A Rhetorical Analysis Of Patrick Henry's Speech

The colony of Virginia could not agree if they should press for an undisturbed solution with great Britain or to prepare for war. Patrick henry introduced resolutions calling for military preparedness. After politely listening to his fellow colleagues refusal to armed rebellion, he rose to deliver this impassioned speech. His speech was towards the delegates from Virginia, Henrys purpose was to persuade the colony of Virginia to withdraw from great Britain to fight back against them. He alienated Britain by blaming every hardships they faced to Britain. He uses rhetoric to initiate a well- known tone with the audience while the exigency in his words and alarming last line," give me liberty or give me death", left the crowd with a threatening

Patrick Henry’s speech to the Virginia Convention written and spoken by Patrick Henry raised the people 's attention. He spoke passionate words because he no longer wanted to be a slave to Britain.The men that attended the Virginia Convention realized that they needed to start fighting back after all the troubles the British caused. The British terrorized innocent people of America, even killed men, women, and children. In his speech he proposed resolutions to prepare the Virginia Colony for war and gave the speech to support those resolutions. His reasons for the speech were to convince the colonist, to try and maintain peace, to persuade war against Britain, and to show that he would be a good president. Patrick Henry’s speech was very effective regarding the Virginia Convention using ethos, pathos, and logos.

At a tense meeting in a church in Richmond, Virginia, away from the watchful eyes of Britain, Patrick Henry began to deliver a rousing speech to the Second Convention of Delegates. His passion was tangible to the audience as he called the delegates to action. His speech was memorable to everyone in the room and powerful in convincing the delegates to support the war. Little did he know that this speech would continue to be known for its power and persuasion for generations to come. Throughout Patrick Henry's speech, he emphasized the necessity to act against Britain and support the war, but he did so in a way that was unavoidably persuasive. Henry used emotional appeal, metaphors, and rhetorical questions in order to convince the delegates

Patrick Henry is an American attorney and politician from Virginia, who helped write the state’s constitution in 1776. Before that, he helped begin the American Revolution by stating his opinions on the crisis with Great Britain at the Virginia Convention in 1775. In his speech, he persuades the audience, who are delegates, to go to war with Great Britain. Henry does this by using many rhetorical strategies. The strategies he uses to defend his opinions are: imagery, repetition, and emotion.

Patrick Henry adresses the delegates at the Convention of Virginia (1776) in his speech titled, “Give me Liberty or Give me Death!” Henry develops his claim by speaking candidly with a dramatic tone. He strengthens his credibility through his use and application of a ceremonious diction, and his syntax perfectly fits the occasion. In the speech he hopes to induce delegates into seceding from Great Britain to take arms against the English.

According to Patrick Henry, “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” (Henry 7). Patrick Henry was able to give an outstanding speech at the Virginia Convention, regarding the actions needing to be taken by the colonists. This speech included the criticizing and denouncing of Great Britain, along with the urging of the colonists to fight for independence. This including that the colonists need to become prepared because the unjust actions of the British were not simply going to go away. Henry urges the colonists to fight for the freedom that they rightfully deserve, and he does it extremely well. In Patrick Henry’s ‘Speech to the Virginia Congress’, he demonstrates passionate pathos appeals and rhetorical questioning to persuade the colonists to stand up for themselves and join the fight for their freedom.

Patrick Henry was an influential leader, from the 18th century, who delivered one of the most famous speeches in the United States. He was also a politician, with a strong sense of patriotism, leading to his support in the opposition of the British government. Before Independence Day, America was under the control of the British, and by 1774, the British Parliament started passing laws to tax colonists. However, Henry was remarkably against to the submission of British government. The patriot transformed the spirits of the colonists, and perhaps bringing America, itself, out of slavery through a speech, “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death.” This speech was given at the Second Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775 at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia. Henry’s speech played an important role for the War of Independence, as well as, finding one of the principals of which America is founded upon, freedom.

Rhetorical devices are structures used in literature, to convey ideas to an audience. Such devices can be used to appeal to a group logically, emotionally, and ethically. Yet, how people incorporate rhetoric into a form of literature can differ. George W. Bush and Patrick Henry, have both given speeches using rhetorical devices. Henry’s and Bush’s speeches were different in style because of the differences in how Bush and Henry argued, how they used allusions, and how pathos was applied into the speeches.

