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Patrick Henry's "Speech at the Virginia Convention" analysis
Patrick Henry's speech to the Virginia Convention
Patrick Henry's speech to the Virginia Convention
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Many people attain an impatient tone of voice when trying to fight for what they believe is the correct thing to do in a time of opposition. Everybody has their own opinion of what is right and some will go to extreme lengths to prove how theirs will better benefit their cause. Before the revolutionary war many had their own opinion of what would be best for our country as a whole including Patrick Henry. Patrick Henry's “Speech to the Second Virginia Convention uses imagery, diction, and details to build the impatient tone of the speech giving his view on what should be done in terms of breaking away from Great Britain. Patrick Henry uses an impatient tone throughout his speech to show the absurdity of several views being voiced against …show more content…
the option of fighting for our freedom. Henry's use of imagery helps to show what the British Ministry was trying to do to the United States provided that they are sending over armies with no other reason than to forever bind us to them: “Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir she has none. They are meant for us; they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British Ministry have been so long forging”(2). In addition this helps to set the mood showing what will happen in the near future if action is not taken. To show that action needs to be taken immediately Henry reminds the audience that every possible course of action has already been taken: “ And what have we to oppose them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer on the subject? Nothing. We have held the subject in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain.”(2). Showing the audience that every possible option has been tried Henry builds his impatient tone by showing the audience that a course of action needs to be taken that will grant America her immediate freedom. To sway the audience Henry also uses diction: “We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament”(2).
By use of these specific words, the audience is provided with what has been attempted to avoid war and Britain's refusal to accept any attempt at peaceful recession. Accordingly, this sentence also uses parallel structure strengthening the speech by linking what solutions have been proposed together. However, by continuing his impatient tone throughout the rest of the speech stating “Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle?”(3) Henry showcases his impatient tone and demonstrates his view on what should be done and when it should be done. According to Henry, the answer to America's problems is immediate war. In conclusion, Patrick Henry's “Speech to the Second Virginia Convention uses imagery, diction, and details to build the impatient tone of the speech giving his view on what should be done in terms of breaking away from Great Britain. Henry's use of tone helps to further the reader's understanding of the predicament the United Stated was in before the start of the revolutionary war. Tone is also used to sway the reader to the conclusion that war is the only logical course of action
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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.
At the beginning of the war, everything was in array and no one could agree on anything, disorganization and uncertainty overwhelmed everyone. Organizations that were meant to be unifying factors for the colonists, like the Continental Congress, were little more than debating clubs that had to work for weeks before they could come to a decision. As time went on and the Tea Act was put into place the rage of the people made them grow closer. By the eve of the American Revolution, Parliament’s aggression towards the colonists had drawn a distinction between the colonist’s political, economic, and social ideas and those of the British. Colonists had embraced a new identity that helped fuel their resistance against Britain (American Identity and
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.
There were many similarities and differences between speech styles of the early 1700's and the late 1700's. Speakers were known to use persuasive techniques in these time periods to influence their audience's opinions. Speakers were also using an oratory approach to their speeches. Two speakers of this time period were Jonathan Edwards and Patrick Henry. The persuasive techniques of these speakers were different due to their topics, their purpose, and their messages being conveyed, yet they were similar due to their authority, their strong sense of emotion, and their belief in their subjects.
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
The first appeal that Henry uses in his speech is ethos which appeals to ethics. Evidence from the text is, “fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country” (lines 13-14). This shoes that God has credibility. It also shows that you need to respect God over Britain. The next piece of evidence that I found in the speech is whenever the text said, “…and of an act of disloyalty towards the majesty of heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings” (lines 16-17). This is saying that you should respect God above man. That is two ways how Henry used the ethical appeal, ethos.
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
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.
The eighteenth century, a time of turmoil and chaos in the colonies, brought many opinionated writers to the forefront in support or refutation of the coming American Revolution. This highly controversial war that would ultimately separate the future United States of America from Great Britain became the center of debate. Two writers, both of whom supported the Revolution, now stand to fully illuminate one side of the debate. Thomas Paine, a radical propagandist, wrote many pieces during this time including “The Crisis Number 1” (1776). Through writing, he appealed to the “common man” in order to convince them to gather their arms and fight for their freedom. In this document, he utilizes many of the same rhetorical skills and propaganda techniques as Patrick Henry, a convincing orator, did in his famous speech delivered to the state’s delegates in 1775. Among these techniques are transfer, abstract language, and pathos. In both works, these were used to call the audiences to war. These influential pieces both contained a call to action which, through the use of strong and decisive language, aided the beginning of the American Revolution.
Henry is arguing to get the people on the anti-federalist side. He wants the people to realize how much the new constitution would hurt the government. The argument is persuasive. This is because he did not just state his objection, he also gave proof and reasoning behind all of his objections. Henry is using emotions and history to get the people on his side. He gets them to feel how he feels. When reading you feel a connection to the document. You feel a sense of power, but the emotion of fear also happens. This is because you don’t want the government to fall. Henry does a good job at hooking the reader to make them understand where he is coming
Patrick Henry's Famous Speech Give me liberty or give me death. These famous words were uttered by Patrick Henry on March 23, 1775, as a conclusion to his speech delivered to the Virginia House of Burgesses. Within his speech, he uses the three rhetorical appeals (ethos, logos, and pathos) to convey a feeling of urgency toward the changes occurring in policy within the Americas implemented by the British government. He cleverly uses these appeals to disrupt the paradigm that Great Britain is going to let the American people have any liberty. The purpose of this speech is to gain support for a freedom movement from the British government.
Patrick Henry, also known as "the Orator of Liberty" , wrote speeches supporting the American democracy. During the British rule in the American colonies, Henry was one of the first opponents. Great Britain and the American colonies were divided in 1775. Henry felt the only choice was hoping to work out the disagreements. In his speech "Speech in the Virginia Convention" , Henry was hoping to persuade his fellow Virginian Patriots to go to war. Although some did not want to go to war, Henry used ethos, pathos, and logos throughout his speech to convince the Virginia Convention to go to war with Britain.
In the year 1776, an English-born American writer by the name of Thomas Paine published one of the most critical documents to American independence prior to the Declaration of Independence itself. His paper, Common Sense, called for the immediate break away of the colonies from England and the formation of a republican government, superior to the former monarchy. Though the sheer number of copies sold can speak for the impact of Paine’s work, proper insight requires us to look into the arguments that were presented. There was undoubtedly opposition from the remaining Loyalists, so how did Common Sense so totally eclipse the counterarguments? What caused this single document to inspire such a revolutionary spirit in so many colonists across