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Rhetorical Analysis Essay On Patrick Henry

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To achieve freedom and independence from a tyrannical government you need to be able to spread revolutionary ideas. The best way to do this is through a politically persuasive argument. Leading up to the American Revolution to gather support for independence, powerful speeches were given to bring about change. The American Revolution was successful because of how protest, speeches, and literature all worked together to persuade Americans to declare independence from Great Britain. The Virginia Convention needed to be persuaded to prepare for war with the British. Patrick Henry was a politician in Virginia who supported war with Britain. Patrick Henry gave a speech titled “Speech in the Virginia Convention” with an ethical appeal that uses parallelism, …show more content…

Patrick Henry is listing off things the colonies have tried doing to avoid war using “we have” to introduce each new item. Patrick Henry is able to relate well to the delegates, in that he relays to them how hard they had been working to fix their relationship with Britain, and that nothing has worked leaving only one option: war. Henry asserts that it is morally acceptable to declare war with Britain since peaceful tactics have already been tried. Patrick Henry showed the Virginia Convention that they have tried everything to avoid war, relieving worries that bloodshed during the war would fall on the convention's hands. Henry advocated that to make a rational decision the statesmen would need to focus on evidence. Patrick Henry is able to call upon the ethics of the delegates by making the claim “Are we disposed to be of the number of those having eyes see not, and having ears hear not” (Henry 188). Patrick Henry is saying that even though it may not be what they want to “hear” or “see”, it will be best to know what is coming so they can properly prepare. The statesmen were elected leaders who would want to make decisions that were backed by evidence and reasoning. Patrick Henry effectively appeals to the ethics …show more content…

Patrick Henry asks many rhetorical questions that guide the convention towards the more ethical decision. Patrick Henry suggests that the only two options left for the statesmen are war or supplication when he asks“Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication?” (Henry 188). Patrick Henry is trying to make the virginia convention realize that all other methods of consolidation with Britain have been exhausted leaving only two options: war or begging for mercy, the latter being an unacceptable option. By doing this Patrick Henry is able to persuade the statesmen that there is only one ethical option left. Patrick Henry was able to persuade the delegates that war was their only ethical choice to preserve the image of their government. Patrick Henry draws a connection between submitting to the tyranny of Britain and slavery when he asks, “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?” (Henry 190). Patrick Henry is making the argument that by standing by idly the delegates are becoming slaves to the British Empire. Many of the delegates would have owned slaves, and been affected greatly by being compared to a slave. Patrick Henry adds to the ethical appeal of the argument by comparing the British control over the colonies with slavery a morally evil institution. The device effectively sent a warning to the delegates that failure to take action

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Henry Patrick’s claim in “Speech to the Virginia Convention” is that Britain is constructing an army to seize control of the United States and a war between these countries are inevitable. To validate his claim, Henry uses various rhetorical devices and evidence. The first piece of evidence Henry provides to progress his argument is when he states, “I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know no way of judging the future but by the past” (171). Henry claims that his experience for the last 10 years with British ministry has garnered enough experience for him to realize that there is a war coming.

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Under the control of the British Parliament in 1775, the American colonies consider going to war in order to gain independence from Britain. In “Patrick Henry’s Speech in the Virginia Convention,” Henry addresses the need for American colonists to work together to stop the British from controlling them. Thus, Henry’s periodic sentence, rhetorical questions, antithesis, and anaphora successfully convince the American colonists to unite against the British and to bring awareness to their wrongdoings. Firstly, Henry applies periodic sentences and rhetorical questions to convey the idea that the American Colonists must fight back against the British by working together if they want to gain freedom. Henry believes that “if [they] wish to

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Daniel Galindo p.6 The speech of Patrick Henry The Virginia convention had a well written speech written by Patrick Henry. He uses persuasion techniques in his speech to persuade everyone at the convention such as Pathos. He uses this wisely and amazing for the speech he gave. They were in the time period of Britain taking control and they had no independence.

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Patrick Henry then continued on to talk about how he hopes not to offend anyone with the contents of the speech he was about to make, showing he cares about how others perceive him, thus hinting that he had a great character and with that a powerful ethical appeal on his side. Then, Henry talked about the colonies as a country giving that part of the speech a subtle pathetical appeal due to the fact that the colonies being united would bring forth many emotions in patriots. Again, Henry used the appeal of pathos to his advantage by saying the colonists independence or subordinance is the same as freedom or slavery. He then logically stated that freedom is the one that should be debated about at the convention as that is the one people would want. Next, he goes on to state how he holds the God above earthly kings which is logical and pathetical in that it makes sense to do so and panders towards the religious feelings of the

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He is also using an extensive metaphor of enslavement. Patrick uses association, logical, and emotional appeals during his speech at the conference. Patrick Henry’s speech has a compelling, clear, and serious tone. He uses these rhetorical choices to communicate the themes of freedom, independence, and equality. All throughout Henry's speech, he has shown passion and energy to begin a war against Britain.

