There are few speeches in the American history that compel us towards great acts of patriotism. Patrick Henry's speech in the Virginia Provincial Convention of 1775 is a prime example of one of these great speeches. During the debates on whether or not to compromise with Great Britain, Patrick Henry proposed the idea to his fellow members of the First Continental Congress to declare war on Great Britain. A reason why the speech was so powerful was the rhetorical strategies of the diction of slavery, the appeal to God, and the appeal to logic, that he deftly employed. After Patrick Henry opens his speech by respectfully acknowledging the opposition for their own opinions, intellect, and patriotism, he gains the attention of the Congress …show more content…
The use of the anadiplosis, “I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there had been in the conduct of the British ministry...with which gentlemen...solace themselves and the house?”, further strengthens his use of logic by presenting the Congress with evidence of the British ministry’s insidious ways. He then inquires the Congress, through a series of rhetorical questions, such as, “Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation?”, in order to scrutinize the actions of the British ministry, causing fear of the future and of reconciliation to resonate within the Congress. Patrick Henry uses a hypophora when saying, “Has Great Britain any enemy in this quarter of the world, to call for all his accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she had none.” This clearly indicates that the British have sent armies across the sea in order to do battle with America, that there is no other outcome but one of war. Patrick Henry delivers more parallelism throughout his speech as it escalates to draw out emotions such as anger. For example, he repeats the words ‘petitioned’, ‘remonstrated’, ‘supplicated’, and ‘prostrated’, to convey the frustration of seceding from Great Britain. By using the symploce and epimone in, “If we wish to be free, if we mean to preserve… we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight!” Patrick Henry builds up to the apogee of “we must fight” with the continuity to the climax of the parallelism along with the emphasis of the epimone. Finally, Patrick Henry uses the epimone, “The war is inevitable- and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come” in order to portray the severity and the sheer magnitude of the issue at hand and the repercussions that the decision of whether or not to go to war will
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
Patrick Henry’s effective diction emphasizes how much the British had suppressed the colonists and that it was time to fight for their freedom. Henry displays this through his strong use of pathos, logos, and ethos. His rhetorical questions really appeal to the logic and ethics of the colonists and leaves the no choice but to join him and rebel.
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.
“Trust it not sir it will prove a snare to your feet”(Henry 102). In other words don’t trust the British owing to the fact in the end they will harm you. That was a quote from Patrick Henry’s Speech to the Virginia Convention during the mid 1700’s. The purpose of his speech was not to compromise with the British but to take up arms. Patrick Henry was a representative in the Virginia House of Burgesses. Mr. Henry enjoyed oratory which is a a religious society of priest for private worship. He also loved anything involving the law. Patrick Henry delivered the speech to the Virginia Convention using the compelling technique of pathos to convince the delegates to proceed to war with the British and fight for their country.
The 1770s proved to be a time of much chaos and debate. The thirteen colonies, which soon gained their independence, were in the midst of a conflict with Great Britain. The colonies were suffering from repeated injuries and usurpations inflicted upon them by the British. As a result of these inflictions, Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry addressed these injustices, and proved to be very persuasive through providing reasoning and evidence that moved many colonists to believe that to reach contentment and peace the colonies had to rid themselves of British rule. Henry and Paine were successful in swaying their audience, not only because of the rhetorical strategies used, but also because they were passionate about the cause they were committed to.
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
Patrick Henry was known as “the Orator of Liberty” and created his name with his speeches. When colonists were divided in 1775, some were hoping to work it out but not Patrick Henry. He thought the only choice was to go to war with Great Britain. Henry uses ethos, pathos, and logos to show his clause for going to war with Britain.
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
Henry's statement struck his audience right at the core. Through the accompaniment of rhetorical devices and pathos, one can strengthen his or her argument to the point where others see no other option. When spoken at the right occasions and with enough of supporting evidence, an argument will enrapture the audience and make people find your argument logical and appealing. Patrick Henry made his speech less than a month before the American Revolution took place.
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.
Patrick Henry attempts to persuade the House of Burgesses to revolt and declare war against Britain by logically convincing them that it is their natural right to be free and calling on their patriotism and pride as leaders of colonial America. Throughout his speech, Henry justifies his argument for going to war, by logically explaining himself to the leaders of the American colonies. Obviously “men often see the same subject in different light.” Therefore, Patrick Henry uses this in a step-by-step explanation of why he believes that the colonies should join together in revolt. He states, because men have different views, he wishes to express his own, without “be[ing] disrespectful,” to anyone in the House.
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson appeals to patriotism. Jefferson ensures this by persuading the colonists to become self-governing. He tries to let all of the people of the New World understand that they have protested and defended themselves against the British for all of the corrupt acts the British have committed upon the colonists. Jefferson’s tone in the Declaration of Independence portrays how tiresome he has grown of the British rule after all of the deception towards Americans. Included within the idea of patriotism, is the idea of loyalty to the fundamental values and principles underlying American democracy. Thomas Paine also provides patriotism to get advocates for the movement to separate from the British forces. Correspondingly, Paine persuades Americans that they will prosper in numerous areas without the control of the British saying, “Is the power who is jealous of our prosperity, a proper power to govern us? Whoever says No to this question is an independent, for independency means no more, than, whether we shall make our own laws…” (Paine). Paine uses a demanding tone to convince Americans that if they should accept the ties with Britain, it will bring ruin and distress to the
Paine had not entertained the idea of independence from Britain when he arrived in America. He thought it was “a kind of treason” to break away from Britain. It was not until the Battle of Lexington in 1775 that he considered “the compact between Britain and America to be broken” (Claeys). This idea of a broken compact allowed Thomas Paine to write a political pamphlet.
There are many persuasive writers who use ethos, pathos, and logos. Their techniques ensure that the audience leaves remembering the message. Patrick Henry brings out an emotional, religious, and contrasting message to his audience in his “Speech to the Virginia Convention”. Although there are many great rationalist, Patrick Henry is one of the most persuasive because he appeals to emotions, refers to religion, and compares and contrasts Britain to America.
Patrick Henry wrote Speech in the Virginia Convention. One persuasive method used was emotional appeal. An example of this would be when he said "We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth,, an listen to that song of siren, till she transforms us into beasts." He used emotional appeal to make his reader feel bad. Another method would be his use of rhetorical questions. One of the questions he wrote was "IS this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty?" This rhetorical Question was asked to show a point. In addition to those two, exaggeration was also a key to his percussion. He stated that "there is no longer room for hope" when there is. He was being dramatic.