Non-Violence, Nonviolent Movements, By Cesar Chavez

Words: 631
Pages: 3

Uprisings for change have occurred in societies for centuries, ranging from the French Revolution to promoting gay marriage. Many have occurred both peacefully and violently. Cesar Chavez, a civil rights leader and labor union organizer for farmers, believes nonviolence creates a bigger impact than violence. In his short except, Chavez utilizes pathos, contrasting ideas, and historical references to promote nonviolent movements for change. Firstly, Chavez evokes grief from the reader through pathos. While explaining the negatives to violence, Chavez continues even further with “…the struggle would become a mechanical thing. When you lose your sense of life and justice, you lose your strength” (Chavez 70-72). Pathos evokes emotion, and this example creates grief in the reader. Humanity is in everyone, and violent ways will cause oneself to lose this humanity, thus creating an inhumane person. Chavez believes that humanity will be retained if the struggle is done nonviolently. He further continues …show more content…
Throughout the entire excerpt, nonviolence and violence are constantly contrasted, giving evidence for each side, but promoting that “…nonviolence is more powerful than violence” (12-13). The excerpt is argumentative, which means that Chavez is providing evidence for violence, but is refuting it with more powerful evidence for nonviolence as well as a stronger warrant. Furthermore, whichever side is pro will have better evidence and reasoning, and Chavez does exactly that in this excerpt to endorse nonviolence. As the excerpt continues, Chavez discusses “…militant nonviolence…” which catches the eye of the reader (45). Chavez talks about being peaceful throughout his argument, but then chooses to place a violent word next to a peaceful one. By carefully selecting his diction, Chavez is then able to give the full effect of his argument, which is promoting nonviolent