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Colonalism in america/slavery
Analysis of Patrick Henry's speech
Colonalism in america/slavery
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Although Henry appears to rile up his peers for war, his true motive is to convey the urgency of his call to arms against the British oppressors; therefore, asserting that people must act upon injustices they face before it is too late. Patrick Henry utilizes a poignant metaphor to emphasize the scarcity of true freedom within the colonies, and if the colonies fail to act promptly, they will never posses genuine sovereignty. When mentioning how Boston has already started campaigning, Henry states: “Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston!” (Henry n. pag.). The metaphor of the chains has a very malevolent connotation. The colonies are chained like slaves, owned by Great Britain. Slavery is very present in the
southern colonies, using chains for connotation should impact them very powerfully, considering that the last thing they want is to be in that position. The problem with the south is that they don’t realize how they are being dominated by Great Britain. If the colonies do not act now, that will only engender and embolden Great Britain to oppress them further. The North needs the South to win this war, if they realize how the actions of the British affect them, the North will have their sister South to help them. Armed with the knowledge that their independence is in jeopardy, the South should be more willing to lift the pen and ignite the fires of war. To further his message of immediate action, Patrick Henry employs anaphora to convey that his message is of the utmost importance and must be acted upon immediately. Henry ends his speech with the now famous line: “Give me liberty, or give me death” (Henry n. pag.). The repetition of “give me” creates a tone of urgency. Additionally, liberty and death are placed against each other, which conveys that they are the only two choices available---there is no room for compromise. With no room for compromise and the war upon them, the colonies needed to act in the moment to save their people and they needed to gain liberty at whatever means necessary. This significant message is mirrored in many life events, where the only way to solve the problem is to take immediate action. Innaction equals death or at least an outcome of a similar level. People must take a stand against the injustices against them as well as other people groups before they no longer have the opportunity to do so.
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 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.
The compelling accounts of Boston King and David George certainly allow the reader to attain a higher degree of respect and sorrow for the slaves of the south during the time of the American Revolution. There is no question that these two slaves, in addition to countless others, suffered much more than any man should ever have to. The daily fear that amounted to chaos in their minds day in and day out are enough to send shivers down ones spine. The risks these men took for their family to acquire freedom certainly should not go unnoticed. One can read and immediately see many distinct similarities in these two accounts of dangerous decisions made by these men to overcome their slavery, but these similarities are, as mentioned, easily spotted.
In March of 1775, the words of Patrick Henry rang in the ears of his fellow Virginians. He stood in St John’s Church, located in Richmond, made an audacious public speech containing his opinions in relation to the colony’s next step of action in the war. This was not the first time that Henry stood in front of an audience to present a speech. Henry was known for speaking messages that people did not forget. Prior to this speech, Patrick Henry had made his name known by writing the ‘Virginia Resolutions’ against the despised Stamp Act. In the view point of this specific speech however, Henry spoke his opinion of the war starting and what he believed as truth. Virginia was the largest American Colony, with the House of Burgesses that was the longest-serving legislature that Virginia proudly claimed. Patrick Henry was also previously known for his incredible words and messages he had shared in the past. This speech went over the top compared to former speeches. As a known Christian man, Henry referenced an array of Biblical subjects throughout his speech “Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death”, in which his audience could take time to deeply digest. During this era, most Americans were Christians, making it easy for Henry to never quotes scripture directly, but imply it for his audience to grasp.
“Give me liberty or give me death!” This statement from Patrick Henry’s “Speech to the Virginia Convention,” delivered to the House of Burgesses, has been quoted by many, becoming almost cliché. However, the declaration is truly understood by a select few. The unjust Stamp Act passed by the British crown in 1765, brought fame and notoriety to Henry as he spoke out against the unjust taxation without representation. Ten years later on the eve of revolution, Henry calls upon the Colonial government of which he is part, to act for the betterment of the people. 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.
Henry is somewhat naïve, he dreams of glory, but doesn't think much of the duty that follows. Rather than a sense of patriotism, it is clear to the reader that Henry goals seem a little different, he wants praise and adulation. "On the way to Washington, the regiment was fed and caressed for station after station until the youth beloved
As a result of the French and Indian War, England’s attention became focused on the areas that required tending by the government other than North America, which provided the colonies with the one thing that ensured the downfall of Britain’s monarchial reign over America: salutary neglect. The unmonitored inhabitants of the colonies accustomed themselves to a level of independence that they had never possessed before, and when these rights were jeopardized by the enforcement of the Stamp Act after the Seven Year’s War, the colonists would not take it lying down. The colonies bound together in rebellion against the taxation without representation through boycotting the use of English goods, as embodied by Benjamin Franklin’s famous drawing of a snake; the “Join or Die” snake, as a whole representing the functionality and “life” of the colonies if they would work together, also forewarns the uselessness and “death” of the individual regions, suggesting that the colonies as a whole would have to fight the revolution against the Mother Country or else fail miserably...
