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The fight for Independence The purpose of the Enlightenment period was to create a “public” announcement to inform citizens invested in common goods and preservation of the state. The speech of the Virginia convention was written during the Enlightenment period, which was during the 18th century ( 1750-1800). They believe in social improvement, political improvements, and scientific improvement, reality and logic than relying on faith. In 1775 Patrick Henry publicly gives a speech at a convention in Virginia in which he denounces the British King, In this Speech Patrick Henry uses a variety of rhetorical strategies to convince his audience, the president, and the colonists to join the fight for independence. In the speech of Virginia …show more content…
Convection one rhetorical strategy Patrick Henry uses in the speech is logos. A quote that shows logos is “ Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years, have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. We have held the subject up in every light which it is capable; but it has been all in vain.” This quote shows logos because the speaker is telling the president facts that they have tried everything they could do and their plans have failed, all they can do is just say strong and keep on fighting. A second quote that Patrick Henry uses is “ Sir, we are not weak, if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power... Are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us.” This quote means that the British may call us weak, but we know that we are not weak, we may have tried everything that we have done, but it all failed, the speaker is telling the president that we should not give up and keep trying no matter what, He is trying to convince the colonists that no matter what happens stay strong, be positive and stay opened minded and fight for their independence. In the speech of Virginia convection a second rhetorical strategy Patrick Henry uses in the speech is Pathos.
A quote that shows Pathos is “ It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry , “Peace, Peace” - but there is no peace. The war is actually begun!” This quote means that the speaker is trying to make his audience, the president and the colonists feel sad, and depressed because they are wishing for peace, but In order to get peace that the gentlemen cry they need to accomplish earning the peace and not just wishing for it to happen. Because if you wish for something you're just waiting for something magical or amazing to happen, but instead of wishing for peace take action to earn the gentlemen's peace. A second quote that shows Pathos is “Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish?... I know not what course others may take; but as for me give me liberty or give me death!” This quote means that The speaker is telling the president and the colonists why are we just standing here and not doing anything! What it is that gentlemen wish for? Pride? Happiness? Freedome? Why don’t we take action to grant these gentlemen's wishes, instead of standing here waiting for something to happen that will motivate them to fight for their freedom. The speaker is trying to make his audience, the colonists and the president feel like they have the courage and the pride to join in on this war for independence, and not just wait around for something amazing to happen. The speaker is going to join this fight for his independence no matter what, he doesn't know what others will do, but they can choose to either not fight and stay loyal to their king or fight for their independence. But either way it is taking a risk and showing pride that he is willing to go out and fight for his independence, ending in death or giving him his
liberty. In the Speech of Virginia Convection a third rhetorical strategy that Patrick Henry uses is Repetition and Rhetorical Question. A quote that shows repetition is “We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated… and we have been spurned with contempt from the foot of the throne!” The repetition in this quote is We have and our. This quote is showing that the speaker is telling the president EVERYTHING that they did and tried, and they are like slaves being placed at the foot of the throne to serve the king. A quote that shows Rhetorical Question is “Sir, what means this martial array, of it’s purpose be not to force us to submission?.. To call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she has none.” This quote shows a rhetorical question because the speaker is asking the president these questions and what he means is we are not being forced to accept the supreme power of another person, is Great Britain an enemy to the whole world now? To call all of our navies and armies? NO, NO Great Britain has none. They are meant for us. They are sent over for us not for Great Britain, But only for us. In conclusion The Speech of Virginia Convention by Patrick Henry, shows a variety of Rhetorical strategies used throughout the speech, that all relate to convincing his audience, the president, and the colonists to join the fight for independence, than rather being staying loyal to the king.
The Enlightenment was a great upheaval in the culture of the colonies- an intellectual movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries which emphasized logic and reason over tradition. Enlightenment thinkers believed that men and women could move civilization to ever greater heights through the power of their own reason. The Enlightenment encouraged men and women to look to themselves, instead of God, for guidance as to how to live their lives and shape society. It also evoked a new appreciation and
In the article “The Foul Reign of Self Reliance” by Benjamin Anastas the main topic being discussed is the topic of self reliance. It discusses how it is bad and how much the American society has been negatively effected because of it especially in politics because self reliance presents a self centered view. In the article Anastas’s uses rhetorical strategies such as pathos, logos, and to help the readers understand the concept of “self reliance”. Anasta’s uses pathos as well as logos, Anecdote and tone tone to let the reader know that the ideas that Emerson is discussing is not ok. Through out the article he explains that self reliance comes with one having to be selfish and self centered, Anasta uses examples from our society and challenges
They used pathos to stir up the feelings of the people. “we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal.” This quote is an excellent example of pathos. It gave the people a sense of pride and encouraged them to fight for it.
The Enlightenment had the most immediate impact on the founding fathers who were framers of the United States Constitution. Europeans often called the Enlightenment century as the Age of Reason. The Enlightenment is a period of uproar in America’s thirteen colonies in the early eighteenth century. It provoked a cry for a new government with a Constitution to assure liberty. It influenced the founding fathers because we needed structure such as human rights, civil rights and separation of church and state. The Enlightenment thinker’s affected the new nation. During this period, the Enlightenment began the revolution of change in thinking.
