Rhetorical Analysis Of Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi was a honored anti-war activist known for his nonviolent philosophy of passive resistance. He was also a leader in the struggle to gain India independence from Great Britain. The British government assumed leadership over India in 1857 and started a government called the “Raj”. In 1919, Britain passed the “Rowlatt Act”. It stated that the Raj could put people in jail for being suspected of sedition with no trial. Gandhi declared satyagraha, which means “devotion to truth” against the Raj, which launched a campaign of nonviolent disobedience. Gandhi then became the face of the movement. Gandhi addressed the A.I.C.C. at Bombay on August 8th, 1942, outlining his plan of action. He first explains that he wants his audience to hear the speech from his perspective, put themselves in his shoes. He says if they approve, they will enjoy what he has to say. This grabs the audiences attention and …show more content…
“The Congress is unconcerned as to who will rule, when freedom is attained. The power, when it comes, will belong to the people of India, and it will be for them to decide to whom it placed in the entrusted” (Gandhi, Mahatma). He makes the audience recognize how badly they desire to be free from British rule by explaining to them that their focus is to insure that India can choose who has hold of the power. This makes the audience want to support him more. “In the democracy which I have envisaged, a democracy established by nonviolence, there will be equal freedom for all. Everybody will be his own master. It is to join a struggle for such democracy that I invite you today” (Gandhi, Mahatma). Again he is using the pathetic appeal by insuring the audience that they will live under a nonviolent democracy that is equal for all and everybody is their own master. This is what India NEEDS at this point. This is appealing to the audience and he further more gains their