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Rhetorical Analysis Of Patrick Henry's Speech

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March 23, 1775. A crowd of Virginia delegates were corralled into a tiny church to attend the second Virginia Convention where history was soon to be changed forever. On the third day of the convention Patrick Henry, a flamboyant rebel, arose from the mass to deliver a speech that would silence his opposition and encourage his supporters. “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” was articulated for the purpose of persuading the members of the convention to organize militia units in every county of Virginia and to stand up to Great Britain to gain their independence. Henry’s speech included protests against the ongoing and relentless British tyranny that invaded the colonists’ lives. Henry influences the delegates by using a combination of rhetorical …show more content…

‘It blazed so as to warm the coldest heart.’” (Kidd 2) This statement confirms Henry’s impact on the delegates and American citizens From the moment the colonists stepped foot on Plymouth Rock, the British bullied them like they were school children. From excessive tariffs and acts to nonconsensual British military bases on colonial soil, the British weaved themselves into every aspect of their lives. The Americans yearned for freedom and the ability to govern themselves. The Americans were firmly pressed under the giant thumb of the mighty monarch, King George III. As loyalty to the Crown diminished throughout the colonies, the desire to revolt against their mother country heightened. According to Jesse Jarnow’s book about Patrick Henry, the rebellion schemes were numerous. “Talk of rebellion has been brewing for some time. It had been festering for the past several years, as Britain levied a series of taxes on its American colonies” (5). Henry observed the resistance to the countless British …show more content…

The effect rhetorical questions had on his audience is evident in the impact “Give Me Liberty” had on American history. Henry asks questions relating to life under the British domination, British threats, and the only possible solution to their problem, revolution. By asking over 20 rhetorical questions, Henry expects his audience to become actively involved in his presentation instead of passively listening. Following quite a few of his own questions, he answers them abruptly, shutting down any contrasting answers. This gives off the vibe that Henry knows what he wants and what to do. This thought of certainty is very

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The murmurs of respectful grievance went unnoticed; palpable resentment ignored. Through the use of rhetorical devices, Henry captivates the colonial sentiments of the revolutionary era. Anaphora, biblical allusions, and rhetorical questions ignite a call for action. Inciting inevitable rebellion, not only in Virginia, but throughout the colonies.

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524 Words | 3 Pages

Additionally, Henry asserts that “[they] have petitioned; [they] have remonstrated; [they] have supplicated; [they] have prostrated [themselves] before the throne” to “avert the storm” of the upcoming war. Henry’s appliance of anaphora with “we” at the beginning of subsequent clauses emphasizes that the colonists have done much to avoid any violent outcome with the British. He notes that the colonists are trying to resolve problems while Britain is only “produc[ing] additional violence and insult.” Hence, Henry underscores Britain’s neglect of possible solutions and their inclination for violence. In essence, Henry’s clever use of various rhetorical strategies persuades the colonies to achieve their freedom from Britain.

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Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death" speech is a masterpiece of rhetorical persuasion, which employs various techniques to convey his message effectively. In the speech, Henry addresses the Virginia Convention to urge them to take action against the British government's increasing tyranny. One of the rhetorical techniques Henry employs is the use of emotional appeals to stir the audience's passions and arouse their patriotic sentiments. For example, he employs a metaphor to convey the gravity of the situation by comparing the British government's actions to that of a thief. Henry also employs logical appeals to support his arguments, using facts and evidence to prove the inevitability of war and the need for action.

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748 Words | 3 Pages

In doing this Henry forms a connection between the need to have a war and religion. This connection helps attach the reader to Henry's opinions and make them more open to the war. All in all, Henry confronts the delegates of the Virginia Convention with the inevitable British invasions and changes the opinions of the delegates through diction, figurative language and rhetorical

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854 Words | 4 Pages

The implication is that the people are being ruled. Henry used his skills in speech to persuade the Council or Parliament that trying to rule over others was wrong. He spoke out against the way things had always been done and

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On March 23, 1775, “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” was heard all throughout St. John 's Church. These famous words were not only a great speaker looking to have his voice heard, but they would have an everlasting impact on young English students studying the use of ethos, logos, and pathos. Patrick Henry also used figurative languages such as allusions, parallelism, and biblical references to bring his speech to life. In this specific piece of literature, qualities like independence and individualism are exceedingly prominent, this all being due to Henry’s use of literary devices. Conversely, in the very first sentence, Henry uses ethos to articulate how he is patriotic to his home, but he occupies diverse views than his audience, the Virginia

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Patrick Henry used these rhetorical strategies to make the colonists revolt against the British. In the end, his attempts worked and the people took up arms and fought for their freedom. Henry’s effective and skilled manipulation of persuasive techniques empowered the colonists, resulting in a fight for independence and eventually

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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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Patrick henry uses rhetorical appeals by using God to persuade memebers of the virginia convention to go to war with Britian. He uses pathos, logos, and ethos because he appeasl to peoples emotions and how they feel about going to war with Britain. Henry is a person who fights to get what he wants. He's a man that believes fighting is the only way of getting freedom. Henry is a credible speaker because of this he gets some to agree with him on going to war with Britain, and some still disagree becasue some say they are not ready, they are weak.

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691 Words | 3 Pages

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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689 Words | 3 Pages

In the “Speech to the Virginia Convention” given by Patrick Henry to the President in 1775, asserts that the colonists should not be trying to negotiate with the British. His purpose was to convince the audience that they should not be trying to befriend the people of Great Britain rather that they should make Great Britain their foe. Henry uses his speech to appeal to both the President and the colonist through the use of figurative language, tone, and syntax. Patrick Henry’s use of diction, a persuasive and forceful tone, appeal to ethos and pathos, as well as various syntactical elements in his “Speech to the Virginia Convention” shows that the colonists should be fighting to break away from the British monarchy rather than negotiate terms to try and stay under their clutches.

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756 Words | 4 Pages

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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500 Words | 2 Pages

I believe in the speech Patrick Henry reached ehis goal from the help use of his rhetorical techniques he uses throughout his speech. Authors that use many different kinds of rhetorical techniques often have a better speeches and prove their point with more evidence and well written thought out information. Patrick henry uses metaphor, logos, ethos, to persuade the Virginia lawmakers and citizens to go to war. Throughout his speech henry uses metaphors into his reading to convince his audience.

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460 Words | 2 Pages

On March 23,1775 Patrick Henry convinced colonists to fight against Britain by using four rhetorical devices which were allusion, imagery, one-word sentences and rhetorical questions. He did this by reading his famous speech called “the Virgina Convention speech”. These four devices helped Patrick Henry convinced many people that were still not willing to go to war. Patrick Henry purpose for using allusion was to helped him connect with the listeners. “Listen to the song of the siren till she transforms us into beast.”

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