In Patrick Henry’s “Speech in the Virginia Convention,” Henry uses persuasive techniques such as repetition and rhetorical questions to interrogate the motives of the British and to reason why the colonies should declare their independence despite the consequences. In Henry’s speech, he uses repetition to address that war is inevitable to show how they must fight in order to achieve their goals as a nation and to prove that the colonists will not be alone over the course of the battle. In Henry’s speech he includes, “The war is inevitable—and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come!” By this quote, Henry is saying that the colonists have already gone so far and worked so hard to give up now. Also, he is saying that if they give up, they …show more content…
He calls upon Britain’s intentions with their use of their military force in the colonies when he said, “Ask gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it? Has Great Britain any enemy in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies?” Through this rhetorical question, Henry was saying that the British’s only desire for their forces in the colonies was to sustain the loyalty of the colonists toward Britain and to fetter the colonists from true freedom. One may believe that claim is true because, if losing the loyalty of the colonists wasn't a threat, the English would never have bothered to send their troops in the first place. Additionally, if they sent the troops for good reasons and had good intentions for the colonies, the colonies would not be scared to declare their independence. A reason they may have worried about preserving the loyalty of the colonists is because when one nation or government has more people loyal to them, there are more taxes being issued and more money for the kingdom. This quote applies to the peoples logical sense because the colonists went to the new land searching for freedom and they see it wrong for the British to be
At the Virginia convention in 1774, the delegates such as Patrick Henry, gather to decide their course of action, in a time where their primary goal was to rid themselves of their oppressor, Great Britain. Patrick Henry addresses the other delegates and discloses his opinion on what course of action the people should take. In his speech at the Virginia Convention, Patrick Henry forcefully influences the audience to go to war with Great Britain through diction, figurative language and rhetorical devices and by confronting them with their current position of danger in the face of the inevitable British Invasion. Patrick Henry emphasizes his opinion of the necessary war by using diction such as ethos and logos, through appeals to their senses that make connections for the audience. Through Henry’s repetitive utilization of ethos
Patrick Henry's speech before the Virginia Congress was crafted to persuade the many men gathered there to listen. He uses several rhetorical devices to accomplish this goal, and he accomplishes it with flying colors. As you read the speech, you can see the desperation poring from Henry's words. "Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded". In this portion of the speech, he uses parallelism to reiterate that America has tried everything to stop this war from happening, but their efforts were to no avail, and it was time to begin fighting.
Henry’s speech was the startup of the continental army, which would protect this young nation from the tyranny of British rule. By incorporating pathos Mr. Henry was able to push the men of the convention toward voting for the army. He pulled at their desires for independence and strong feelings nationalism by introducing the idea of unity between the colonies, stating. “I am not a Virginian, but an American” (Henry). This quote drove the feeling of united colonies deeper into the listeners of the convention, bringing up strong emotions, drawing heavily on pathos.
Lawyer and politician, Patrick Henry in his speech, “Give me Liberty Or Give Me Death” (March 23, 1775), explains that he give this plea to urge the old dominion to form militias to defend itself against British. He supports his claim by first using a religious reference to express the themes of freedom, equality, and independence. Then uses a selection of other strategies like rhetorical question and allusion to disprove the opposing arguments and clarify the point he is making. Patrick Henry purpose is to fight back and he wants other to fight with him in order for independence. He creates a powerful and commanding tone for the second Virginia convention.
He forces the audience to accept what he is saying as the truth. “We must fight!” a short exclamatory sentence which creates a sense of urgency into the audience. As the speech reaches its climax, and the excitement and energy that Henry has placed into the audience, they are now convinced and ready to charge into battle against the British. Patrick Henry’s “Speech to the Virginia Convention” was a call to arms to the colonist against the British during the 1700’s.
In 1775 the American Colonies stood at a tipping point. Britain and the Colonies had been embroiled in a continuing struggle over numerous injustices, and the Colonies seemed at long last situated to engage in a revolution against Britain. However, the colonial representatives were still tied up in negotiations with Britain, and many delegates of the Virginia Convention wanted to delay actions until the negotiations had concluded. Patrick Henry disagreed with the delay, so he addressed the Convention, arguing for the need to mobilize troops against the British, a request tantamount to treason. Instead of shying away from the polarizing nature of his argument, Henry adopted a respectful, but urgent, tone, crafting an argument that would inspire his audience into action.