Both President George W. Bush and Patrick Henry wrote very similar pieces. Henry delivered a speech known as “Speech to Virginia Convention” to Virginia delegates as to why America should separate from Great Britain. President Bush bush presented a speech “President Bush Outlines Iraqi Threat”, that was broadcasted internationally regarding the decision to use military force against Iraq. As we now know today, both speeches effectively persuaded others. The two are similar through the use of multiple rhetorical devices such as pathos, loaded language and ethos.

America: “land of the free and home of the brave” (Key line 8). This statement would not exist without the important writers that built America’s foundation. The word courageous, however, does not just apply to physically fighting soldiers, but, for the people fighting mentally. The authors of the important documents, that helped lay a foundation for America, had a ton of courage to speak their mind. The authors: Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson, used rhetorical devices not only to prove to Britain that their colony was worth fighting for, but also to influence colonists to join the fight.

The prominent patriot Patrick Henry once said, “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” (Henry 7) implying that a life without liberty is not a righteous life. Henry’s quote is included in his popular oratory “Speech to the Virginia Convention.” While discussing with the colonists, Henry lists all of the discrepancies the thirteen colonies had with Great Britain, concluding that there is no other option, but to retaliate instantaneously. In Patrick Henry’s “Speech to the Virginia Convention,” he utilizes amplifying loaded words and coherent parallelism in order to influence the assembly to unify and reciprocate.

Many men were pivotal to the American cause in the War for Independence, and one of the most influential was Patrick Henry. In his famous speech “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” Patrick Henry delivered a powerful speech through the manipulative use of language and word choice. On March 23, 1775, the third Virginia convention was held in St. John 's Church in Richmond. The convention was held to discuss relations with Great Britain. This was the place where Patrick Henry made his timeless speech "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!" to the House of Burgesses with the hope of freeing Virginia from British rule. He spoke with conviction and showed undeniable support for the fight against the English government. He used the appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos to instill fear and anger in his audience. He effectively used religion and evidence of British oppression to connect with his audience and help persuade opponents and supporters of the Revolution to unite and fight for American independence.

Throughout history, historical events have been relived and experienced by many in the present day through various scriptures and texts. From shocking testimonies, and inspirational speeches to intriguing journal entries, and questionable declarations, literature has allowed society, no matter the time, to go back and learn about past events that helped define the present society. Through these pieces of literature and their literary devices, readers are able to immerse themselves into the past by exposing themselves to historical figures’ persuasions and intentions through their creations. One of these pieces of literature that demonstrates these qualities is Patrick Henry’s Address to the Virginia Convention written in 1775. In Patrick Henry’s speech, he uses literary devices, such as diction, tone and syntax, to help the readers understand and relate to the author’s purpose in calling the Virginia Convention to action for one of the most historical moments in United Stated history, the American Revolution. The author uses these literary devices to persuade and encourage rebellious behavior in the audience, by creating a unifying, inspirational and rebellious tone to get them to support America’s impending fight for freedom, liberty and independence from British oppression.

“Give me liberty, or give me death!” is a quotation attributed to Patrick Henry, which he used to close his speech to Virginia Convention. During this time period, the 1770s, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson all made arguments in favor of separation of the American colonies from Great Britain; many of these appeals were persuasive for different reasons, whether that be logical, emotional, or pertaining to credibility and trust, which is to say logos, pathos, and ethos. First of all, we will examine Henry’s arguments during his speech at the Virginia Convention. Then, we will identify Paine’s appeals in a part of his essay, The Crisis n1. Lastly, we will evaluate Jefferson’s myriad of arguments in a part of his Autobiography.

Patrick Henry uses many oratorical devices in his speech (Speech in the Virginia Convention). He uses them throughout his speech to reinforce the main subject (Independence). The speech was not influential at first, but as time progressed it became more and more popular to the colonist. Rhetorical questions and repetition are the most commonly used oratorical devices in his speech, but restatement and parallelism can also be found in the speech. Oratorical devices are used as a technique to emphasize a point, in this case independence.