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Rhetorical Analysis Of The Twisted Truth

Decent Essays

The Twisted Truth On Good Friday of 1969, César Chavez wrote a letter addressed to E.L. Barr, Jr., the president of California Grape and Tree Fruit League. What prompted Chavez to write the letter was Barrs accusation that Chavez had used “violence and terror tactics” to succeed in his boycott and union movement, when Chavez’s true intention of his nonviolent movement was to address the social and labor struggles that Mexicans were dealing with. Mexican workers from the area grape-table farms left and began a strike to fight for their labor rights. Chavez uses logos, ethos, and pathos to convince Barr to repeal his insulting words made against the nonviolent union movement and to understand the determination made to the mexican culture. Chavez first appeal to Barr by using logos to prove to Barr that the things he is accusing the movement of are completely false. Chaves even explicitly calls Barr out on his actions by stating the obvious that “[he is] working against nonviolent social change.” Chavez knows that Barr is lying and is specifically telling him that he is against change because of the poor excuse he has to make for their success. Chavez again uses his logic to tell Barr that he only said such things because of the pressure he was under and his bitterness toward the movement. Chavez relates to Barr jokingly and makes a valid point that everyone can sometime “[feel] the need to lash out in anger and bitterness.” The use of logos Chaves demonstrates logically shows how Barr is really thinking as opposed to his own inner thoughts and Chavez does a tremendous job of calling him out on his faults. Chavez soon moves toward the emotion of Barr to make him understand why the strike and boycott are truly in place. Chavez uses pathos to appeal to Barr and his indifferent feelings toward the strike. Barr believes the tactics they use are violent, but Chavez demonstrates why the protest is peaceful. Chavez says the strikers “are well trained for struggle.” Chavez’s use of diction insinuates that most Mexicans are used to the struggle within the workforce and don’t want to handle the manner violently. The use of the quote is to make sure that Barr knows that the protest is meant to be peaceful because the

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