“Give Me Liberty or Give me Death” is a speech performed on March 17, 1765. Today I will be analyzing the figurative techniques and the power behind Sir Henry’s words. I will explain how the audience had seen it and the way they reacted to it. The three examples of figurative language that I will use in are rhetorical questions, allusions, and hyperboles. I will also explain a reference that Sir Henry used in his speech that reflects the theme and writings of a well-known poem. The theme of Sir Henrys speech is based around the final sentence in the speech “give me liberty or give me death “(Henry). Sir Henry uses the knowledge he has about the audience as a weapon to influence them to unite and fight back. The figurative techniques Sir Henry …show more content…
Henry’s intention of delivering one of the most brilliant speeches in history was to influence his people, citizens of Virginia, the importance of a free state. Throughout the speech Sir Henry talks about standing up and fighting for the freedom of the state before it is too late. Sir Henry conveys some extremely strong messages through the usage of literary techniques and the slang in his words. For the seventeenth century Sir Henry presented his speech in a very powerful manner to the people of the time the speech was very influential and made a huge difference in the outlook to the audience. Through one of the most influential and brilliantly performed speeches in history Sir Henry conveys underlying messages through literary techniques such as rhetorical questions, allusions, hyperboles, and relatable …show more content…
“Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” (Henry). Sir Henry is saying join me or not but I shall go forth and conquer freedom with or without you. This is the final line of the speech and left a huge impression on the audience, this line alone opened the eyes of many. The hyperbole evokes strong feelings with the exaggeration of gods will taking Sir Henrys and the audience’s side. Sir Henry was a figure that many looked up too during this period of time, a very important and valuable man, and if a man of his position said he was willing to die for his liberty the commons were not only influenced to join the rebel but insisted on joining, because the power and usage of Sir Henrys words had such a big
Many speeches have shaped the nation we live in today. Patrick Henry’s “Speech in the Virginia Convention” and Benjamin Franklin’s “Speech in the Convention” are two of the most prominent speeches that have assisted in the forging of our new nation. The “Speech in the Virginia Convention” serves to encourage those that listened to take arms against the British and fight the injustice being done to them. The “Speech in the Convention” admits to the imperfections of the Constitution but supports its ultimate purpose. Both Patrick Henry and Benjamin Franklin believe leaders must do away with compromise and lead when it’s best for the people as a whole. However, Patrick discourages any future compromise, while Benjamin Franklin feels that future
Henry’s speech to Virginia uses several tactics to get your attention; the stress at the time was overwhelming as the pressure from Britain to dissemble and succumb intensified. “It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfil the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country.” His intention behind involving God and religion
He uses words like “chains” as symbols of America's ties with Great Britain in order to show the slave-like hold that Britain claims over America, which creates a sense of fear in the hearts of the members of the Congress. By saying “For my own part… a question of freedom or slavery” Patrick Henry frames the only outcome of their decision as either freedom, which would be the product by going to war against the British, or slavery and subjugation, which would be the result of reconciliation and obedience. He implores the Congress to not ignore the gravity of the situation at hand of how “war and subjugation” are Great Britain's true intentions.
He addressed the cruel taxes and policies that have been placed upon the American people. He also, speaks of the tiring efforts of the colonies to overcome the impossible British policies. Henry begins his statement with the numerous actions taken by people in response to the British approach to limit their freedom. Writing in the statement, Henry complains that many actions have been taken in an effort to achieve freedom but have failed. Henry himself writes, “In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation?”. In making this comment Henry urges the British to be prepared for them. After overcoming the stamp act , Henry urges the British to be ready for revolution if freedom is not given. This exactly, Henry points out, if basic privileges are not given to men and women, there will be a war. Henry himself writes. “give me liberty, or give me death!”. Basically, Henry is warning that if freedom is not given, he is willing to fight until it is. Patrick Henry’s statement is crucial to the American cause in the War for Independence. He led the fight against the stamp act, after being elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1765. Also, he proposed his argument for going to war was in an effort to live as free men and fight. His speech inspired men to join the cause and fight for
Although the Edwards excerpt sentence involved fear, emotional deception and mental deception to obtain the audiences full attention, the opening sentence of Jefferson's Declaration gives the audience a much different approach to procure the audiences focus. Jefferson's opening sentence has a mild tone of diction, for the beginning of an informative speech. The eloquent words highly imposed among the s...
Revolutionary-era America produced many amazing things such as the swivel chair and the flatboat. But none is greater than Thomas Paine’s The Crisis and Patrick Henry’s speech. These Revolutionary writers are well known for their handiwork and their contribution to the American revolution. Their use of allusions and charged words caused patriotism to swell within the colonies, which in turn, gave rise to the revolt against British tyranny.
