Analysis of Cesar Chavez's Essay on Martin Luther King's Use of Nonviolence

The United States has become habitual to words such as inequality and injustice. Our country has a long endured history for discriminating African-Americans. On the tenth anniversary of the assination of Martin Luther King Jr, Cezar Chavez appraises King and other social activists in the 1960s way of peaceful protesting. Chavez writes for a religious organization and often reflects the higher calling of the nonviolent protests. He ensures that nonviolence creates the idea of justice, while violence causes suffering. In order to propose that nonviolent resistance is a better way to achieve justice, Chavez uses repetition and juxtaposes nonviolence with violence through the use of contrasting diction to call the reader to a higher power.

Chavez's main argument throughout his essay is preaching nonviolence when alluding to Martin Luther King’s teachings through use of repetition.He utilizes repetition and suggests that we are related to our enemies not only as humans, but “God created.” Throughout his piece, he continuously uses the word “we” when referring to nonviolence. He portrays this because he believes there is nothing more valuable than “one human life.” Throughout the story Chavez does an extraordinary job connecting to his audience through repetition. He uses “we” to create a sense of unity, and to persuade the readers that the nonviolent form of protesting is the most effective.

Chavez immediately in his oeuvre juxtaposed non violence to violence. He believed Dr. King’s entire life was an example of power that nonviolence brings. Since he writes for a religious group he uses God to place the idea that nonviolence is more powerful than violence. Chavez added that the value of human life is given by “God,” which calls in a higher power on the readers. While, using violence will “could lead to injuries” or even death,” which could result in the demoralization in society. For one of King’s peaceful protests, King knew he had to go somewhere where he would create a scene, with a racist chief of police, with a racist town and a racially segregated area. Therefore, he went to Birmingham, Alabama and made sure not to use violence, but the racist community responded with violence and sent him to jail. King got them to respond with injustice, which resulted in him winning. Chavez later added, “nonviolence provides the opportunity to stay offensive,” which uses antonyms to contrast two sides of his arguments. Chavez uses specific examples of successful nonviolence to prove his case and juxtaposes them with violence’s consequences.

Chavez begins his essay recalling the power of nonviolence as demonstrated through Dr. King, and moving on to compare and contrast violence and nonviolence, through very direct sentences, he indicates that nonviolence is more powerful than violence. Chavez contrasts in his work non violence compared to power, whereas nonviolence is supportive and crucial. Chavez depicts the image that nonviolence lights power. His contrasting diction from images of deaths and injuries as compared to the righteousness of nonviolence helps to convince his listeners on which they would prefer. Likewise, his mentioning of violence as being harmful to “both sides,” help establish an unbiased character, and demonstrates how violence is detrimental to anyone, regardless of his position on civil rights.

Chavez continues to use contrasting diction through his essay .He later moves on to once again directly stating contrast, “nonviolence has exactly the opposite effect.” His attachment of words like support, conscience and justice to nonviolence has the effect of making it more appealing to the audience and depicting why it is right and effective. His contrasting diction also compared words such as “democracy and freedom” to describe violence. Democracy is often seen as a nation where everyone has a voice, and the only way for African Americans voice to be heard was through peaceful protests. Chavez ultimately uses many contrasting words throughout his oeuvre to prove that non violence leads to power.

Throughout his works, Chavez proposes that nonviolent resistance is a better way to achieve justice, Chavez uses repetition and juxtaposes nonviolence with violence through the use of contrasting diction to call the reader to a higher power.