On March 23, 1775, Mr. Patrick Henry made history when he delivered a speech at the Virginia Convention. Mr. Henry's purpose in his speech was to convince the Virginia patriots attending the convention that the only option with Britain remaining was war. Mr. Henry used many rhetorical devices throughout his speech, and with the use of pathos, ethos, and logos he had an effective advantage that appealed to almost every person at the convention. To begin with, Mr. Henry’s speech contains much use of pathos as he relates to the emotions of the people of Virginia. An example of Mr. Henry's use of pathos is when he states, “I consider it as nothing less than freedom or slavery...”.
He tells the colonists that the British Parliament usually responds to the “gracious reception of [their] petition comforts with [] war-like preparations.” Henry contrasts the colonists’ petition to the British’s warmongering. Henry’s antithesis makes the colonists recognize the difference between their polite approach and the British's aggressive response. Therefore, he gives the colonists more reasons to question the negative actions being enacted by the British. He highlights Britain’s inability to compromise since they respond to any threats with violence.
Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication?" He's making them think about everything they've done in the past that hasn't worked. Another example of logos is "Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrance have produced additional violence insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne. There is no longer any room for hope. " Henry is telling us that the British have been unresponsive to anything but armed resistance.
Patrick Henry’s claim in his speech to the Virginia Convention is war with England is the only way to win freedom and their desires because England makes this the only choice. Before Patrick went up there were other men that had spoken before him, these men were speaking their views on whether or not they should initialize the war. Once Patrick has his chance to say his part he believes that they should fight because England hasn’t been fair. Patrick states this basically by saying “An appeal to arms and to the God of Hosts is all that is left us”. This is such a powerful statement because what he’s proposing is extremely dangerous.
Patrick Henry, former governor of Virginia, bravely spoke on the 23rd of March, 1775, at St. John’s Church, introducing his strategies to end the American Revolution in victory. The speech was so inspiring that it ignited a massive flame of patriotism. Americans began to greatly support his political ideology. Due to his stirring choice of words, the phrase “Give me liberty, or give me death!” impacted the listeners, making his remarkable words yet known to this date.
Patrick Henry, also known as the founding father, was born on December 29, 1736 in Hanover County, Virginia. He was a lawyer and a politician. He served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and from 1784 to 1786. He is best known as a Revolutionary orator and for his speech “Give me liberty or give me death.” Patrick got his license in 1760 and became a lawyer in 1763.
The speech’s main purpose is to persuade people to fight for their freedom. Patrick Henry’s speech is truly meant to persuade the Virginia Convention to prepare for war if the British government fails to comply to the needs of the convention. He uses an urgent and inspirational tone to deliver a thought provoking speech. This is essential to getting his point across, and that the need for assertiveness is significant. The convention was practically split in half, some wanting peace no matter what, and others who wanted immediate action toward the Britains.
“ Give me liberty or give me death”,( Patrick Henry). The most well known speech given by the prestigious Patrick Henry on March 23, 1775 expressing his thoughts and feelings about fighting back against Britain and protecting their beloved country. At this time the British was defeating America terribly which had made Patrick Henry feel as though his freedom was being jeopardized. Patrick Henry’s speech was an attempt to persuade the american citizens not to just sit and do nothing, he wanted to fight back against Britain. Patrick Henry felt as though many of the citizens were not aware of the seriousness of what was happening and that the needed to have a wake up call.
Henry states that the delegates call for peace, yet there is no peace. The speaker presents his claim as an opinion of the colonies, which convinces the delegates that they must fight for their freedom and rights. He also shows the relevancy of his assertion through the lack of peace between the two opposing governments. The hostility between the nations is a result of the colonies attempting to create peace but failing due to being disrespected by the British. The speaker believes that the audience should fight for their freedom and defends his argument by repeatedly unifying them as a group.