In a time full of chaos, desperation, and dissenting opinions, two definitive authors, Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry, led the way toward the American Revolution. Both men demanded action of their separate audiences. Paine wrote to inspire the commoners to fight while Henry spoke extemporaneously to compel the states’ delegates to create an army. Despite the differences between the two, both had very similar arguments which relied heavily upon God, abstract language, and ethos. In the end, both men were able to inspire their audiences and capture the approval and support of the masses. If not for these two highly influential and demanding men, the America that we know today might not exist.
William Shakespeare is a renowned writer for his effectiveness in writing, which is hailed from crafting his pieces with various types of literary devices. Cardinal Wolsey's soliloquy after being fired in Shakespeare's Henry VIII is no different. Shakespeare uses allusion, figurative language, and a shifting tone to hone in the complex and passionate set of emotions Wolsey felt.
These two speeches were written in a time of distress and loads of pressure. The American colonies were starting to take a stand against the British reign and become independent. Thomas Jefferson and Patrick henry were one of the most influential voices of this time period. However “The Speech to Virginia Convention” was written to get the people on board to fight and in this way, written more persuasive than “The Declaration of Independence”.
In writing this letter to Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Banneker, clearly and precisely uses numerous rhetorical strategies to establish his point that the immoral, unlawful and horrid institution of slavery should be abolished in the thirteen colonies of America. Centered on the argument against slavery Benjamin Banneker uses a passive-aggressive, informal, and specific tone throughout the entire letter. His belief that if he can sway Jefferson first, and then the government of the abomination that is slavery, then there is a chance that it may finally be terminated in America. To do this and to truly persuade Jefferson, Banneker demonstrates an immense amount of rhetorical strategies such as analogy, comparison and contrast, hyperbole, allusion,
... format allows his and Masquerier’s rhetoric to have an impact to the audience. The styles of both documents are designed for an emotional response meant to impress with unusual word choice, and careful composition. The philosophical statement allows both narrators to deliver their fundamental beliefs, utilizing ethos, and appealing to the audience. By using rhetoric strategies Jefferson and Masquerier were allowed to implement ethos, pathos, and logos to sway the readers. Masquerier concepts of social reform based on the principals of equality with rhetoric. Moreover, being an advocate for the workingman allowed Masquerier to obtain the attention of many during the industrial age. This allowed him to expand on the concepts of rich oppressing the poor. However, none of this would have been possible without Jefferson’s format of his The Declaration of Independence.
One of the most famous pieces of history, the “Declaration of Independence,” was published on July 4, 1776, and was written by Thomas Jefferson. In the British colonies in America, Jefferson addresses not only the King George III of England but the American colonists with a formal document structured in a general to a specific list of grievances. The purpose is to explain why the colonies want to form their own country. In commanding and accusatory tone, Jefferson utilizes figurative language and rhetorical strategies to express his attitude towards the matter of American Independence and the King of England.
In the “Speech at the Virginia Convention” Patrick Henry tries to persuade colonists to fight a war against the English; he uses several main rhetorical strategies such as; parallelism, metaphor, and rhetorical questions.
However, the author 's interpretations of Jefferson 's decisions and their connection to modern politics are intriguing, to say the least. In 1774, Jefferson penned A Summary View of the Rights of British America and, later, in 1775, drafted the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms (Ellis 32-44). According to Ellis, the documents act as proof that Jefferson was insensitive to the constitutional complexities a Revolution held as his interpretation of otherwise important matters revolved around his “pattern of juvenile romanticism” (38). Evidently, the American colonies’ desire for independence from the mother country was a momentous decision that affected all thirteen colonies. However, in Ellis’ arguments, Thomas Jefferson’s writing at the time showed either his failure to acknowledge the severity of the situation or his disregard of the same. Accordingly, as written in the American Sphinx, Jefferson’s mannerisms in the first Continental Congress and Virginia evokes the picture of an adolescent instead of the thirty-year-old man he was at the time (Ellis 38). It is no wonder Ellis observes Thomas Jefferson as a founding father who was not only “wildly idealistic” but also possessed “extraordinary naivete” while advocating the notions of a Jeffersonian utopia that unrestrained
In the play Henry VIII by Shakespeare, Cardinal Wolsey is facing a great hardship: he just lost his position as advisor to the king. To hi, this position meant a great deal and now he does not know what else life has in store. He has lost the one thing that made him truly happy. Shakespeare uses these elements and a dismal tone to convey to the reader the intense shame and embarrassment that Wolsey feels.