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”.
The Enlightenment political thought helped the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in England. James II wanted to strengthen his royal power alone and weaken the militia while raising his own army. The Enlightenment helped the English opponent to come forth and overthrow their king with the help of the Prince William of Orange and his wife Mary. They then reestablished the monarchy and accepted the Parliaments Bill of Rights. With the Enlightenment period, individuals helped get their words out and they learned to questions their ideals and beliefs. With the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the individuals were able to overthrown their king and establish the representative government and that a well-regulated militia under the locals control was best for everyone. The Enlightenment political thought helped the Glorious Revolution to establish a representative government and take control on what’s best for
Rhetorical Analysis: The Declaration of Independence. Our Declaration of Independence, was penned most notably by Thomas Jefferson in response to the atrocities committed by the British Crown against the citizens of the American Colonies. At the time of the drafting of The Declaration, Jefferson was widely known to be a successful practitioner of Law as a lawyer, and an eloquent writer. It is due to this, that although Jefferson was a member of a five-man committee charged with drafting the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was tapped to be the main author. After enduring “a long train of abuses and usurpations” the colonists decided to declare themselves free of British rule (para 2).
“Intellectuals and Democracy” by Mark Kingwell (2012) captures the essence of the commonality between higher education and philosophy and democracy. The author, who is a philosopher expresses his notion of the connection between the democratic system and that of the education system. Often, as the article expresses there is a preconception regarding the validation of careers promised with certain university degrees where other programs result in uncertainty or questioning from others. The use of rhetorical appeals used by the author throughout the article works towards building his article. I argue that through rhetorical appeals the author works his audience to grasp his personal stance of the education system as he attempts to persuade
The drive to end slavery in the United States was a long one, from being debated in the writing of the Declaration of Independence, to exposure of its ills in literature, from rebellions of slaves, to the efforts of people like Harriet Tubman to transport escaping slaves along the Underground Railroad. Abolitionists had urged President Abraham Lincoln to free the slaves in the Confederate states from the very outset of the Civil War. By mid-1862, Lincoln had become increasingly convinced of the moral imperative to end slavery, but he hesitated (History.com). As commander-in-chief of the Union Army, he had military objectives to consider (History.com). On one hand, emancipation might
Every year on the Fourth of July, America celebrates its independence and the freedom of the citizens. Before emancipation, the Fourth of July holiday was celebrated by all American citizens with the exception of the people who were not free, the slaves. If not everyone in America was free, then how could freedom be celebrated. Frederick Douglass points out the irony in America 's Fourth of July in his speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”. Douglass uses immediate and larger context to present the purpose in his speech along with compelling use of ethos, logos, and pathos; his language and style displays his aggravation towards the celebration of the Fourth of July, making his speech highly effective.
It would seem that a document written so long ago would not have a very large impact on our way of life now, but it was, and is, a basis on which our development as a democratic nation has been equated. If we were to influence our life now based on the text it would be important to look back into the past of the United States of America and read the document in context; develop an understanding of the intended audience. King George had been the announced audience, but the common people, in both the Colonies and in other countries, were an even more important audience. With this, Jefferson altered the mechanisms on which his message was delivered to make the Declaration of Independence far more accessible.
There are many different ways in which the Enlightenment affected the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. One way was the by the idea of a Social Contract; an agreement by which human beings are said to have abandoned the "state of nature" in order to form the society in which they now live. HOBBES, LOCKE, and J.J. ROUSSEAU each developed differing versions of the social contract, but all agreed that certain freedoms had been surrendered for society's protection and that the government has definite responsibilities to its citizens. Locke believed that governments were formed to protect the natural rights of men, and that overthrowing a government that did not protect these rights was not only a right, but also an obligation. His thoughts influenced many revolutionary pamphlets and documents, including the Virginia Constitution of 1776, and the Declaration of Independence.
The Enlightenment is a unique time in European history characterized by revolutions in science, philosophy, society, and politics. These revolutions put Europe in a transition from the medieval world-view to the modern western world. The traditional hierarchical political and social orders from the French monarchy and Catholic Church were destroyed and replaced by a political and social order from the Enlightenment ideals of freedom and equality(Bristow, 1). Many historians, such as Henry Steele Commager, Peter Gay, have studied the Enlightenment over the years and created their own views and opinions.
Jonathon Israel referred to the Enlightenment period as a ‘revolution of the mind’, but the Revolution itself can also be seen in this light. The revolution was based on the ideas of liberty and equality. As the declaration of independence states ‘we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal’, this idea was revolutionary, as Americans viewed themselves as equal to each other. However, these ideas were too idealistic for the time, as slaves, women and men without property were not considered to be
Throughout Thoreau’s essay, he expressed his opinions and beliefs on the importance of civil disobedience in a society. He talked about how one must use his or her moral sense, conscience, to decide what is just and unjust. From here, Thoreau urged his readers to take action, to stop the machine from continuing its lifeless duty. His call to action is if a system is prone to corruption, the people must disobey it. This means that personal endangerment may be needed to do what is right. Going against the status quo to uphold justice and ethics is the basic message behind Thoreau’s essay.