Cesar Chavez Rhetorical Analysis

By using strong pathos, Chavez is able to evoke emotion and illustrate the harm that comes from violent actions. In his passage, the author uses pathos to evoke emotion in order to deter violent actions. Chavez says, “Our conviction is that human life is a very

By using powerful, evocative phrases in his writing, Chavez adds polish to the article. For instance, he says that he is “not blind to the feelings of frustration, impatience and anger” (Chavez 47-48). This potent metaphor adds liveliness to his writing, eliciting the same feeling as a rousing speech. Additionally, Chavez concocts a catchy saying that rings true for many people: “The rich may have money, but the poor have time.” (92-93). His use of metaphors and idioms transforms his article from simply functional to a powerful addition to the argument against nonviolence.

By persuading the audience to sympathize with his point of view, Chavez develops emotional appeals through pathos. In the beginning of the article, Chavez focuses primarily on his side of the argument, but he does not forget to acknowledge the views of the opposing side. He recognizes the conflicting side’s emotions when he says, “We advocate militant nonviolence as our means of achieving justice for our people, but we are not blind to the feelings of frustration, impatience and anger…” (Chavez). By appealing to the audience’s emotions, Chavez creates an understanding relationship with the reader, making them more accepting of his

Along with other rhetorical strategies, Cesar Chavez uses a lot of personification throughout his excerpt. He does this to make it an argumentative point to the migrant workers in California that violence is not the answer. Cesar feels as if violent actions will get nothing accomplished. In comparison, he feels like nonviolent reactions can be much less hurtful, and very powerful in a peaceful way.

The use of pathos throughout the piece connects him with readers to convince them of his point. He touches onto the counterposition in spots, using short, concise comments to explain the fault and continue with his own argument. Some of his word choices flow into the theme of both sides of the controversy. He states the importance of staying on the offensive, and the cruciality to win and not place the defensive and ‘not lose’. Later, Chavez says “If we beat the growers at the expense of violence, victory would come at the expense of injury” (lines 66-67). His word choice shows his counterposition to the idea. Had he said defeat rather than beat, he would have had to been referring to nonviolence, as beat is offensive in a harsher tone, and defeat is

Chavez uses rhetorical choices such as pathos in his speech to obtain sympathy from his audience. He wants people to understand that supporting violence will lead to the deaths of innocent lives. Chavez uses words like “injury” and “death” to evoke the readers while he explains how violence can end a life. These words are strong terms which provokes the audience’s emotions. For example, “violence will escalate… many injuries and deaths…” (Chavez). Chavez wants the readers to know that violence isn’t the only solution to problems because eventually

“Letter from Delano”, by Cesar Chavez, the writer is attempting to perform this impossible feat on E.L. Barr Jr., the president of the California Grape and Tree Fruit League. Throughout his life, 1927 to 1993, Chavez was a prominent civil rights activist who fought for the rights of farm workers. He performed nonviolent protests including marches, boycotts, and hunger strikes. One famous boycott was the Grape Strike, in which Cesar urged Americans to buy grapes from foreign places in order to bring attention to the plight of field workers. By 1969, when the letter was written, Chavez had already co-founded the National Farm Workers Association. His goal was to fight for better treatment, increased pay, and improved working conditions. His nonviolent methods were extremely similar to the protests of Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated in 1968, over the rights of African Americans. In the letter, Cesar Chavez is specifically addressing claims, made by the California Grape and Tree Fruit League, of a violent protest performed by the farm workers. Throughout the letter, Chavez confronts the shocking accusations, explains his use of nonviolent methods, and emphasizes the purpose of his protests. He strives to make the president understand the plight of the workers and view their protests as a product of the worker’s determination for change, not as violent and personal attacks that

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.

In paragraph five and six he describes what effect nonviolence can have on people to how it can change. Chavez uses pathos to show how the poor are struggling. Chavez uses detail to consider who the people are and what they’re feeling. The speaker observes that, “a direct appeal from the poor struggling nonviolently against great odds, they will react positively.” He uses detail on describing people; giving examples and explaining emotions by making connections. The speaker argues that, “If we resort to violence then one of two things will happen: either the violence will be escalated and there will be many injuries and perhaps deaths on both sides, or there will be total demoralization of the workers.” This analyzes imagery used to appeal to emotions, and determine the consequences of

In paragraph 3, Chavez uses parallelism to shine nonviolence as positive. His sentences start off as “Nonviolence supports…”(13) and “Nonviolence / provides…”(14-15). His manipulation of diction also combine with parallelism to further increase the weight of his argument. Another use of a combination of strategies is seen in paragraph. Chavez alludes to Gandhi’s successful peace campaign, and that in turn is also effective ethos, in that Gandhi is a prime example of how nonviolent protest is key in change. Chavez also appeals the his audience sense of religious duty, as he mentions that “...human life is a very special / possession given by God to man and that no one has / the right to take it for any reason or for any cause…”(8-10). His usage of pathos is effective for the same reason as his association with nonviolence and power is effective; both examples take place near the beginning of his argument. His religious audience will feel an emotional bias towards keeping human life sacred, as it is given by God, and that nonviolence is the solution between human life and societal

Cesar Chavez, a civil rights activist who fought for the freedom of farm workers wrote an article to promote his cause and claim that nonviolence can make a change because it’s more powerful than violence.

Cesar Chavez informs and inspires readers to follow Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s examples of non-violence through rhetorical terms which help bring about the union's purpose. Chavez uses many rhetorical strategies to encourage his followers to live a very mellow, nonviolent lifestyle. He riles up his resistance of violence through his delicate statements while quoting Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr, and other people famous for their stands through nonviolence. Chavez symbolizes the struggle of the growers through the work of the field. He says according to history, “The people of the land are the ones who give their bodies and don’t really gain much for it,” found in lines 81-83.

Although he acknowledges the frustration and anger people feel when they are “faced with seemingly insurmountable odds”, he emphasizes the need to have patience in order to achieve “justice for our people”, thus excluding those who wish to “espouse violence” onto the people. Chavez’s appeal to morality and powerful choice of words greatly promotes his cause meanwhile stigmatizing the usage of nonviolence and the suffering that comes along with it.

Through his organizing efforts, Cesar Chavez made a significant change toward the working conditions of migrant farmers which will impact many future generations. Organizing protests all around the Western United States to taking on many fasts in his lifetime, Chavez has been one of the most influential contributors to the fight for equal rights for farm workers. Chavez devoted his life to fighting for equal rights for everybody. Cesar knew first-hand how terrible the working conditions of a migrant farm worker were, they were underpaid, taken advantage of, and growers were racist towards the migrant workers. Without Chavez urging peaceful protests towards the farmers, there could have been many deaths in the fight for equality. Nothing

When the depression hit in August 1929, millions of people were left jobless. Many Mexican Americans fled to the fields for a job, working for growers who ignored their rights and gave paltry pay. Cesar Chavez and his family lost their family store and decided to go to America. They began the drive to California with only $40 of savings. His family quickly went to work in the fields, moving around frequently to find work. After Cesar Chavez’s father was injured in a car accident, Cesar dropped out of 8th grade to work in the fields full time. He worked for a few years until he joined the Navy in World War II. He worked in the Navy as a janitor, unable to get a better job. He felt like his