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Cesar Chavez Nonviolent Resistance Summary

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Labor union organizer and civil rights leader Cesar Chavez paid homage to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in an inspiring article regarding nonviolent resistance published in 1978 on the tenth anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination. Advocating militant nonviolence as means of achieving justice, Chavez offers a compelling stance as to why and how the farm workers’ movement can prosper. His gradual shift from hypothetical to practiced nonviolence, refutation of differing opinions, and desire to unite the common American people all contribute to a cogent exhortation on the necessity of nonviolent protest. Although it is inconspicuous, the slight tone shifts within the article add a great deal of strength to the overall persuasiveness of Chavez’s argument. Beginning with an analysis of Dr. King’s life, death, and effect …show more content…

Affirmed by the anaphora of repeated communal diction, there is no mistaking that his point is applicable to all. The “we”s and “our”s do more than just label his audience though; Chavez utilizes these two powerful words to assert his role within the movement, not as a leader or just an ally, but as one of the common people affected. For Chavez, the problems are personal; the farm workers’ movement and the fight for civil rights is much more than a cause he believes in: it is a struggle for justice that he has devoted his entire life to. Within his article, Chavez’s passion, developed over years of experience with hardship and resistance, comes through with charged statements such as “If we fail, there are those who will see violence as the shortcut to change”. By inserting himself into the narrative of change as one small piece and utilizing his past experience to ardently support his cause, Chavez successfully emphasizes how by working together within, the community can achieve the common goal of non-violent resistance and change for the poor

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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

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During the 1960s and 1970s, there was significant protesting from workers and civil rights organizations to create better working conditions; despite peacefully protesting, innocent demonstrators were attacked on several occasions such as during the Selma to Montgomery marches, leading protesters to question the power of nonviolence. In “Nonviolent Resistance”–– an article published on the tenth anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination–– Cesar Chavez, a strong advocate for civil rights, contrasts the effectiveness of nonviolence compared to violence, creates a strong link chain to demonstrate the flaws in violent action, and shifts the tone of the speech in order to promote nonviolent protest as means of making a difference, ultimately

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The audience that Chavez is addressing is very familiar with Dr. King, and the troubles he went through so it is not hard at all to relate to the audience with ideas of Martin Luther King. “ Nonviolence provides the opportunity to stay on the offensive, and that is a crucial importance to win any contest.” With subject of violent an nonviolent means is so important to almost everyone that it makes almost everyone stand on their toes. With the subject Chavez does a good job of stating “we” instead of “I” because of

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(Chavez 1) His nonviolent approach to difficulties still have a huge aftermath in our world and change it for the better. The author really emphasizes the trueness of King’s character and his example to our struggling lives to make a better world. Additionally, Chavez uses emotion to change the readers view to the capability nonviolence has. For example, “We are convinced that when people are faced with a direct

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In line 60, Chavez says how the people want to “avoid senseless violence.” Chavez also states that victory through violence is not a true victory in lines 65 to 70. In lines 74 to 77, Chavez states that “violence doesn’t work in the long run.” Chavez describes the negative effects violent resistance had on the oppressed throughout history in lines 78 to 86. By using strong diction, Chavez shows how violent resistance is not a good idea and how it hurt the people.

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He insists on the fact that inhumane vengeance will lead to injury and death, as well as “demoralization”. This argument is greatly supported by the death of Dr. King Jr; his view of nonviolence helped to grow and mature the farm worker’s movement. Civil workers are guilted into supporting their fallen hero in order to fulfill his dying wish. Chavez instructs them to “overcome… [their] frustrations” and support their causes through methods of peaceful protests. Chavez, appealing to their sense of emotion, manages to persuade a disconnected society by desperately wanting to avenge Dr. King’s untimely

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It contains a series of interviews conducted by Bob Fitch with Cesar Chavez. It focuses on the grape boycott of California and the tactics Chavez used. Bob Fitch visited Cesar Chavez and the farm workers and explained their plight. The words of the workers were important in supporting the thesis of this research. This article focuses on why Chavez did what he did, why he took matters into his own hands, and risked everything he had to help the migrant farm workers.