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Patrick Henry uses parallelism by saying, "They are meant for us: they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet¨ He also says, "We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne... Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have been produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded... Patrick Henry does this to reinforce the idea that no matter how much the colonists have tried to peacefully resolve the conflict with the British, they have refused to cooperate, so the colonists must resort to violence to get their message across.

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Patrick Henry declared that war is now the only option in his speech, “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death”. Henry used Rhetorical Question and Pathos to bring emphasis to the problem and to persuade the audience with emotion in going to war with Britain. Henry explains that they are done waiting for freedom and are ready to take action. He also motivates the people to keep pushing through for independence. From Henry’s evidence, he was right that war was necessary to move forward.

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Patrick Henry’s “Speech to Virginia Convention” is structurally more persuasive than Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography and the Declaration of Independence because of his use of rhetorical devices such as, rhetorical questions, logos, and pathos. Henry’s address contains many rhetorical questions to emphasize his point and to induce a persuasion into his audience. For example, Henry said, “Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying on our backs. . .until

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Near the end of British control, the American colonists got angry about what was happening in their country and start to spread the idea of self-rule. In 1775, Patrick Henry gave the “Speech in the Virginia Convention” to persuade the representatives to prepare for the impending war with the British and fight for independence. One reason Patrick Henry wants to persuade them into to following him is to prepare for war. He wishes to convince them to prepare for the incoming “storm” which they have been doing “everything that could be done” to avoid the “storm”. He is trying to convince the delegates that the option of war is impossible to hold off any longer and will not wait for the colonists to be ready.

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A role of an individual in society can be played many ways, one of them being that people should fight for their country. This can be exhibited in "Speech to the Virginia Convention" by Patrick Henry ,where Henry believes his country should fight for freedom against the British. He is calling on the patriots of Virginia to arm themselves in order to be prepared to fight the British if they do not yield to some of their demands. The author encourages this message by their emotional appeals and literary devices. In the text, the author exposes the audience to prepare for war by conveying them to fight for their country.

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Patrick Henry’s claim in his speech to the Virginia Convention is war with England is the only way to win freedom and their desires because England makes this the only choice. Before Patrick went up there were other men that had spoken before him, these men were speaking their views on whether or not they should initialize the war. Once Patrick has his chance to say his part he believes that they should fight because England hasn’t been fair. Patrick states this basically by saying “An appeal to arms and to the God of Hosts is all that is left us”. This is such a powerful statement because what he’s proposing is extremely dangerous.

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His choice of language is effective at evoking emotion. Through rhetorical questions, Henry was able to emphasize his points, and grab the audience’s attention, creating an emotional effect on the listeners. “Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation?” These statements prove the speaker’s argument and stir the audience’s emotions.

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On March 23, 1775, Mr. Patrick Henry made history when he delivered a speech at the Virginia Convention. Mr. Henry's purpose in his speech was to convince the Virginia patriots attending the convention that the only option with Britain remaining was war. Mr. Henry used many rhetorical devices throughout his speech, and with the use of pathos, ethos, and logos he had an effective advantage that appealed to almost every person at the convention. To begin with, Mr. Henry’s speech contains much use of pathos as he relates to the emotions of the people of Virginia. An example of Mr. Henry's use of pathos is when he states, “I consider it as nothing less than freedom or slavery...”.

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Rhetorical Analysis Convincing people of something or to do something is not an easy task but Patrick Henry's “Speech to the Second Virginia Convention” shows how well someone can persuade people when they trust you, appeal to their emotions, or back up what you are saying with facts...ethos, pathos, and logos. The purpose of this speech is to persuade the colonist to fight against the british. Patrick is talking to the members of the virginia convention and what they need to do to become free. Patrick Henry uses ethos to help convince the audience that he knows what he's talking about and how they should trust him.

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In 1775 the American Colonies stood at a tipping point. Britain and the Colonies had been embroiled in a continuing struggle over numerous injustices, and the Colonies seemed at long last situated to engage in a revolution against Britain. However, the colonial representatives were still tied up in negotiations with Britain, and many delegates of the Virginia Convention wanted to delay actions until the negotiations had concluded. Patrick Henry disagreed with the delay, so he addressed the Convention, arguing for the need to mobilize troops against the British, a request tantamount to treason. Instead of shying away from the polarizing nature of his argument, Henry adopted a respectful, but urgent, tone, crafting an argument that would inspire his audience into action.

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