¨Patrick Henry Speech¨ : Rhetorical Use In his speech to the Virginia Congress, Patrick Henry uses rhetorical devices such as an extended metaphor and hyperbole to contribute to his purpose of coercing the other delegates to accept the upcoming conflict with Britain. In his address to the Virginia Congress, Henry establishes the urgency of preparing for the inevitable war with the British. In his speech, Henry uses a ‘storm’ to symbolize the conflict that is on the horizon. The ‘storm’ not only symbolizes the literal fight that is going to take place, but also the devastation and chaos that will ensue if the colonists are ill prepared. Henry states, “The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms!”. The storm is the upcoming disaster that is the war against Britain that the colonists were too naive to see it. Not only does it …show more content…
In his speech, Henry state's “Our chains are forged...their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston”. The chains represent the enslaved feeling the colonist have when dealing with the British’s unjust actions. Because of this veiled fear, Henry can amplify it by using the unpleasant imagery to of the clanking of slave chains and exaggerating the sound, as if it can be heard all the way in Boston. The intolerable actions of the tyrannical British forces Henry to invoke the deepest fears of his fellow colonists. By hyperbolizing the potential consequences of the colonists' naivety, it encourages the listeners to want to jump on his cause to prepare for the war against Britain. In conclusion, Patrick Henry understands that in order to effectively make his proposal a reality, he has to be capable to appeal to them during his speech. In his address, Henry uses hyperbole to make the need for war preparation more of an urgent