Compare And Contrast Speech To The Virginia Convention And Crisis No. 1

Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” and Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” were two texts written during a time of unrest and uncertainty among the American colonies. In these texts, both men used an array of persuasive techniques, most of which considered rhetorical devices. Although Henry used multiple metaphors and rhetorical questions to advance his purpose, Paine’s practice of rhetorical devices surpassed that of Henry’s. Paine’s text, similar to Henry’s, displays multiple rhetorical questions, appeals, and metaphors throughout his speech. All of these assist him in creating a better argument, swaying the audience to his cause.

“Give me liberty or give me death!”, Patrick Henry shouts to those attending the Virginia Convention in 1775. This “Speech to the Virginia Convention”, given one year before the colonies declared war on Great Britain, was an attempt by Henry to inspire the colonists to rebel against the oppressive rule of England and fight to save their freedom. Patrick Henry persuades the Convention to wage war against the British through his use of rhetorical questions and allusions.

During the Revolutionary War, writers and orators publicly revealed their thoughts on how to respond to Britain’s further subjugation of the American colonies. After a futile hope for reconciliation and failed petitions to the British government, several patriots, such as Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry, called for the colonists to take up arms against the British. Through Paine’s Common Sense and Henry’s “Speech in the Virginia Convention”, they displayed an adamant message for the colonies to fight immediately. Both used the rhetorical elements of ethos, pathos, and logos within their respective works, and their various applications to the three elements allowed for their arguments to reach all ears and influence the majority of the population towards the fight for independence.

In conclusion, I agree with modern historians’ charges that Patrick Henry tended toward demagoguery and propaganda in his address to the Second Virginia Convention. This was conveyed through analyzation of Henry’s word choice in quotes of his speech showing his use of rhetorical devices such as allusions, irony, and parallelism which in turn illustrate his sentence structure. Lastly, Henry’s constant and consistent use of emotional appeals and misleading information add to prove that he did infact to tend toward demagoguery and

Patrick Henry, one of the most persuasive figures in Virginia politics, delivered a riveting speech against the Stamp Act in 1765. Ten years later, when the Colonies decided they had enough of England, he delivered one of his most famous speeches, “liberty or death.” Using logic and emotion, Henry attempted to persuade his audience to initiate war. His audience, the conservative Colonists of the 1700s, believed him to be the most prestigious speaker of that time. Patrick Henry effectively used rhetorical devices, such as rhetorical questioning, references to God, and metaphors in order to secure the chances of the Colonists going to war with England.

America Should Separate from the King Writers of the revolutionary period effectively persuaded colonists in the Americas to separate from the king by using techniques such as pathos, rhetorical questions, and parallelism to make the colonists realize the importance in fighting in the war, along with sparking a fear in them. Revolutionary writers such as Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine use these rhetorical devices to try and persuade the colonists to fight on the side of America during this war. In “These are the times that try men’s souls”, Thomas Paine displays pathos, rhetorical questions, and Parnellism throughout his writing to convince colonists why they should fight and how the British are not America’s friends. Patrick Henry on the other hand, in “Speech to the Virginia Convention” uses the same

Writing to an audience that still lacks the desire to oppose the British, Patrick Henry in his "Speech to Virginia House of Burgesses" focuses on the rights of man and defying oppressors. Through figurative language, rhetorical questions, and diction, Henry heightens the necessity to rise up and fight against the British ruling power over the colonist population in Northern America.

In “The Crisis No. 2”. 1” Thomas Paine uses a direct and austere tone to motivate the colonists during a bad time in the Revolutionary War. Paines opening line “These are the times that try men’s souls,” is designed to show the reader the sense of determination and belief he has for the colonist. On the other hand, Patrick Henry’s “Speech in the Virginia Convention, 1775” is known for its dramatic delivery, with the concluding line, “... give me liberty or give me death.” Henry’s persuasion is shown by Pathos, which convinces listeners to consider the consequences if nothing is done to stop King George.

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.

In Patrick Henry’s speech to the Virginian delegates in 1775, he persuades the assembly to fight Great Britain for their independence using the repetition of the word ‘hope’, powerful rhetorical questions and the horrifying images of slavery. Henry uses these rhetorical devices to inspire and convince his audience to take action against Great Britain. Henry repeats the word ‘hope’ at key points in his speech in order to prove that hope is a false illusion and that the colonists need to fight back against Great Britain or their situation will never improve. In line 15, Henry begins by saying that “it is natural for a man to indulge in the illusions of hope.”

In the “Speech in the Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry, there is an abundance of persuasive arguments that are employed to try and push the American politicians to fight the British control over the colonies. The rhetorical strategies used are ethos, pathos, and logos, and this helps further the development of his argument for fighting against the British rule over the colonies.

“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph”. In December of 1776, Thomas Paine, a poorly educated man, would travel from England to America in search of a fresh start. He received a letter from Benjamin Franklin, which inspired him to become a local journalist. During the conflict between Britain & the colonies, he sided with the colonist and would write the pamphlet “Common Sense”. Paine wrote many persuasive essays using all three techniques, however, his best technique was “logos” because it was used to convince soldiers to stay, for those at home to join the fight, and he gave dramatic but realistic situations if they were to fail.

Today we look back at the American Revolution and picture a united people fighting for inalienable rights, but to grasp the impact that Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” had upon his contemporaries we must understand the situation in the American colonies in 1776. When Paine wrote his pamphlet, the colonist and The Parliament in London, were almost 10 years into a debate over the rights of limited self-government by the colonies. In the months preceding the publication of Paine’s pamphlet the situation had steadily worsened until the April 19th, 1775 armed confrontation between Massachusetts colonists and British Army soldiers. By the end of that day, blood had been shed by both sides, and armed colonists placed the British garrison in Boston under siege. Despite this violence, most colonists viewed the events as a part of a struggle between Englishmen that would be resolved with the continued allegiance of the colonies to the Crown, but with more favorable treatment from London. It was with this popular mindset throughout the colonies, that Paine would deliver his “Common Sense” pamphlet arguing for complete independence from England. Paine understood that to make his argument resonate he needed to appeal to the public in a manner that had yet to be done.

Throughout The Crisis, Paine incorporates multiple uses of language to persuade the men to enlist in the war for freedom. Paine states, “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered” (1). He emphasizes that Britain's tyranny of the American colonies will be

His writings in the continental army were persevered by his personal struggles, and I suggest that Thomas Paine’s writings were among the largest propaganda of the eighteenth