A Rhetorical Analysis Of Dr. Chavez's Nonviolent Movement

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Humans, despite their long history of cruelty and spite towards each other, have also showed a desire for peace and understanding during crucial struggles for power and rights. A prevalent example of this peaceful resistance is the nonviolent movement by African-Americans throughout the course of American history to gain full civil liberties and protected rights. The movement has evolved through various time periods, eventually being the catalyst for a civil war in America. Recently, there has been tension due to several racially-motivated killings by police officers, notably in the cities of Baltimore, Maryland and Minneapolis, Minnesota. There have been lockdowns in cities due to fear of hate crimes, and as violence escalates across the …show more content…

Martin Luther King Jr,. Nonviolent protest has often proved successful among minority groups, especially those inclined to try peaceful revolution. Chavez, distinctly aware that his target audience is an oppressed minority and will respond to this history, ensures that his audience connects with this powerful history through mentions of Gandhi and Dr. King, thus allowing for the audience to feel impressed and empowered. Chavez directly references King’s prolific history through saying: “Dr. King’s entire life was an example of power that nonviolence brings to the real world” (Chavez paragraph 1). By connecting two basic emotions such as a want for power and desire for peace, Chavez informs the audience that such contrasting ideals coexisting are in fact possible, and can lead to great results as in the case of the legendary Dr. King. This idea is further expanded when one takes into account that precedents are not needed for revolution to occur, as in the first example of nonviolent protest, Gandhi. His vision for a united Indian republic was one of a lust for power, but he saw that violence would only lead to lust for more violence, and that peace was the only linear path to justice. Chavez …show more content…

By addressing the counterargument, Chavez gives readers a decisive reasoning and plan of action behind his words and inspires eloquence in speech and grace in action for his audience. Chavez is also aware that his audience may be oppressed and not have access to opposing viewpoints, so by giving them access to a variety of arguments, he empowers them and earns their trust. Chavez solidifies this trust by explaining, “When victory comes through violence, it is a victory with strings attached. If we beat the grows at the expense of violence, victory would come at the expense of injury and perhaps death” (Chavez paragraph 10). Chavez’s clear and direct manner in addressing and reflecting the various other arguments allows for a decisiveness that is so rarely seen in protests and boycotts. This creates a clear throughline of rational thinking and direct, connected thinking that draws the audience in. Chavez exemplifies this rationale by saying: “But if we are committed to nonviolence only as a strategy or tactic, then if it fails our only alternative is to turn to violence. So we must balance the strategy with a clear understanding of what we are doing” (Chavez paragraph 6). This then adds a cohesiveness and a clarity to his existing argument, and defines the importance and purpose of nonviolent protest, and why the leaders before him were so critical to the

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