In this essay I looked over and analyzed several texts such as speeches, articles, stories, and poems which represents the American vision and what it really means to be an American. To me the American voice signifies the people who have at one point had ability to become something and actually be successful dispute their race, gender and poverty; In other words their background. To Me being an American is a privilege and a blessing, I live in country where I actually have the opportunity to shape my future the way I want it despite of my background unlike many 3rd world countries in this world. To me the best representations for the American voice signifies is a speech written by the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama which is from the 2004 Democratic National Convention and a poem written entitled "I, Too Sing America" by Langston Hughes
Patrick Henry in his speech to the Virginia convention entitled "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death," the speaker describes how they (the people of the colonies) shall no longer tolerate the British and how they are in need of liberty or if not given, they shall take death as a substitute; thus "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death". Henry's purpose is to propose a change ; to be given liberty through the use of explanations and past remarks. He adopts a patriotic tone to appeal to
…show more content…
An America in which "a skinny kid with a funny name can find a place in America for him, too." Mr. Obama’s purpose in his keynote address is to give his own vision of America but to also support ex candidate John Kerry through the use of anecdotes. The soon to become president adopts and emotional and person tone appeal to the people of the United States and potential John Kerry
Click here to unlock this and over one million essays
Show MoreThe purpose of Patrick Henry’s Speech to the Virginia convention was to convince his fellow delegates to fight for their freedom. Henry uses the rhetorical devices of repetition and pathos to effectively get his point across. Henry uses the rhetorical device of repetition through repeatedly referring to the choice of freedom or slavery. He says this more than one time to try and get his point across the the delegates that he is talking to. He believes that american should be free and if we do not become free soon that the british are going to start to treat us like slaves.
Patrick henry uses rhetorical appeals by using God to persuade memebers of the virginia convention to go to war with Britian. He uses pathos, logos, and ethos because he appeasl to peoples emotions and how they feel about going to war with Britain. Henry is a person who fights to get what he wants. He's a man that believes fighting is the only way of getting freedom. Henry is a credible speaker because of this he gets some to agree with him on going to war with Britain, and some still disagree becasue some say they are not ready, they are weak.
On March 23, 1775 patriotic Patrick Henry gave a powerful persuasive speech to encourage the colonists to fight for liberty. Henry was born on May 29, 1736 in a farmhouse located in Studley, Virginia. Henry became the governor of Virginia, attorney, planter, and a politician. He was well know as a great orator during the movement for independence in Virginia. One of Henry’s most effective well known speech was held in St. John’s Church, Richmond, Virginia.
Patrick Henry an American colonist who opposed of British rule spoke out on March 23, 1775 to explain his disagreement on the British having control over the American colonies. In "Speech in the Virginia Convention," Patrick Henry uses the rhetorical appeals ethos, pathos, and logos. Patrick Henry uses the rhetorical appeals to persuade Virginian patriots to go to war seeing no other option and believing there was no more working out disagreements. First Patrick Henry uses the rhetorical appeal ethos by appealing to the audience trust and credibility. For instance, “...An act of disloyalty towards the majesty of heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.
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.
One of the earliest well-known opponents of Great Britain was Patrick Henry. Throughout his life he gave many speeches supporting the American Government, ultimately making a name for himself. During a time of uncertainty for the colonists in 1775, Henry still supported his opinions on American Democracy. In his opinion, the only choice left was to go to war with Great Britain. In order to gain the colonist's approval, he issued a marvelous speech persuading the colonists to go to war.
Pertaining with his audience in order to drive his point and share his family experience with being non Caucasian and patriotic “My family put 11 men and boys into the Revolutionary war”
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
Henry’s Striking Speech “I am not a Virginian but an American”(Henry 2). During the age of reason, people believed in logic and appealed more to statistics and reason rather than ethics or emotion. People were interested in and aimed for liberty, progress, tolerance, fraternity, constitutional government, and separation of church and state. During the age of reason, people feared the devil. One of the struggles the people went through during this time was the war between the United States and Britain.
Rhetorical Analysis Former Illinois State Senator and soon to be Forty-fourth president of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama, recounts what happened in the past to make America what is today and how he intends to maintain the ideas of America’s founding fathers throughout his term of presidency. His intended audience of the first inaugural address is the citizens of America and his purpose was to comfort them about the past and encourage the future of America. He creates a patriotic and empowering tone in order to appeal to pathos. His diction throughout the speech illustrates patriotism, allusions, and anaphoras. Obama opens his speech by discussing the views of our forebears and documents and how we have followed through with those views.
Revolutionary Speeches: A Common Purpose The revolutionary speeches composed of by Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine both have common goals in terms of the changes that they want made to the way of life for all Americans. The technique and manner in which the two conduct their speeches are significantly different, though. Patrick Henry’s speech is mainly to persuade the Virginia Convention to be more assertive toward the British government, and to prepare for war if the convention's voice was not acknowledged by them. Thomas Paine’s speech, “The Crisis: Number 1”, was also to written to persuade the American people.
What does it mean to be an American: The land of the free and the home of the brave? Due to the diversity that America offers, the people regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, cultures, backgrounds and sexual orientation have an equal opportunity for a better life in America. In Anna Quindlen’s “A Quilt of a Country,” she explains how people view America. She writes that being an American is an idea that works despite that fact that it should not due to the diversity that exist in the country. Quindlen informs the reader that America was uniquely constructed on no precise culture or race.
Obama’s use of repetition in his speech makes his praise of John Kerry more powerful and by using the same words in different contexts, he shows that his ideas are important and relevant to all people. For example, “It’s the hope of slaves sitting around a fire [...] the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant [...] the hope of a millworker’s son [...] the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name [...].” In this passage, the repetition of “the hope” applied to descriptions of different situations conveys the idea that everyone needs hope, and that America is a country built on hope. Obama also uses anaphora to drill certain ideas into the audience’s minds.
So when President Obama at the end of his speech begins to sing, “Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me; I once was lost, but now I’m found; was blind but now I see.” It is not the paper in front of him belting out those lyrics, nor is it the way he wrote them on the paper that somehow makes them come out of his mouth in song, but it is his connection to the people that makes this melodious decision. Clearly, the writing of the speech helped the President organize his thoughts, but in the end, his delivery made all the difference to the citizens of the United States.
One becomes and American by forgetting ways or “prejudices” that keep them from receiving a grand position on the “lap of our great Alma Mater.” He writes that the labors performed by the countrymen aid in earning the title freeman. All of the title holders have received ample rewards and benefit from “wanting a vegetative mold.” He believes that the diversity of the freemen here will and should cause tremendous changes to the world.