Patrick Henry's Rhetorical Devices

The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, and Speech to the Virginia Convention by Patrick Henry compare in many different ways. Regardless of the fact that Patrick Henry’s piece was a speech and Thomas Jefferson’s was a legal document they both used rhetorical devices effectively to convey their message and persuade their audience. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was writing it so that it would stand the test of history. He made it a concrete document by using repetition and parallelism. In Henry’s speech, he was aiming to convince the delegates at the Virginia Convention to begin preparation for war With Britain. He uses powerful words and a considerable amount of patriotism to influence those at the Convention. For the reason that Patrick Henry used rhetorical devices more effectively than Thomas Jefferson, he is the better author.
Both Henry and Jefferson use the rhetorical device repetition persuasively, however Henry’s use of repetition is prominent. Henry is very spirited in his writing, especially when using repetition. An example of this is when he says, “The war is inevitable and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come!” (Henry, page ) Henry uses an exclamation point to emphasize his

Parallelism is used to add balance to sentences. It assists authors in persuading their audience by creating rhythm and flow throughout a sentence. Jefferson uses it when he repeats the phrase, “He has,” (Jefferson, page) at the beginning of multiple sentences. Be that as it may, while it creates rhythm, it is very redundant. Henry uses parallelism in his famous line, “Give me liberty or give me death.” (Henry, page) Henry uses parallelism perfectly in this sentence because it is smooth and has balance. Henry and Jefferson used parallelism adequately in their pieces, however Henry’s use of parallelism is more encouraging and