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Rhetorical Analysis: Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death

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Li 1 William Li Mr. McMurtry AP Lang & Comp, Gold 5 29 September 2014 Rhetorical Analysis: Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death Exordium: First Paragraph Introduction Show respects to opponents Narratio: Second Paragraph Rhetorical questions metaphors to invoke audience rethinking about their position stating facts Partitio: The end of second paragraph POV Confirmatio: Third Paragraph Refutatio: Fourth Paragraph Peroratio: Fifth Paragraph On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry is addressing the Virginia Convention, specifically President Peyton Randolph. He offers a solution to the patriots of Virginia to form a local militia in order to be ready to fight the British. Carrying a passionate and pleading tone, Henry urges to persuade the patriots …show more content…

1). Henry claims there is only two ways: it is either fighting or slavery/British rule. This is an appeal to pathos because he attempts to use it to create anger and purposely upset them with the idea of slavery. This idea is carried on further in the paragraph, "Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received?" (par. 3). He says that the colonists ' petition has been received with "an insidious smile". The use of the words "insidious smile" creates an emotional appeal, because it fools the patriots into trusting that the British would take care of their petitions (which they never would), but it really is a set-up to enslave the colonists and keep them under its rules. He also references biblical allusion to create a metaphor between the positive reception of their petitions and the kiss which Judas gave to Jesus before his betrayal. The kiss, appearing to be something affectionate and positive, is, in fact, what eventually causes Jesus ' death. With the uses of the allusion/metaphor, Henry wants to reveal the British pretentious mask, that the British will NOT consider their benefits and ultimately lead to their enslavement and betrayal. The image of imprisonment creates fear and rebellion among the colonists and motivates them to think that Henry 's claim is more

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