Critical Analysis: Mahatma Gandhi And His Quest To Nonviolence

Gandhi and His Quest to Nonviolence In the United States, there are classes of people, in India, their classes are called castes. Mohandas Gandhi was born in the upper part of the caste system, so he was able to receive an education. However, Gandhi was not satisfied with going to school in India. As such, he received the opportunity to move across the ocean and study at the University of London. In London, Gandhi began to take an interest in all types of religion. After studying in London, he moved back home to India, where work was hard to come by. Nevertheless, Gandhi eventually gained a contract to work for an Indian company in South Africa. In South Africa, he railed against the injustice of racial segregation (“Mahatma Gandhi”). After

Gandhi’s main philosophy theory is based on how nonviolence is more essential than both physical and passive violence. In Gandhi’s own life, he defined his theory as Ahisma, which when translated to English means nonviolence in neither a passive or physical way (Langeh). For example, Gandhi used nonviolence when he attempted to help the people of Bihar gain independence from Britain. Instead of the local Indians attacking the British and physically harming them, the local Indians used strikes and protests to gain their freedom. More famously known, is the Salt March, which was sparked by the British tax on salt. In response, rather than rebelling against the British, Gandhi led a 250-mile march down to the ocean to collect their own salt. Due to the march, the British were forced to negotiate with the Indians, and they finally came to a compromise, which lifted the Indians spirits. However, nonviolence can make a situation worse, or altogether be ineffective. For example, during World War II, the Allies tried to talk to Hitler about how his actions were ruthless. Hitler did not listen, so the Allies decided to stop trading with Germany altogether, similar to Gandhi’s Salt March. However Hitler did not stop, and so in order to prevent further destruction from Germany, the Allies were forced to use

Through his use of metaphors and similes he is able to connect with his audience and create a strong argument based around his opinion and studies. Most noticeably, he wrote about the Indians who were being taken advantage of by the British. Gandhi realized the actions made by the British were wrong, so he communicated with and helped the Indians. Also, in his excerpts, he uses metaphors. “Rightly taken, food sustains the body; rightly practised, non-violence sustains the soul” (Gandhi). By relating the practice of nonviolence cleansing the soul, to the health of a person’s body, Gandhi creates a statement the readers and audience can understand. The metaphor also emphasizes how nonviolence is essential for the soul. In addition to metaphors, one of Gandhi’s most valued ideas is the truth, and how telling the truth helps keep one’s soul intact. Including similes in his work creates a sense of familiarity for the audience. “Non-violence is the law of our species as violence is the law of the brute,” forms unity among the Indians. Gandhi automatically connects violent actions as being a brute, which makes the audience assume nonviolence makes good types of people. Most Indians, based on their religions, are intolerant of fighting, so his use of similes and metaphors relates the Indians social norms as being social norms for nonviolence as well, strengthening his argument (Gandhi). In addition to using