Patrick Henry Speech Rhetorical Analysis

In Patrick Henry’s,“ Speech in the Virginia Convention,” he explains to the President as well as the government at the time on how a war with Britain is completely necessary in order to gain full independence for America. Henry uses a proud tone to inspire his audience, simple and complex sentence structure to convey straightforward details, patriotic and passionate diction to bring an uprising of emotion, and ethos to ethically support the main idea.

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.

Patrick Henry also called for action against the British being that written argument with them had done very little in getting liberties for the habitants of the colonies, since the British were unwilling to give up any control in addition to a long timeframe to receive a response worked against their efforts. When Henry is questioned on why they should take immediate action, he asks others what they think should be done, “Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last 10 years” and he informs them that “it has been all in vain. Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication?” (Henry, 1775, p.35). He is trying to get the point across that the colonies need to do something if they otherwise they will be stuck having

Throughout the entire speech, he creates emotion that affects the audience. He created emotion throughout the speech by using other rhetorical strategies, such as repetition, imagery, rhetorical questions, and allusions. By using repetition, he made the audience feel some guilt. In the repetition “Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves” creates the guilt-feeling towards the audience, because if Henry were right about Great Britain, then the audience would be in fault for not going to war with Great Britain. By using imagery, the images of an “insidious smile”, “delusive phantoms of hope”, and slavery and chains, creates an unpleasant image to the mind making the audience feel angry, empty, and fearful. Henry uses many rhetorical questions. The use of the rhetorical questions is a question that can only be answered with one right answer. This is because the question being asked is the truth. Sometimes the truth can be hard to hear and accept. As Henry asks these questions, “But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction?” he evokes fear towards the audience and perhaps anger. He also uses biblical allusions in the speech. He does this to create some credibility but also to provoke some trust from the audience. When Henry mentions God or the biblical allusion it comforted or delighted the audience to know that God is a role in his speech. Although Henry uses repetition, imagery, rhetorical questions, and allusions, he incorporated emotion to those three other rhetorical strategies used.

Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?” This effectively puts the audience into a panic of a future under the British, luring them more into Henry’s ideas of war. The audience, already hyped from their boosted sense of independence since the beginning of the speech, is now completely vulnerable to Henry’s words.

Patrick Henry once stated “Give me liberty or give me death.” In the 18th century, it was the age of reason, which focused on science and reason rather than religion, however still believed in a god. Progress was an important concept at the time. The American Revolution was just beginning when Patrick Henry gave his remarkable speech. Britain was over commanding, selfish, and ignorant; it was time to change that and fight for liberation and justice! Britain was causing loss of jobs for the colonies because of the harsh taxes put on trade. This caused hundreds of thousands of already poor colonists to now go into poverty. Patrick Henry’s pathos in his speech to the Virginia Convention was persuasive because it made the colonists feel further

Henry is asking his audience if they would rather live a peaceful life of slavery or a life of freedom on their own terms. This rhetorical question is impactful because Henry”s audience is afraid of slavery, they don’t like the idea of being controlled by anyone. They know what the lives of their own slaves are like and they fear being put in that position. This makes the audience want to heed Henry's advice and go to war against Great Britain.

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 asks them the real question, “Will it be the next week or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house?” He is using repetition, pathos, and a rhetorical question when he asks these questions. The men want to be strong, they want to stand up for their country, but will they do it now, or when it’s too late? That is what Patrick Henry is trying to ask. It is repetition since it repeats “Will it be” at the beginning of the questions. It is pathos as a result of, it affects the men in a pathological sense for they want to be strong, they do not want to be slaves to the British. Finally, it is a rhetorical question due to the answer being obvious, they want to take care of it now, as things go, when it’s too late, it’s too late, they can't do anything about it. Patrick Henry also asks, “And what have we to oppose them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject?” He is mentioning their lack of progress in stopping the British threat. This impacts the men's egos now that they realize it has not stopped and that they have had no impact on the British, that they have not scared them away. He is using logos and pathos in this to move

When he speaks to the colonists he says, “listen to the song of the siren till she transforms us into beasts”. Patrick Henry used this allusion referring to the colonists as the ones who were being deceived by the British and would eventually lose their battle against them. In addition to the delusion of the colonists, he proclaimed that the colonists were in complete denial of the extent of the mistreatment and inequality that was being embedded on them as he said, “Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation?”. Patrick Henry used allusions to compare the horrid circumstances the colonists were under to past relatable

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.

First, Patrick Henry, author of “Speech in the Virginia Convention”, uses allusions and rhetorical questions to convince his

“We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the sound of that siren, till she transforms us into beast,” (Henry 103). During this period of time, everything was brand-new to the colonist. Sometimes, new things can be extremely scary and it might cause fear. The majority of the colonist wanted freedom but were scared to go against Britain’s rule. Families were very emotional because of the lack of freedom, money, and all the people dying. Patrick Henry used the colonists’ fear to help encourage and motivate them into taking a stand and fighting against the British.

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

In 1775, Patrick Henry gave America one of the most inspiring speeches that will bring soon bring them together with war on the rise. “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” has become the battle-cry to the people in the colonies to take a stand against Britain’s rule and make America their own country. Even after the attempted peace between the two countries, it has been exhausted to the breaking point, and it has come to the time where fighting for their own freedom is the only viable option. Henry’s speech spoke volumes to the American people of the truth, the false presence of peace, and the cry for battle against Britain.