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To begin with, Chavez uses logos in his speech through a rhetorical question, “Who gets killed in the case of violent revolution? The poor, the workers.” The people who are arguing for violent revolutions are mostly poor workers whom Chavez refers to. Chavez uses logic to show these people that if they use violent revolts, they are most likely the ones going to be killed which for the most part will deter the people who are aiming for this. Another appeal Chavez uses is ethos to show everyone as people we are expected to do the right thing.

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In 1978, the 10th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, Cesar Chavez, a civil rights leader and leader of the National Farm Workers Association, wrote an article advocating for the acts of nonviolence. In his support for nonviolence, he made many rhetorical choices to assist his argument. He cites other leaders who found worth in nonviolence, uses pathos, personifies nonviolence, and employs an anaphora, but his overall lack of flowery language gets his argument across much clearer. Chavez opens his article by speaking of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, who this work was originally commemorating. Another civil rights leader, especially in the fight for equal rights for African Americans within the US, “Dr. King’s entire life was an example of power that nonviolence brings to bear in the real world.”

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In 1965, a Filipino union group called The Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee “struck when the Delano grape growers cut the pay rates during harvest” (Rick Tejada-Flores PBS). Because of this, the strike went on, and Chavez became the leader, according to PBS. As a result, the grape strike began and lasted for five years (Encyclopedia of World Biography). Because Chavez learned writings from St. Francis and Gandhi, he decided to put that into play. According to PBS, Chavez’ group would fight without the use of violence.

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Mexican-American Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) is known as an American farm worker, a prominent union leader, labor organizer, and a civil rights activist. By having much experience since he was a migrant worker when he was very young, Chavez with another co-founder created The National Farm Workers Association in 1962 that later became United Farm Workers. As a union leader, his union and the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee made their first strike against grape growers in California. Having been through many hardships as a migrant farm worker, the Latino American civil rights activist led marches, called for boycotts, and made strikes to raise and recover conditions for farm workers. His contributions led to numerous improvements for

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In Leo R. Chavez’s ethnography, The Latino Threat: Constructing Immigrants, Citizens, and the Nation, the claimed problem of Latino immigration, specifically Mexicans, is tackled using interviews, statistics, and other works of literature. Chavez’s ethnography not only discusses Latino immigration but Latino invasion, integration, organ transplants and even Latina fertilization. One of Chavez’s big topics is on how the media influences the public to believe that Latinos are planning an invasion or take-over in order to gain the land that was originally Mexico’s. The topic of Latina reproduction and fertilization comes up multiple times through Chavez’s ethnography. Another main topic that plays a part in Chavez’s argument is the Latino role in public marches and the citizenship aspect of their actions.

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The story says that “The Association was a group of people who helped farm workers have better rights and better pay.” Chavez and his supporters successfully improved the lives of farmers and farm workers. The story states, “Through boycotts, hunger strikes, and marches, they made a difference for everyone. ”These days he still inspires community activists and politicians. The story states, “His speeches about justice, community, and education still resonate…”

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845 Words | 4 Pages

Chavez asserts repeatedly that nonviolence is the only way for change to happen. The repeated use of “we”, “us” and “our” conveys the message to the audience that he is one of them. Chavez can relate to the farm workers based on his credibility (ethos) because of his past. Chavez went to work on the farm fields at a young age and knew exactly how the frustrated workers felt.

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In the first paragraph Chavez mentions Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, stating that Dr. King’s “entire life was an example of power that nonviolence brings…” This reference to Dr. King causes those who know of his impact to realize that he lead a strong historical example of what nonviolence could achieve. By using Dr. King as an example it indicates that Chavez thinks that if nonviolence had heavily impacted the past, then it would most likely do the same in the present and future. Chavez also makes a reference to Gandhi and his nonviolent boycott in India, claiming that what he taught “is the most nearly perfect instrument of nonviolent change.” By using the word perfect to describe Gandhi’s teachings of nonviolence, it further supports Chavez’s stance for nonviolent resistance.

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