Rhetorical Analysis Of Patrick Henry's Speech

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.

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.

Henry uses the aristotelian appeal of logos in his denunciation of the British. This is used to show logic in his speech. Henry states, “We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain. Let us not, I beseech you, sir deceive ourselves longer.” This firmly displays logos because Henry is stating that it is senseless for the colonists to wait any longer to stand up against Britain to gain their independence. Also, the colonies have tried arguing with the British for ten years, but it has gotten them nowhere. Therefore, it is only logical for the colonists to make a declaration of war. In similar light, Patrick Henry states, “It is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope... For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst and to provide for it.” Henry uses reasonability and tells the people that it is not unnatural for them to keep trusting that their situation of being under British rule may get better. However, he also says that overall, the colonists need to be aware of the facts and understand that they can no longer live under a different country’s rule. Logically, the colonies must join forces against Britain and fight for what is rightfully theirs. Henry effectively uses the aristotelian appeal of logos in his speech.

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.

In addition to rhetorical questioning, Henry also uses allusion to assert his opinions. For example, while speaking of how man naturally believes in hope, he references Homer’s Odyssey by saying, “We are apt to listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts”

Immediately as the speech begins, Henry’s tone manifests itself and remains unwavering. Henry begins, “It is natural for a man to indulge in the illustration of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth” (1). This sheds insight on his message and portrays him as a well versed individual. He then strengthens his tone when he says

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.

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 says, “ Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss.” This allusion is from the bible in Luke 22:47-48 Jesus is betrayed with a kiss from who he thought was his friend. This compares to what is going on with the war because Great Britain betrayed the colonies by having them suffer high taxes. That is one of the reasons why the colonies are trying to win their independence. Another allusion he used was when he said, “... and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts.” The allusion he used here was from Homers Odyssey, the enchantress Circe transforms men into swine after charming them with their singing. This resembles Great Britain luring in the colonies to believe in all of the false hopes and promises that they say they will give them, but these are not ever

America: “land of the free and home of the brave” (Key line 8). This statement would not exist without the important writers that built America’s foundation. The word courageous, however, does not just apply to physically fighting soldiers, but, for the people fighting mentally. The authors of the important documents, that helped lay a foundation for America, had a ton of courage to speak their mind. The authors: Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson, used rhetorical devices not only to prove to Britain that their colony was worth fighting for, but also to influence colonists to join the fight.

One language device Henry applies to his speech was developing an ethical and credible profile of himself. He this by associating himself with a divine and righteous deity. Henry says that, “...I should consider myself as guilty… of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings” (36). He acknowledges and respects God as an authority figure when mentioning God being above all. All other kings (including King George of England) are below God. This creates an ethical and credible characterization of Henry in the eyes of the audience. Since many colonists were religious, they almost certainly would pay more attention to a man who respects God. Talking about God also gives a reason to rebel. Henry states that the colonists will not fight alone and that, “There is a just God… who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us” (38). This statement implies that Henry believes God is on the side of the colonists if they fight. Asserting that God will help the colonists fight is an appeal to the ethics of the audience because Henry connects fighting to the will of God. With a Christian audience, connecting himself to Christian ideals promotes Henry’s ethical standing.

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

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.

“Give me liberty, or give me death!” is a quotation attributed to Patrick Henry, which he used to close his speech to Virginia Convention. During this time period, the 1770s, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson all made arguments in favor of separation of the American colonies from Great Britain; many of these appeals were persuasive for different reasons, whether that be logical, emotional, or pertaining to credibility and trust, which is to say logos, pathos, and ethos. First of all, we will examine Henry’s arguments during his speech at the Virginia Convention. Then, we will identify Paine’s appeals in a part of his essay, The Crisis n1. Lastly, we will evaluate Jefferson’s myriad of arguments in a part of his Autobiography.

Thesis- The rhetorical devices in the Speech to the Virginia Convention by Patrick Henry is very effective.