Martin Luther King Jr. is viewed as one of the most influential civil rights activists and leaders of all time, preaching non-violence and peace throughout America. In this article commemorating MLK’s legacy, Cesar Chavez utilizes pathos, repetition, and plural first-person pronouns to illustrate his view that nonviolence is more effective and moral than violence. Throughout this passage, Chavez repeated the words “non-violence” and “violence” as a way to emphasize his argument. When he speaks about how “non-violence supports you if you have a just and moral cause” and how “if we resort to violence then. the violence will escalate”, he uses repetition (Chavez 13-15). This constant use of these words underlines an obvious contrast and provides the reader with a clearer understanding of the benefits nonviolence can bring and all of the detrimental effects violent resistance has. …show more content…
The entire article is empowering and inspirational. A call to action by the author for people who have been suffering from injustice. He acknowledges that people turn to violence “when the deep concern they have for the people is frustrated” and how “the burden of generations of poverty and powerlessness lies heavy in the fields of America” (Chavez, 42-44, 48-50). These quotes can lead the reader to empathize with those who are struggling and allow them to recognize that although violence is an easy way out of confronting issues, the more “honorable” and liberating thing to do is participate in non-violent protests. This is exactly what Martin Luther King Jr. did. Even when he was faced with impossible odds during his fight for civil rights, he preached for