Patrick Henry Rhetorical Analysis Essay

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.

The phrase “freely, and without reserve” is an example of parallelism. References to God are an example of allusion, as most of Henry’s audience practiced Christianity.

The use of rhetorical analysis is very useful to make works appealing and contribute effectively to the author’s purpose. They are used in Patrick Henry’s extemporaneous speech “Give Me Liberty, or Give me Death.” Henry, a revolutionary leader, made this speech at the meeting of the Virginia convention on March 23, 1775. The purpose of this speech was to persuade the delegates of the convention and colonists to form a militia and start war against the British to declare independence. This speech Patrick Henry uses parallelism, pathos, and allusion to persuade the Virginia delegates to go to war against Britain.

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.

The war has actually begun”(Henry). He described the advancement of the British military as a “gale” which will “sweep from the north”(Henry). Through the comparison, he is saying that just as a storm cannot be stopped by man’s endeavors, and that the British will not be stopped by man’s human strength. This refers back to his point that it is only through God’s power that the colonists will win. He again calls British rule “chains and slavery”(Henry), as well as that peace and life are not important enough to be purchased at the price of slavery. Lastly, in is his most important line, he concludes, “But as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!”(Henry). Henry uses antithesis in a parallel structure to show that liberty is equally as valuable and desirable, whereas death is destructive and undesirable. By paralleling them in a balanced sentence, he is saying that the outcome will be one or the other and there can be no compromise. This helped to rally the Convention, as well as the troops already fighting, towards a cause. A cause worth fighting

The year was 1775, and King George III was the ruler of the British Empire. His numerous “offenses” against the American colonies had caused an upset within them. The colonies held multiple conventions in which they determined what they would do in retaliation. At the second Virginia convention, one Patrick Henry gave the notoriously famous speech, later named “Liberty or Death”, where he attempted to convince the Virginia delegates to go to war against Britain with the other colonies.

March 23rd, 1775, Patrick Henry speaks at the Virginia Convention. While everyone else wants to tip toe around the fact of war and wants to keep the peace. Patrick Henry doesn’t and gives it to everyone straight in his words, “- give me liberty or give me death!” I will be giving a rhetorical analysis breaking down each and every piece of his speech.

Patrick Henry utilizes rhetorical devices throughout his “Speech in the Virginia Convention” to advocate the fact that the thirteen colonies must approach Britain with violence in order to secede successfully from Britain’s absolute power over Americas independency.

Henry says that this illusion of false hope is common among humans. Another allusion to the Bible that Patrick Henry uses in his speech to cause the audience to rethink themselves comes from Ezekiel 12:2. This verse coincides with the oblivious colonists as people who “having eyes see not” and “having ears hear not” the truth of God will lose their spiritual salvation, and the colonists whom are unaware of the true intent of

Henry utilizes a striking and descriptive language to generate emotions of aggravation through the audience members, hoping their irritation turns towards Britain. The emotions they endure helps them shape their decision as to why peace is no longer beneficial. Motivation to take action is more likely to occur if there is emotional prominence in specific phrases. Without the use of pathos, there is no connection between the addresser and the listener, making it difficult to convince the contradictory side to trust the opposing request.

Patrick Henry’s speech is used to convince tories and those who are undecided, on the topic of fighting back, to believe in his cause. Henry shows his belief in the patriot cause for freedom by allowing his emotions to seep through his writing as well as his words. “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!” (24). The words “Give me liberty, or give me death!” have a powerful connotation upon his audience.