A Rhetorical Analysis Of Chavez's Article

César Chavez once said, “Nonviolence is not inaction. It is not discussion. It is not for the timid or weak. Non-violence is hard work. It is the willingness to sacrifice It is the patience to win.”. His words inspired one young man to turn his life around and become a man of character who used his experiences to help others. In his essay “César Chávez Saved My Life” Daniel “Nene” Alejandrez tells his story of the struggle and anger towards many injustices that happen around him and his journey from channeling that anger through crime to using it to start a foundation Barrios Unidos, to help men in prison overcome poverty, and the drug and violence culture surrounding them. In his essay, Alejandrez uses key scenes from his life to convey his main theme of spiritual connection to overcome the many hardships the Latino community faces in this country.

The way he flows through the appeals adds a definition to his purpose. Chavez expresses a great deal of pathos throughout this piece, he connects with his audience by doing this. He points out the disparity of violence and how people abuse this nature. He relates to Martin Luther King Jr. through their shared belief of a complete non-violence. Also chavez references to Gandhi and how he taught and expresses the instruments of non-violence. Cesar chavez reveals the truth about violence towards our working men and women. Boycotts and rampages were referred to as “weapons against grower” and “a way of avoiding our senseless violence”. He uses this to show the power of violence, but the even greater power of

On the tenth anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination, Chavez utilizes King’s association with civil rights in order to give foundation to his own words. Chavez knows the anniversary is “...the best possible opportunity to recall the principles with which [their] struggle has grown and matured…” (ln 5-7) because King has values regarding civil rights that are synonymous to his own. Both Chavez and King possess the value that the human life is special and no one has the right to take it away. By referring to a well-known, wildly respected, and successful leader with a similar cause, Chavez has ensured that the audience will be receptive to his message that the use of nonviolence is a better solution to a problem than violence. A later reference to Gandhi further strengthens this effect. Chavez praises the effectiveness of a boycott, an act in which people forbid relations with a group in order to achieve change, made popular by Gandhi. The allusion to commonly revered supporters of the principles Chavez has built himself upon, gives him the credibility to gain the attention of the audience.

Immediately he uses the credibility that Martin Luther King had to establish his point. “Dr. King’s entire life was an example of power that nonviolence brings to bear in the real world” (Chavez). Using King as an example right off the bat puts his authority into the reader’s mind in regards to nonviolence. Then he references one of the most famous non violent protestors in history. “The boycott, as Gandhi taught, is the most nearly perfect instrument of nonviolent change, allowing masses of people to participate actively in a cause” (Chavez).

Cesar Chavez, a civil rights leader fighting for improving pay and working conditions of farmers, employs the use of nonviolence resistance in his role as a leader of the United Farm Workers. As a child, Chavez and his family worked as farmers on a field as migrant workers who were most likely treated in an unjust manner and thus, he dedicated his life to improving the conditions for all farmers. To honor Martin Luther King Jr. on the 10th anniversary of his death, Chavez wrote to a religious magazine that helps people in need about the benefits of nonviolent resistance. Throughout his letter, Chavez applies rhetorical devices such as pathos, diction, and juxtaposition to persuade and inform people about how powerful and effective nonviolence techniques can be for civil rights.

He refers to credible sources like God, King and Gandhi to establish a sense of reliability. For instance, “no one has the right to take it for any reason or for any cause” (Chavez). He states this to emphasize that there is only one person who can give and take away life. Chavez refers to Kings life as “an example of power that nonviolence brings to bear in the real world” (Chavez). He states this to stress how nonviolence is powerful and doesn’t cost the innocents their lives. For example, in lines 62-63 “the most nearly perfect instrument of nonviolent change” (Chavez). Chavez refers to Gandhi when the boycotts protested for nonviolence resistance. Chavez uses ethos to give additional resources of others who think the same way he does and support

The Civil Rights Movement, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., played a massive role in American history and it did so not through a revolution of savagery, but one of peace. The right to peaceably assemble for change has always been a staple in American society, defined as a right in the first amendment to the Constitution, ensuring that everyone could protest and call for peaceful action without being persecuted by the government. In 1978, Cesar Chavez wrote an article addressing the usefulness of “nonviolent resistance,” especially referring to Dr. King’s Civil Rights Movement. His usage of juxtaposition, logical fallacies, and unifying diction assist in Chavez’s attempt to drive the point that nonviolent resistance is the greatest way to

Chavez believes that when nonviolence fails and we are irascible and start to turn to violence, we must “overcome these frustrations” and continue to be peaceful. Additionally, in the third paragraph, Chavez states that “nonviolence provides the opportunity to stay on the offensive.” This statement again utilizes strong, almost militaristic diction to promote the idea that nonviolence is not just about sitting around and waiting for a change; it is about taking action and peacefully “fighting” for the change we

The pinnacle of the civil right’s movement had produced many of the most influential and well-known activists in the nation such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After his assassination, people took their grief to the public and called for acts of violence to deal with the sudden loss. As their anger continued to rise, Cesar Chavez published an article, in which he urged people to come to their senses and take a less violent approach to the situation. Chavez states that only through nonviolence will people continue to strive towards the peace that they and Dr. King have so long looked forward to. He appeals to his audience by relating to their commitment to God and struggles in everyday life in order to garner their support. He also

Chavez uses theoretical events and logic to show what would happen if one were to resort to violence, because it shows the reader how things could turn out if that’s how the world dealt with anger and what they we're opposed to. Chavez demonstrates this when he states, “If we resort to

Violence is a black hole. When you get sucked into violence, it can be a hard thing to get away from. Chavez uses the emotions and logic of people to convince them that the best thing is nonviolence, so that you will not go down the road of violence. He brings up the reasons that nonviolence is the best way to handle things. If he can prove to the audience that nonviolence is the best, then people will not start down the road of violence, and it would not be a struggle to break away from. He appeals to his audience the reasons, both logical and emotional, that you should stick with nonviolence because violence isn’t helpful to you in the long run.

Chavez, through this article, he promotes nonviolence by using aphorisms and repetition that when combined, they capture the reader’s attention and provide them with information that most people would agree about on the subject of politics, which help support his argument. He believes that the use of nonviolence over violence would lead to more peaceful world, especially now, where the world is filled with hatred and violence, due to many political issues such as the civil war in Middle East, Donald Trump being the president of the Unites States and many more issues all over the

Chavez illustrates how violence effects our economy today. If people resort to violence, many injuries and deaths will occur. No matter how much misery, exploitation, and poverty exist, nothing is more important than a human life. There would be a total demoralization of

In the first section of the article, Cesar Chavez begins by stating the competence of Martin Luther King and then elucidates the power of nonviolence through comparing and contrasting nonviolence and violence. Although violence results in “many injuries”,”deaths on both sides ”, and “total demoralization”,( 4th paragraph) nonviolence is supportive and

Political violence as recognized by political scientists is a strategic tactic that is most often used to gain power. In contemporary political theory, non-violence has become more emphasized as a legitimate type of strategy. While the general consensus of the philosophy of social struggle is that nonviolence is more beneficial in the long run, the effectiveness of nonviolence and violence as means of resistance is very dependent on the individual situation. However, with regard to the complexity of political and social struggles, nonviolent resistance tactics are effective up until the point that the government or regime turns its power against its citizens and cuts off their ability to peacefully campaign for political reforms. I will first lay out some of the philosophical theories regarding non-violence before examining the contextual aspects that determine how effective non-violence is in comparison to violence.