Cesar Chavez Persuasive Speech

During the early part of the 1960s, civil rights efforts had reached unprecedented heights. After Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination, there were many calls for a violent response, especially in the African American community. Cesar Chavez, an American labor and civil rights activist, urged societies nationwide to instead achieve significant progress through nonviolent resistance. Chavez employs repetition, juxtaposition, and anticipating objections to develop an effective argument that validates the use of nonviolence instead of violence as the means to create change. In an effort to emphasize his claim, Chavez employs repetition, in turn drawing attention to his purpose and altering his reader’s attitude. Within a mere sentence, Chavez links “nonviolence” to “power” and further implores those who are concerned about the people to not stray from the path of passivity. His deliberate repetition and contrast of words such as “freedom” to harsher terms, including “aggression,” serve the purpose of …show more content…
His comparison between nonviolence juxtaposed with “those who espouse violence exploit people” (line 83) serves the purpose of shaming those who advocate violent overthrows. His comparisons further outline the positives of nonviolence, adding credibility to his claim. Lines 17-21, for instance, present unwanted outcomes of violence, which include death and demoralization. The author goes on to mention that if we overlook nonviolence, then violence will serve as a mere shortcut to change; a shortcut many are not willing to explore. In addition, by outlining examples where innocent people are killed, Chavez depicts nonviolent movements as highly effective, largely in part to the millions of people who stand behind the cause of passive resistance. These comparisons add credibility to the claim and further entice the support of the American