In the first part of the novel, Henry is a youth that is very inexperienced. His motives were impure. He was a very selfish and self-serving character. He enters the war not for the basis of serving his country, but for the attainment of glory and prestige. Henry wants to be a hero. This represents the natural human characteristic of selfishness. Humans have a want and a need to satisfy themselves. This was Henry's main motive throughout the first part of the novel. On more than one occasion Henry is resolved to that natural selfishness of human beings. After Henry realizes that the attainment of glory and heroism has a price on it. That price is by wounds or worse yet, death. Henry then becomes self-serving in the fact that he wants to survive for himself, not the Union army. There is many a time when Henry wants to justify his natural fear of death. He is at a point where he is questioning deserting the battle; in order to justify this, he asks Jim, the tall soldier, if he would run. Jim declared that he'd thought about it. Surely, thought Henry, if his companion ran, it would be alright if he himself ran. During the battle, when Henry actually did take flight, he justified this selfish deed—selfish in the fact that it did not help his regiment hold the Rebs—by natural instinct. He proclaimed to himself that if a squirrel took flight when a rock was thrown at it, it was alright that he ran when his life was on the line.
Many arguments were made against independence that “when this war is proclaimed, all supplies from foreign parts will be cut off,” leaving the Colonies subject to the will of the Canadians and “to the numerous tribes of savages,” who would, without hesitation, seek revenge on the colonists (Leonard, 2, 3). Another argument that seems to neither support nor oppose the prospect of independence is that “a love of Freedom is a predominating feature which marks and distinguishes the whole,” implying that such a thirst for freedom as is present in the colonies could lead to its ruin (Burke, 2). But, when news of the Boston Massacre spread throughout the colonies, although quite exaggerated, had the effect of pouring fuel onto an unlit fire of kindling and gunpowder. The Boston Massacre occurred March 5, 1770, when British soldiers fired into a crowd of people after a Whig protest of merchants selling English goods. But, the spark that ignited the war did not come until four years later, when the continental congress addressed parliament for a repeal of the Coercive Acts that was blatantly ignored. When it became clear that there was to be no repeal, the colonists began to prepare for their war for independence which
Through the four stages of growth and development that Henry overcame, the glorious dreams that he once had were replaced by the more realistic horrors of war. Crane represents courage as an instinct, similar to cowardice. Only when instinct dictates courage, one can be heroic. Along Henry’s struggle to become self-aware, he has discovered new ideologies about war, death, courage, and manhood. He has a realistic image of war, an indifference to death, an instinctive courage, and a quiet manhood.
Henry’s personable nature is formed to enhance his ability to connect to his men. He uses this side of himself when he pretends to be a commoner before the battle of Agincourt. From his earlier vagabond years, Henry understands the psyche of the common man, and he uses this experience to make himself accessible as a person. Henry understands morale is low, and that his troops need to feel support so they do not give up. To do this, Henry disguises himself and speaks as a friend to his men to understand their opinions of the battle ahead. This persona differs so greatly from what most men see of Henry that his men can not even recognize their own king. Henry even drops the name “Harry le Roy,” with le roi being French for the king. The goal of this encounter is to retrieve unbiased intelligence about how his men feel without the intimidation that is associated with talking to the king. With this persona, Henry gets such candid results that he is insulted by a man named Williams. By disguising himself and changing his persona, Henry manipulates his own personality. He uses experiences from his previous lifestyle, builds on them, and then uses...
To turn Henry V into a play glorifying war or a play condemning war would be to presume Shakespeare's intentions too much. He does both of these and more in his recount of the historical battle of Agincourt. Although Shakespeare devotes the play to the events leading to war, he simultaneously gives us insight into the political and private life of a king. It is this unity of two distinct areas that has turned the play into a critical no man's land, "acrimoniously contested and periodically disfigured by opposing barrages of intellectual artillery" (Taylor 1). One may believe that Henry is the epitome of kingly glory, a disgrace of royalty, or think that Shakespeare himself disliked Henry and attempted to express his moral distaste subtly to his audience. No matter in which camp one rests, Henry V holds relevance for the modern stage. Despite containing contradictions, Henry is also a symbol as he is one person. This unity of person brings about the victory in the battle of Agincourt.
“Give me liberty or give me death.” This quote by Patrick Henry is a way to describe how the American colonists felt toward the British. The British did many things that upset the colonists which had huge effects on them. There were many effects of colonization of American colonists, such as the loss of land, the loss of money, and the American Revolution.
Through high moral character Henry established credibility with the audience through creating a setting that aroused feelings in the people at the convention in order to convince them they had to fight for more than just peace. The goal Henry had when he spoke about war was to be honest with the crowd and point out that they needed to do something now or they would loose not just what he loved, but what they also loved. Henry said “If we wish to be free, if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending...and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained, we must fight!”. In this quote the tactic of ethics is apparent in that Henry wanted to achieve a personal level of connection with the audience and establish his credibility. By relating losing the war it also meant the lose of their feelings of comfort and contentm...
It seems paradoxical that Thomas Jefferson, one of the eternal heroes of American democracy, was also the owner of more than 180 slaves precisely at the time when he proclaimed that all men were created equal and were endowed by their Creator with the inalienable rights to life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness. Moreover, throughout his lifetime he continued by stating that slavery was unjust and immoral. In 1785 he had used the phrase greed and oppression to characterize slave interest and contrasted it with the sacred right of emancipation. A year later he was astonished to find that American patriots who had endured physical punishment, hunger, and imprisonment in the hands of their British oppressors might inflict on their fellows a