diction, appeals, and juxtaposition show the people that there is only one way to make change last.

Labor union organizer and civil rights leader, Cesar Chavez, published an article in the magazine of a religious organization to argue that it is more valuable to take the time to achieve justice rather than using violence, also known as nonviolent resistance. Chavez develops his argument through allusions, and imagery while creating a strong emotional appeal towards his audience. He adopts a defiant tone in order to gain awareness among his readers.

Hook: I never knew that one day, one idea could have such a big impact. That one thing could change the history, set up the rest of the country to follow suit with this specific topic, and things that need a change in general.

When the world is engulfed in injustice, it calls for brave men and women to fight back,

In order to achieve true freedom one must discover that you can break unjust laws through peaceful protest. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and “The Speech at The March Washington” by Josephine Baker each article passionately argues about the disadvantages of the black community, the equality and power of education. We must learn to act with patients and not guns we must protect are self’s with a pen and paper not violence. Dr. King once4 said “Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. It is unique in history which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals”.

Former civil rights leader Cesar Chavez justifies nonviolent protest with the use of several appeals to logic and ethics in his contribution to a magazine for a religious organization. His goal being to convince the audience into realizing that nonviolent protest is the more effective option when working towards a change. His optimistic tone helps the reader connect to the cause of nonviolent protest with the help of rhetorical devices like figurative

The late twentieth century is the pinnacle of civil rights movements in the United States of America. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of many who held America’s hand into this time of racial metamorphosis, he was one of the main leaders of the Civil Rights until his tragic and violent assassination. To venerate the marking of ten years since King’s death, Cesar Chavez-- a labor union organizer and civil rights leader-- continues to uphold/argue King’s ideals of peaceful protest in this newspaper article by incorporating distinctive diction, alongside contrast and then progresses to reason with the morality and beliefs of the general american populace.

Paragraph 14 stands out in Dr. King's Letter from Birmingham Jail because it is extremely different from the previous and following paragraphs. Dr. King's writing style changes and he suddenly takes on a much more emotional approach.

A voice for the muzzled farm workers, a civil rights activist, outspoken about the unfair conditions migrant workers are faced, and inadequate wage given, Cesar Chavez speaks out in his Address in 1984 Commonwealth club of San Francisco. Chavez describes the injustice and unfair conditions farm workers confront on a daily basis, and what the farm workers, as a union the farm workers, must collaborate and do together in order to suppress the companies - growers - unfair conditions. In the speech, Chavez utilizes statistics, testimony, and repetition to not only win justice for the farm workers, but implement the urgent change that needs to happen in the eyes of Americans towards farm workers.

In this article, Chavez uses rhetorical strategies to develop an argument and his point of view of the subject to the audience. In the first sentence Chavez says that “Dr. King’s entire life was an example of power that nonviolence brings to bear in the real world.” Chavez brings this up to say that one doesn’t need violence or force to make a difference.

The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. devastated a large majority of people around the world. His works of nonviolent acts against racism motivated many, including civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, to solve matters without resorting to inhumane behaviors. Inspired by Dr. King Jr.’s work, Chavez and his union of labor workers devoted themselves to helping those in need through peaceful protests. Similar methods are proven to be successful; Mahatma Gandhi, for instance, gained a great deal of supporters because of his pacifism and tranquil methods of boycotting against British domination. Despite brutal and savage methods of persuasion slowly gaining support, Chavez proves that nonviolent actions are superior; he does so by using ethos in order to uphold moral standards, logos (in reference to the past), and pathos to appeal to the emotions of his audience.

The civil rights movement was a strong topic of discussion in politics during the mid-twentieth century. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the most influential leaders of the civil rights movement, was assassinated which caused many protests and calls for violence. In Cesar Chavez’s speech, he is telling the people that nonviolence resistance is the best way to go about the situation. Chavez’s uses juxtaposition, diction, and rhetorical appeals to strongly convey his argument about nonviolent resistance.

Cesar Chavez wrote a piece in the magazine of religious organization on the ten year anniversary of Martin Luther King. He starts off saying that Dr. King was a very powerful man with nonviolent means. Throughout his writing he gives many example of why nonviolence will ultimately succeed over violent means, and give of many appeals of emotional, logical, creditable justification. Dr. King may have dies, but with his death only more power has come to the peaceful citizens of the world.

“A Triumph for Moral Authority,” by Isabel Hilton was published in an issue of the Independent (November 15, 2010) as part of the opinion column. This work discusses the impact of a protester’s moral authority and what kind of change (if any) it may lead to. It gives a look into what the possible outcomes may result because of activist actions. The article addressing moral authority by Isabel Hilton is astonishing and very informative due to the author’s ability to present well-structured ideas for each paragraph along with a strong and appropriate use of evidence.

Cesar Chavez on the tenth anniversary of Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr's assassination, wrote an article in a religious organization's magazine. In his article, he accentuates his argument on nonviolent resistance. By the use of specific examples and rhetorical devices. He appeals to his crowd and provides his argument as to why nonviolence should be used to accomplish their goals. One of the specific examples being that Dr.Kings life exemplifies the farm workers movement. Dr.Kings death giving them the opportunity to remember the principles of which their struggle has matured. Further, into the article, he infers that the use of nonviolence poses the opposite effect of violence. The effect being the attraction of support from people that would