Similarities Between Patrick Henry And Thomas Paine

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During the time of the Revolutionary War, multiple people rose above the crowd and became a key face in history. However, two men influenced the enraged and dauntless spirits of the citizens of America to be used in a fight for respect and freedom. While Patrick Henry ignited the revolting flames against Britain in his audience at the Virginia Convention, Thomas Paine prepared the patriots to free America from her tyrannical hold over their independence. Using rhetorical questions, allusions, and juxtaposition, both Henry and Paine succeeded in creating speeches that invoked patriotism and the will to fight for freedom into their respective audiences. In 1775, Patrick Henry stood up and delivered one of the most powerful speeches ever heard to this day using an abundance of rhetorical questions and allusions. He conveyed his opinion on Britain’s actions by comparing her to a “siren” that will “transform [them] …show more content…

Paine was heavily focused on his juxtaposition for the reason of exhortation; however, he used Henry’s rhetorical question idea for the same purpose. He questioned his audience’s morale and desire to not subject to tyranny, by comparing Britain's actions to a “thief [breaking] into [their] house” “[binding] [them] in all cases whatsoever,” and asking if they would “suffer it” any longer (Paine 253). In contrast to Paine’s use of juxtaposition, Henry used it in tone with his speech, as a way of depicting his passion and opinion on Britain’s actions. Further inducing his point, he illustrated their situation as a choice between “freedom or slavery” (Henry 83). To emphasize the entirety of his speech, he used juxtaposition for perhaps the most famous ending to any speech in the world, “give me liberty or give me death!” (Henry 85). As most Americans know this line, it is safe to say that that use of rhetoric was extremely