Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death Speech

    In Henry’s speech, he first sets the stage by using a proud tone while explaining the importance of war with Britain. His illustrious delivery of the speech itself is very moving, as the efforts to convince America to settle on the side of war. He goes on to convey, “Sir, we are not weak, if we make a proper use of  those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power” (Henry 38). His tone of taking charge and only accepting the best from his country supports the claim that Henry is indeed the proud man he is. Henry also in his speech uses an enlightening tone to inspire his crowd he uses terms to explain how he will settle for only the best for the country. He uses phrases such as, “The war is inevitable-and let it come!” (38). This phrase brings up the emotion of the crowd as they believe in war, and Henry himself is full of power as he enforces that war must go on. He uses such enthusiasm and inspiration to uplift himself and the crowd to ensure that war is necessary. Overall, Henry;s tone of the proudness and

He tried to empower the audience with the idea of religion, having reassured them that God gave them power and they were not weak. He then attempted to use this empowerment to convince that a correct way to use their God-given power was to act against Britain, implying this through the current argument and his stance on the issue. He emphasized this with contradictory words of “weak” and “power” to make it more important in the audience's mind. As a whole, the statement is used to give them feelings of pride toward their country and powerful in the eyes of God. As a result, Henry used the ideas of nationalism and religion to emphasize and create a feeling of patriotism.

“Liberty or death!” This phrase was used by both Patrick Henry and Malcolm X in their speeches. Even though these men gave their speeches almost two centuries apart their goal was the same. They both wanted to convince their audience to fight for freedom. Through the use of rhetorical strategies, Patrick Henry was successful in convincing the colonies to fight for their freedom from Britain and Malcolm X was successful in convincing African Americans to fight for their rights.

Patrick Henry was better at persuading his audience because he used a convincing combination rhetorical questions and imagery. Patrick Henry's use of logical and emotional appeals to make his audience believe in his cause. His purpose for speaking and his ambitious ideas also helped make his speech stronger. Jonathan Edwards speech was good, but the fear that he instilled in his audience crippled them instead of pushing them to action, like Henry's speech did.

He uses the ethos described above to persuade his troops to fight. He does this to give them morale, which is necessary in order to fight. His aim was to lead his men into battle not to lose, but to win. He uses the men's emotions and futures as a reason to fight. Another reason is for the glory of the troop and the glory of England. These men have so much fear that all they can think of are reasons to flee. However, Henry gives the men better reasons to stay and fight. He wants his troop to give it their all and not abandon hope or the fleet. St. Crispin's Day is not a battle to dread. It will be a battle to remember for them, and for all people of England.

At the beginning of Henry’s speech, he was aware of the fact that not every delegate supported his idea of fighting British rule; some wanted America to make peace and reconciliation with Britain. He politely acknowledged “different men often see the same subject in different lights”[5] and that his aim was to express his sentiments unreservedly regarding the debate on whether Americans should fight for their freedom or remain enslaved by the British rule. Henry hoped his fellow delegates would not see his sentiments as disrespectful. He also told his audience that they had a responsibility towards America and God to seek the truth and that if he held back his opinions for fear of offending others; he would be

Henry motivates the audience to take up arms against the British. Paragraph one states that “No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentleman who have just addressed the house.” The diction of patriotism adds the credibility that Patrick Henry has, and proves that he is a patriotic man who cares deeply for the well-being of America. This helps promote trust within the listeners that Henry means well and will do anything to make America great. In the end of paragraph one, Henry states, “Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, though fear of giving offences, I should consider myself guilty of treason towards my country and of an act of disloyalty towards the majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.” This illustrates Patrick Henrys credibility because it shows him in the light as a God-fearing Christian, who provokes the trust between the people of that time. Henry solidifies the trust between the listeners and explains that he is looking out for the good of all of

Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” This quote illustrates that people need to accept failure and learn from it and never lose pride in what you are doing. Patrick Henry relates to what Martin Luther says because he believes in the same kind of dedication. Henry is trying to convince the people and their president that they need to go to war with Great Britain, but he’s also trying to say that it's not going to be a peaceful war. He needs to get the people to follow what he says, so in his speech he uses a few different techniques to convince them. In Patrick Henry’s famous speech, “The Speech in the Virginia Convention,” he uses repetition, questioning, and allusions to enhance his idea to start war efforts with Great Britain.

A courageous action most often is associated with reaching a goal or task of importance, despite the dangers even risks associated with it (“Courage”). For any specific act to be considered truly courageous it must be reasonably thought about and determined that the goal is well worth the risk or danger (“Courage”). Courage so often can be put with words such as heroic, and bravery although with courage there can be a fine line between courageous acts and plain foolishness. All this can make people believe that courage only applies to physical actions. There are two kinds of courage moral and physical in many cases they are both displayed in a single courageous act; however, bravery must come before all else, because they are associated with reaching a task of importance regardless of risk.

Henry believed that the British tyranny would continue to oppress the colonists, in which America should fight for their liberty. Henry continued with, “I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves. Sir, we have done everything that could be done, to avert the storm which is now coming on,” pointing out that there is no better choice than war. Moreover, he appealed to emotion by stating, “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it.” Henry emphasized that a peaceful life is not bounded on slavery, but on liberty.

In his speech Henry convinced Virginia that all the acts of peace had not worked, and will never work. The solution he saw was to fight, and to start the fight immediately. Henry said that they had a right to fight and that God was on their side. From previous British actions, he foresaw war coming and instead of fearing war, he encouraged his audience to embrace

As with war, peace dissipates and the American people will eventually see the truth. Patrick Henry’s was using the time he had with his speech to essentially declare war against Great Britain. The big difference that came from the two armies was that it looked like Henry wasn’t trying to force anyone to go fight in a war. He was giving the option of fighting rather than forcing the idea onto them. Even though he doesn’t force the American people to fight, he instead inspires people to fight by stating, “Three

Effective- Henry uses restatement to stress the importance of the impending war. He feels strongly that a war is needed because the colonists must fight for their freedom. War isn’t only for those who can and will fight, it’s for anyone who wants a better life. The battle is for the brave people, and the ones who are ready for danger, and are active. Because they

Even though outnumbered, King Henry gets through to his troops with his encouraging words. They understand that at that moment they are and always will be equal. They are risking their lives while “the men in England safe in their beds.” If King Henry does not care for status, neither should his troops. King Henry even says he is not above them, “whoever sheds his blood with me today shall be my brother.” Even though they are not blood related, the King will consider these men his brothers, due to their bravery to risk their lives. I think that is one of the most important lines from the

He described that he couldn’t escape even if he wanted to. Through this analogy, the reader can see that Henry is reducing the soldiers to unthinking, unfeeling machines, performing their duty without taking into account the threat of injury or death. As he looks around at the faces of the rest of the soldiers in his regiment, he notices their focused commitment to the firing of their rifles. He wonders if he is the only one faced with questions of morality. While the regiment began to advance, Henry was shocked to receive a packet of letters from Wilson, who feared he would die in battle. After the battle, he is glad that he made it through the first day. He begins to lose the romantic vision of war by seeing the realities, but he starts lying to himself about who is really is.