Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luthar Chavez Speech

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Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez were civil rights leaders who fought for the rights of people facing oppression in America in the mid 20th century. King attempted to end the segregation of African-Americans, and Chavez worked to improve conditions for migrant farmworkers, who often lived in terrible conditions earning below minimum wage. King was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was supporting the rights of black sanitary public works employees. Following King’s assassination, Chavez gave a speech honoring King, with the purpose of convincing his audience to put King’s views into practice by boycotting California grapes and fighting oppression. Utilizing paradox, Chavez describes the effectiveness of nonviolent protest to his audience. Recalling the achievements of MLK, Chavez claims that King “learned how to successfully fight hatred and violence with the unstoppable power of nonviolence.” This quote demonstrates …show more content…

He announces to his audience “We have miles to go before we reach the promised land.” The “promised land” is a metaphor for a future without injustice, and by “miles to go,” Chavez suggests that a large amount of work and effort is required to reach that future. Chavez’s use of metaphor serves to motivate the audience by giving them a future to look forward to, and revealing the work they must do to achieve that goal. Later in his speech, Chavez states that “The horrible smell of injustice in California should offend every American.” This statement uses a metaphor to compare the injustice of the farmworkers’ situation to a horrible smell, implying that the injustice affects not only the farmworkers, but everyone in America, including Chavez’s audience. The metaphors in the speech are intended to call the audience to action by suggesting that the injustice in America has an effect on them, and that they can work to end the

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