Patrick Henry's Rhetorical Devices

1. Patrick Henry’s purpose in his speech to the Convention of Delegates in Virginia was to convince the people to take action against the British government. This excerpt is an effective conclusion to that speech. Throughout the speech, Henry appeals to both reason and emotion. He argues that the choice before the people of the Colonies is between freedom and slavery, and he claims that sharing his opinions is in the service of God and country. These final sentences bring Henry’s reasoning and his appeal to its logical end. In them, Henry uses rhetorical questions and an appeal to pathos. The effect is to leave the reader/listener feeling that Henry’s conclusion is the only one for a person of patriotic and sound mind.

People say that Patrick Henry should be considered one of the founding fathers because of one of his many great speeches to be more specific the speech he gave at the Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775. This speech is considered the most important speech he has given. After the speech events eventually took place that would lead to the American Revolution in this speech he used many rhetorical devices to win over his listeners

“Give me liberty or give me death!” is an iconic American quote that invokes feelings of patriotism and pride, still to this day. Patrick Henry, a Virginian lawyer, first spoke these words in his speech to the Virginia Convention in 1775, while trying to coerce the assembly to retaliate against British occupation of America. In his speech, he uses three rhetorical appeals to get the convention to gather an army.

Would America be the same country if it was not for some of our founding fathers and their contributions? If you take Patrick Henry out of the equation, the answer could very well be, ‘Yes’. Patrick Henry played a very prominent role in the success of America’s independence. Along with Thomas Jefferson and Richard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry helped create the Virginia House of Burgesses to resolve the tumultuous state of the colonies. In the early spring of 1775, Patrick Henry met with members of the second Virginia Convention to discuss the need for a military mobilization against the British. Henry spoke to fellow citizens of Virginia in Richmond at what is now St. John’s Church. He spoke with intimacy, fervor, passion, and showed an undeniable support to fight against the English government. His use of ethos, pathos, and logos effectively persuaded opponents and supporters of the Revolution to unite and fight British tyranny for American independence.

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.

“Unite the liberality with just frugality; always reserve something for the hand of charity; and never let your door be closed to the voice of suffering humanity” (“Patrick”). Patrick Henry was an important figure throughout the American revolution. During the revolution, Americans fought against the British for their independence and liberty. Before the war began, Americans were hesitant to fight because they feared the backlash that could have come with if the revolution was unsuccessful, and also because some refused to believe that their motherland would fight against them. Henry felt they had no choice but to battle against Britain and that the war was inevitable, so he decided to speak to the Virginia Convention in hope to rally them. In the “Speech to the Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry, he uses logos when talking about Britain to persuade the colonists to take up arms.

“GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!” Patrick Henry wrote this to convince his fellow men to take up arms and take action against the British before it was too late. Patrick Henry used an abundance rhetorical devices to convince the House of Burgesses to take up arms. He used rhetorical devices such as: biblical allusions, metaphors, repetition, logos, and others.

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.

It was 1775. War was looming over the British Colonies like a thundercloud yet to strike. Yet, somehow, many high-ranking Virginian delegates thought otherwise. However, one skilled politician decided to express his own feelings. Patrick Henry, a well-taught lawyer and orator from Hanover County Virginia, shared his bold feelings with roughly 120 Virginian leaders during the 1775 Virginia Convention in Richmond Virginia. Mr. Henry’s objective was to convince the convention that Britain had already crossed the line in a way that many thought to be incomprehensible to the naked eye. Britain was trying to keep their unclenching grip on the colonies by any means necessar y, such as bringing in large armies of red coats and crowding the waters with

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.

In the Speech to the Virginia Convention by Patrick Henry, the author uses multiple literary devices and a unifying tone to support his claim for the Americans to go against British oppression and to

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

In his speech during the Virginia Convention, Patrick Henry used a dynamic tone to express his ideas. He utilized the rhetorical technique of fallacy to persuade his audience into thinking that America’s independence was necessary for the good of the nation and its people. Henry takes advantage of fallacies such as the either or fallacy, fallacy of complex questions, appeal of consequence, and appeal to emotion to implement his ideas into the audience.

The mandate of the Body of Christ to make disciples has been established. The Church needs to embody in physical structuring and deeds what is necessary to make this happen. It is obvious we need to do whatever it takes to make that a reality.

Nuclear energy is one of the cleaner sources of energy. Nuclear energy is very important to Americans. It provides one in five households with electricity and also emits very little CO2 into the air when it is used (World-nuclear.org). This kind of electricity is very effective and efficient. It saves money overall compared to different ways of producing power. Nuclear energy can actually help fight cancer (World-nuclear.org). The radioactive isotopes produced from the nuclear power plants are what help fight cancer. These are all reasons why we should not get rid of the means of nuclear power or the nuclear power plants.