Mahatma Gandhi Rhetorical Analysis

Bryant Huang, Mrs. Sjol, AP Lang, 1 March 2024, 2019 Rhetorical Analysis Rewrite.

Before the outbreak of the Second World War in the mid-20th century, India had been subjected to nearly a century of colonial rule by Great Britain leading to the Salt March and eventual Indian independence in 1947. In 1930 Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi, an Indian lawyer often regarded as the father of his country, sent a handwritten letter to the representative of the British crown in India, Viceroy Lord Irwin, which aimed to end Indian oppression through nonviolent means. Through his use of charged language and repetition, Gandhi conveys his desire for peace and justice along with the Indian people’s resentment of British colonial rule and longing for independence.
Despite being an individual loyal to the British crown, Gandhi’s harsh description of British legislation forces Lord Irwin to reconsider his stance on the salt tax in the face of large-scale civil disobedience. His ability to highlight British transgressions against the Indian people in a resentful yet formal manner through his use of charged language demonstrates Gandhi’s capability as both a lawyer and activist, one who would go on to inspire nonviolent social activism on a global scale. Gandhi further argues that if British trade India was “purified of greed” there would be “no difficulty recognizing” Indian independence. By suggesting a logical line of reasoning, Gandhi is able to gain the “moral high ground” while challenging Great Britain’s continued occupation of India in the process. Despite staunch opposition from Viceroy Irwin and the British crown, Gandhi's insinuation that British occupation and taxation stem from greed echoes the rationale employed by American patriots during the Revolutionary War, ironically foreshadowing India's independence from British rule in 1947. Moreover, Gandhi calls upon Viceroy Irwin to “pave the way for the removal of those evils” emphasizing that they
By emphasizing that it is the viceroy’s responsibility to end these injustices, Gandhi places the onus of peace in Lord Irwin’s hands and, at risk of continuous civil disobedience, Viceroy Irwin is forced to back down and comply. Consequently, Gandhi's influence extends far beyond his immediate battle for Indian independence through peace. His approach to nonviolent resistance became a model for future social movements across the globe. The Civil Rights Movement in the United States, led by figures like Martin Luther King, drew direct inspiration from Gandhi's principles of satyagraha (nonviolent protest). Similarly, leaders of anti-colonial movements in Africa looked to Gandhi as a symbol of resistance against oppressive regimes such as Apartheid. As a result, the impact of Gandhi's rhetoric in this letter continues to be felt by social justice and human rights movements across the globe, inspiring them to fight for equality and what they believe in. Although the contents of this letter were unable to single-handedly secure India’s sovereignty, Gandhi’s charged words to Lord Irwin paved the way