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Rhetorical Analysis Of Nonviolence In Cesar Chavez's Article

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In a magazine article by Cesar Chavez on the 10th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, Chavez discusses the advantages of nonviolent resistance versus violent resistance, arguing that “nonviolence is more powerful than violence.” Chavez successfully develops his argument for nonviolent resistance by utilizing the rhetorical strategies of repetition and allusion. Chavez utilizes the rhetorical strategy of repetition throughout the article, repeating words like “nonviolent” and “we” to develop his and others’ stance on nonviolent resistance. Whenever Chavez states the word “nonviolent”, it is usually followed by its positive effects. For example, in the quote “nonviolence supports you if you have a just moral cause,” the word nonviolence is stated and is followed by its positive effect of supporting those with a righteous reasoning, …show more content…

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. The two allusions to historical figures develop Chavez’s argument as they remind him and the audience of how large of an impact nonviolence had on the world in the past and how it could be applied to the

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In the entirety of the structure of the text Chavez provides support for nonviolence and then provides the reader with hypothetical situations with the use of the word “if.” The contrast of these hypothetical instances becomes ingrained into the reader's mind throughout the repetitive use and give the association of goodness with nonviolence in comparison to loss of self and emotion by violent ferocity. Seen in the example below, “When victory comes through violence, it is a victory with strings attached. If we beat the growers at the expense of violence, victory would come at the expense of injury and perhaps death. Such a thing would have a tremendous impact on us.

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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. One example of a rhetorical device that Chaves uses in his writing is the Epitaph. This device is shown when in the beginning of the work Chaves states “Dr. King’s entire life was an example of power that nonviolence brings to bear in the real world.”

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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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Mentioning Gandhi, and stating his thought son the best ways peacefully cause change. This is showing the audience that Chavez realizes that these men have proved their methods the best, and he doesn't want to change them just try to use them for the benefit of the people. “ The boycott, as Gandhi taught, is the most nearly perfect instrument of nonviolent change, allowing masses of people to participate actively in a cause”. This quote really does work so well because of the organization that is used by Chavez to convey Gandhi’s message. If Chavez had not eased this very power quotes into is writing, they would not have been hear the same way.

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Cesar Chavez, in his excerpt He showed us the Way, utilizes strong pathos, ethos and logos statements, precise diction, and valuable patterns of development to convey the power nonviolence has in fights for freedoms and rights. First, Chavez provides strong pathos, ethos and logos to convey the power nonviolent actions have to change the world for the better. He applies ethos to show that nonviolence is something that people are drawn to. In fact Chaves presents a great nonviolent advocate who lived during the segregation: “Dr. King’s entire life was an example of power that nonviolences brings...”

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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.

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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. To begin with, Chavez uses juxtaposition to contrast the effects of violent and nonviolent resistance.

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The author continuously relies on a series of factual events that relate to what her particular arguments are. She attempts to prove to the reader that acting because of moral authority is what brings some of the biggest changes in society today. She states, “There are as many reasons to hope as to fear a new disappointment…” (pg.899) demonstrating to the reader than a protesters’ actions will not always result in a positive outcome. The style chosen by the author suits her purpose of giving the reader a clear view on what moral authority is and how it can impact the

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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.

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He also very systematically explains the thinking process of the people involved in the various nonviolent demonstrations. However, in contrast to his previously succinct and to the point sentences, paragraph 14 contains an extremely long and detailed sentence. Here, he also changes from simply addressing the reader to actually attempting to put the reader

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