Summary Of Nonviolent Resistance By Cesar Chavez

Cesar Chavez, in a speech honoring Martin Luther King, Jr, discusses the importance of nonviolent resistance, and how it is used in many struggles, including the labor movement. As a major labor organizer, nonviolent resistance was a tactic Chavez used frequently. In this article discussing nonviolent resistance, Chavez uses diction, appeals, and juxtaposition to advance his cause and convince the reader of the superiority of his position.
The author uses diction to convey his message of the superiority of nonviolent resistance and to make readers more sympathetic to his cause. The author uses words like “struggle”, “frustrated,” and “yearning” to give a very descriptive and clear picture of what nonviolent resistance looks like. The author

This is to build sympathy from the reader and make an emotional connection. By constantly using the word “we”, the author includes the reader in the group he is speaking of, and gives the article relevance to the reader. Chavez uses phrases like “misery, poverty and exploitation” to gain sympathy from the reader in order to make it clear that Chavez’s purpose is not just to inform the reader about nonviolent resistance, but to also persuade the reader to be more sympathetic to the author’s cause. The author makes great use of appeals to attract the sympathy of the reader and sway the reader to the author’s side. One method the author employs of the words “we” and “our.” There are pronouns that symbolize unity, and help convince the reader that he or she is, in fact, already on the author’s side, and if the reader starts including him- or

In paragraph 4, he discusses what the results of violence are. In the next paragraph, he then discusses the fruits of nonviolence. The juxtaposition is used to make a direct comparison and prove the superiority of nonviolence. The author states “we advocate militant nonviolence” in the 7th paragraph. It should be noted that this quote appears right after Chavez discusses how violence is seen as an option by some in the first place. The word “militant” is designed to make it clear that the author does not mean “passive” when he says “nonviolent,” however, he does make it clear that nonviolence is a crucial part of militant nonviolence. In the context of the labor movement, “militant nonviolence” could mean aggressive and sometimes crippling strikes intended to impress upon the employer the power the workers have. It’s “militant” in the sense that it is very visible and bold, but “nonviolent” because it is not doing any physical harm to anybody. The author does concede that there are frustrations that come with resistance; however, this is why the author advocated for nonviolence, to include people in their struggle to “overcome these frustrations.” Again, the author juxtaposes the results of violence and nonviolence to illustrate how more effective nonviolent resistance