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Rhetorical Analysis On Declaration Of Independence

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Rhetorical Strategies Analysis Essay “For the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” Two hundred and forty one years ago, the American colonies began their fight for freedom -- one year later they declared their independence from Britain as the United States of America. Patrick Henry’s The “Speech in the Virginia Convention” and Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence were the catalysts for this revolution, and the reason for these documents’ fame could easily be attributed to the power within the words. Both were written on the topic of Britain’s mistreatment of the colonies and thus their need for freedom; …show more content…

During this time period, religion was a major role in daily-life; therefore, using biblical references was a major appeal to the audience’s emotion as well as to substantiate the author’s own legitimacy. Jefferson and Henry took advantage of this common tactic in order to maintain the audience’s interest and enhance the testimonies validity. In both of the given articles, each author established religion into their argument within the first paragraph. Declaration of Independence utilized it as an explanation for why the country is in need of its independence, and “Speech in the Virginia Convention” appropriates religious claims as a way to assign responsibility to the masses. The two authors have a similar claim attached to each time they mention God, that being that He wishes them to be free and that America is the colonists’ country. They both believe that so long as “[They] make proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in [their] power" then the nation will be theirs, because “all men are created equal, [and] that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights”. The two documents had different intents, but there is an approval towards religion that was commonplace during this time period, and the authors were cognizant enough of this to ensure the use of biblical reference for the audience to be more understanding …show more content…

The “Speech in the Virginia Convention” was originally just that - a speech - one devised and passionately articulated by Patrick Henry in the literal heat of the moment. A cursory glance is all that is required to know that Henry speaks with an underlying fury; a controlled, refined fury, but fury nonetheless. In no place is this fervor more apparent than when Henry talks of the abuses Britain has inflicted upon the colonists; how “our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded”, escalating in both audacity and volume when he insist that “If we wish to be free–if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending–if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained–we must fight!”. These are not the trademarks of a meticulously crafted proposal of resistance, but rather a passionate proclamation meant to galvanize change. Change begins with people, thus Henry rallies the people.

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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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Speech to the Virginia Convention In Patrick Henry’s “Speech to the Virginia Convention”, he persuades Loyalists to fight England by using main rhetorical devices: Diction, Allusion, Rhetorical Questions, and Appeal to ethos. Diction creates rhythm and emphasizes important ideas and images. Convincing an audience can be different, but using Allusion alleviates the audience connect to the situation. Rhetorical Questions gets people thinking and helps them see the right in the situation. You have to make yourself credible, so Patrick Henry connects his charming character to his crowd by using Appeal to ethos as well.

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Lawyer and politician, Patrick Henry in his speech, “Give me Liberty Or Give Me Death” (March 23, 1775), explains that he give this plea to urge the old dominion to form militias to defend itself against British. He supports his claim by first using a religious reference to express the themes of freedom, equality, and independence. Then uses a selection of other strategies like rhetorical question and allusion to disprove the opposing arguments and clarify the point he is making. Patrick Henry purpose is to fight back and he wants other to fight with him in order for independence. He creates a powerful and commanding tone for the second Virginia convention.

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Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death! Patrick Henry’s speech, “Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death!” (1775) impelled the voters at the Second Virginian Convention to vote against the British. He does this through the use of pathos, logos, and ethos, rhetorical questions, and utilising the “They Say I Say” technique.

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Over the course of American history, society has dealt with many flaws, and dilemmas. In Source B, it illustrates that Abigail Adams, John’s wife, wanted the Continental Congress to remember the ladies when they write The Declaration of Independence. In Source C, it rationalizes how slaves didn’t have equal rights as white men, and the petition is trying to give their natural rights back. Furthermore, in Source D, a miniseries that depicted John Adams life, given particular the Revolutionary War. This source allows the viewer to visualize the conflicts that the Continental Congress had, with the colonists, and the British.

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After reading the U.S Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists in 1802. I realized that all three of these documents have common signers and Thomas Jefferson as the creator of these documents. God also plays a major role in these documents. As mentioned in the Declaration of Independence “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness (Declaration, 2016, p. 1)”. This document, which was created, first in order to assure our countries stability states that our country has been built on God, and it united the thirteen colonies.

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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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On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry is addressing the Virginia Convention, specifically President Peyton Randolph. He offers a solution to the patriots of Virginia to form a local militia in order to be ready to fight the British. Carrying a passionate and pleading tone, Henry urges to persuade the patriots

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Patrick’s Speech to Virginia Convention was in 1775 attempting to convince the people that no one cares more about patriotism, God, and their country more than he does. Patrick Henry’s most persuasive technique is pathos because he is using what the people want most, what appeals to them more, and their emotions, to convince the audience. It is important for Patrick to persuade the colonists because it is his obligation

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Declaration of Independence Precis Thomas Jefferson in his historical document, The Declaration of Independence (1776), asserts that the colonies should break free from Britain’s tyranny. Jefferson supports his assertion through the use of anaphora, parallel structure, imagery, emotional appeal to patriotism, and logical appeal to the colonist’s basic rights. Jefferson’s purpose is to advocate for the separation of Britain and the colonies in order to escape the British tyranny that King George imposes on the American colonists. Jefferson writes in a measured tone for the British parliament, King George, and for colonists who have been a victim of Britain’s oppression.

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In Thomas Jefferson’s “Declaration of Independence,” he uses rhetorical devices to convey his purpose which is to say that colonies have decided to break their bond with the King and Great Britain and to explain their reasoning. One of the devices used the most to convey his purpose was parallelism. Jefferson also uses repetition to make his reasons clear. Some might think that his use of restatement further makes his points clear; however, they are wrong. Jefferson uses rhetorical devices like parallelism and repetition to explain the reasonings of the Colonists decision to break their bonds with the King and Britain.

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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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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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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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