Patrick Henry's Speech Ethos

He starts off with pathos in paragraph five by stating, " Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything to offer on the subject? Nothing..." to make them think about all the things they have tried but did not succeed. He then goes on to say, "Sir, we have done everything... we have petitioned... remonstrated... supplicated... postrated ourselves before the throne..." to allow his viewers to note that there is no other way. Henry appeals to his viewers emotional appeal by conecting and allowing his viewers to understand that no matter what they do, they will fail, and the last resort will be war either way. Although Henry used pathos to appeal to their emotional side, he appeals to their logical side by using

In order to reinforce that war is the best option Henry uses religion to promote his cause. He explains that America will not fight its battles alone but “there is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.” He is saying God is on their side and will help them win the inevitable war. He is manipulating people’s ethics in order for them to be more

He uses ethos to persuade the audience by saying "sir were not ewak", reference to God, the credibility when he talks about God. God is a more credible person than the king. Patrick henry uses questions towards the audience like "are fleets and armies necessary to work of love and reconciliation?" He gets the audience to believe that his decision is a good decision, and that he can bring any fight or war and win like it was nothng.

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. In one instance in his speech, Patrick Henry makes a call to arms by saying “The war is inevitable - and let it come!”. Henry then ends his speech by saying

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 just said that he believes they have to go to war with England. He believes that based off of all

His choice of language is effective at evoking emotion. Through rhetorical questions, Henry was able to emphasize his points, and grab the audience’s attention, creating an emotional effect on the listeners. “Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation?” These statements prove the speaker’s argument and stir the audience’s emotions. Henry also uses repetition, in order to create emphasis. It reinforces the purpose of the speech and the speaker’s main arguments. Here, Henry states, “We must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight!” This exhibits the speaker’s inflammatory language, which calls for action, provokes anger, and triggers strong emotions. As it build momentum, it also establishes the idea in the listener’s mind. This easily makes the listener accept the

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

Logos is the appeal to the audience’s logic or thinking of constructing a well-reasoned argument. It includes: facts, research, and statistics. For instance, "And what have we to oppose to them? Shall we try argument? Have we anything new to offer on the subject? 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. He also said the British had no interest in compromising with us. Henry used logos in his speech so the audience could really think about the consequences in not fighting and staying with

The convincing and commanding speech, “Give me Liberty Or Give Me Death” by Patrick Henry emphasizes religious reference to help him makes his argument. For example, he says "Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss" which is a reference to Judas betrayal of Christ. In conclusion though he is talking about how Parliament is pretending to be nice but will only turn on the colonists as soon as they get a chance. He’s comparing the Parliament with Judas and the colonists with Christ to advert to a time where one of the most famous betrayals went on. This strategy affects the speech´s audience because it gives the audience a chance to relate how being

He goes throughout his entire speech asking a plethora of questions such as “Have we anything new to offer to the subject?” By the constant use of rhetorical questions, it allows the audience the opportunity to formulate their own answers. However, Henry quickly debunks their answers with the use of short, declarative statements. “Nothing.” He leaves no room for argument. 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.

In the first sentence, Henry uses ethos to articulate how he is patriotic to his home, but he occupies diverse views compared to his audience, which shows his individualism. Throughout the speech, Henry uses words such as “ourselves, and we” to exhibit that he is still with the audience- not against them. When Henry said, "Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself guilty of treason towards my own country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings” (1). He is saying that this is what he entails to achieve for his God. This shows that Henry is patriotic, yet still his own character.

“ 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. Patrick Henry's speech was to connect to the audience and show then exactly how serious this issue is and he did that by using a lot of emotion. The most effective persuasive technique that Patrick Henry used in his famous “ Speech to the Virginia Convention” is pathos because it was used sufficiency throughout his speech.

In the very first sentence, Henry uses ethos to state how he is patriotic to his home but he has different views than his audience, the Virginia Convention, does. Throughout the speech, Henry uses words like “we” and “ourselves” to show that he is still with the audience, and not against them. Henry continues on in that same paragraph by using pathos. When he said, "Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself guilty of treason towards my own country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings." He is saying that this is what he needs to do for his God. Henry tries to show the audience a different viewpoint, rather than discrediting their own. During his speech, Henry made biblical references such as “ Different men often see the same subject

Patrick Henry uses ethos to help convince the audience that he knows what he's talking about and how they should trust him. “For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it” (pg.148)This quote makes the readers trust him. When he says “whatever anguish of spirit it may cost” that is him saying he will do it whatever the cost. He's trying to tell the colonist that they can trust him and he will do whatever it takes. “No man thinks more highly than i do of patriotism”(pg.148) In this quote Patrick is saying he loves his country more than everyone and know one is more willing for their country than he is. That quote will make people think more of him and will lessen to him or trust him more knowing that he

Throughout Patrick Henry’s speech, he uses many literary devices to convey his thought and opinions to his audience, and with it, he hopes to alter or sway their views on the subject matter. Starting from the very end of Henry's speech, he states “but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”, this now infamous line uses the logical fallacy of false dilemma. This fallacy, also known as either/or, plays to his advantage as it makes the problem seem greater than it actually is by only presenting two extreme options, liberty or death. Another literary device Henry uses in his speech, is ethos, which appeals to the audience's moral or ethical plane. He does this by addressing God, ergo an appeal to his religious portion of the audience, on multiple occasions. Such instances of this occur in