Patrick Henry Persuasive Speech Analysis

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Imagine having a life or death situation, and all you need to do is convince the public to fight against it? Would you use use logic, ethics or emotions to persuade them to come to a decision? During the time that the colonies were being approached by the British, the colonist were using every way possible to avoid the fight; however, the British kept coming and it was time to fight. Patrick Henry used pathos as his persuasive technique in his “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech to convince the Virginia Convention. To Henry, it was important for him to convince the public to fight so they wouldn't back down from the British and risk becoming enslaved. During Patrick Henry's speech, he used a load of pathos when he informs the convention that things will without a doubt end very badly if they don’t take on the …show more content…

Henry also stated in his speech to the Virginia Convention, “armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone,” (Henry 104). Not only was Henry speaking to them to reach their emotions, but he was also reaching to motivate them as well. Henry lets them know that together they are invincible and together they can take down whatever conflict comes their way. The emotion and determination that Henry used was a great way to influence the public to go to war. Pathos was Henry's best form of persuasion in his “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech because it helped convince the Convention to go fight against the British in 1776. Speaking to people who love their country about the good and bad incomes and outcomes of the war was their biggest motivation. As I asked before, how effective could it be to emotionally persuade your peers to fight? By the looks of Henry's achievement, it was very

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