St Patrick's Confessio Analysis

Patrick Henry uses allusions to hint the subjection if the colonists were to do nothing. The first allusion is from Greek mythology. “We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts” (Henry 83). Henry is referring to when Odysseus’s men were lured into a trap by the sirens, almost making them shipwreck their boats on the rocks. He is indicating that the colonists are like the shipmen, while the sirens are the British, luring them in with their phony deals for freedom. The result of crashing into the rocks would be the parallel to

On one hand, Gerald may be ashamed of his own biological makeup, because of his parent’s filthy urges but, on the other hand, he still holds some confidence in the fact that because he is more involved with his Christianity, he could not possibly make the same ghastly choices that his parents and supposedly the Irish appeared to. He uses the Irish his book to make an example out of anyone involved in hybridity. According to Gerald, the Irish “are ignorant of the rudiments of the Faith” and “do not attend God’s church with due reverence”, but instead he repeatedly accuses them of “incestuous relations” and have “yet to pay tithes or first fruit or contract marriages” (106). He is upset with the Irish because he

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

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 uses this to affect the feeling of the audience by presenting this evidence because he calls them “warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land.” The use of the words “cover” and “darken” connote an image of suffocation, death, and total imprisonment. Continuing, Mr. Henry stated, “They are meant for us; they can be meant for no other”(Henry) which emphasizes the military preparations which the British are taking while using a balanced sentence with parallel independent clauses which repeat that same point. He ends the paragraph with a metaphor comparing the build-up of armies and navies to “chains” which the British will “bind” and “rivet.” This creates an effect on pathos through the imagery of imprisonment created through the metaphor. In the next paragraph, Henry presents more opposing arguments with his refutation. The opposing arguments are asking the colonists to try and argue with the British with entreaty and humble supplication. Henry refutes these arguments by saying that they have already tried all of these strategies to no avail. Henry’s rhetorical pattern throughout these paragraphs is presenting the opposing arguments through rhetorical questions and then to respond to some of the rhetorical questions with

Patrick is saying that is peace so

To persuade the colonist with ethos Henry uses the God almighty as his authority figure. In fact during his speech he says, “Sir, we are not weak, if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power.” In other words Henry is saying we are not weak, we have God by our sides which is all the strength we need because with God by our sides, we have nothing to be worried about. Henry wants the colonist to understand that if you trust in God then that’s all you need to go into war, God will be by your side leading you through the way. Also Mr. Henry says, “….majesty of heaven, which I reserve above all earthy kings.” Again trying to get the colonist to see that all you need is God by your side and that you should trust in him, believe in him, and that if you trust these kings here on earth then it shouldn’t be a problem for you to trust in God. Mr. Henry using God as his authority figure to persuade the colonist to go into a war with Great Britain helped get them on his side and get prepared and ready for a

Patrick Henry establishes credibility by showing that it will be necessary to go to battle through his use of ethos in the text. “Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country”(Henry). This explains that Patrick feels that if he holds back in order to not offend anyone, it’ll be like betraying his own country. Moreover, Patrick Henry expresses credibility by stating “Guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the majesty of heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings” (Henry). He reveals that he is guilty of treason towards his country, which shows an act of disloyalty towards God in which he respects more than anyone. Next, Henry uses metaphors throughout the text to convey his credibility. “I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience”(Henry). This explains that him being experienced is the only reason why he continues to keep fighting and

Patrick Henry strangely begins his speech by informing the colony leaders his appreciation of the work that they do and how much

He is acknowledging that if the people of Britain were to join him it would be as if they were freed from slavery, even tho9ugh they were not technically slaves. Impossible to think about the agony and torture the slaves endured during this brutal time era, but he relates the two due to the way Britain’s power influenced the people. Patrick Henry is questioning freedom because of the way people in different, as well as his own, country were mistreated. This is truly an awful moment when even a man of power notices the lack of freedom and equality within his country. “I know not what course the others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!” (Henry, 104) The quote shows how Henry stands up for what he believes in. Even earlier in the speech he stated “Consider myself as guilty for treason towards my country” (Henry 102) since he could be viewed as guilty for calling out the lack of liberty in his country. Liberty for all is all he wanted and the colonists notice that throughout this speech. Henry truly cares for each and every person, he takes pride in what he says and does, even if that means going against his country and committing alleged ‘treason’. He would die for what he believes in and that is an

Patrick talks about how they had tried everything peacefully, like civilized human beings, even though, they did not like England. From his standpoint before the speech was to resolve things through talking or treaties, instead of a war. Obviously, it didn’t work, but he had tried, which is the first thing to do in a situation like this.

The british was pretending to help america but in reality they don't want the United States to become their own country. Patrick Henry is saying that the british is faking kindness with the United States. Henry question why the british was saying they want to be peaceful but at the same time they are bringing in troops and weapons into the United States. Herding this coming out of Patrick Henry’s mouth will wake up the council and have them realize that the british is up to no good. Using pathos gains you access to the most vulnerable part of a person and that’s the

You must be terribly hungry by now because it’s long past your suppertime, and I know Patrick would never forgive me. God bless his soul, if I allowed you to remain in his

"And three Irishmen came to king Alfred in a boat without any oars from Ireland which they had left secretly because they wished for love of god to be in exile,

In his speech, Patrick Henry first states “No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House. But different men often see the same subject in