Summary Of Nonviolent Resistance By Cesar Chavez

Civil rights leader, Cesar Chavez, in his article about nonviolent resistance, written on the 10th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., justifies why non-violence is better. Chavez’s purpose is to argue that nonviolence is better than violence. He adopts a serious tone in order to prove that nonviolence is the solution to people in need. Chavez begins his article by relating nonviolence to power. This is followed by the claim that “nonviolence provides the opportunity to stay on the offensive.” This gives the readers the impression that nonviolence is primarily connected with power and importance. He goes on to say that those who are truly worried about the people will always support nonviolence. He is telling his readers that they should agree if they want to consider themselves good people. He contrasts words like freedom and democracy to harsher, and cruel words like “vicious type of oppression” and “no honor” to describe violence. This shows the readers that violence is very corrupt, and shows that nonviolence represents the

He uses Gandhi, a very respected man and a firm believer of nonviolence, to show how successful peace is. Gandhi uses the example of boycotting to show a “nearly perfect” example of a nonviolent action. He continues with a violent action where helpless and poor people are killed. This shows that the nonviolent effort is proven to be more effective and successful. Chavez states that millions of people stand behind nonviolence, implying that nonviolence is more effective because they “attract people’s support”, opposed to discouragement and death. By using historic cases and clear contrasts, Chavez shows a peaceful protest in a highly favorable light, encouraging readers to support his cause that appears to be successful and