ipl-logo

Rhetorical Analysis Of Speech By Patrick Henry

443 Words2 Pages

What does it mean to be “free”? Freedom is where you have the ability to do whatever you want without the restraint of others. Achieving freedom was the desire and goal that colonists and revolutionaries pursued throughout the Revolutionary War and many believed was a god given right to man. But the desire for freedom came with its and struggles and freedom did not come easy. In fact, many were not willing to fight for freedom due their fear of British government and their rule over the colonies. It was not until Patrick Henry, an orator and lawyer from Virginia, convinced them to do otherwise in his Speech at the Virginia Convention. Since this during the Age of Reason, logic was commonly used and helped persuade the masses by using rational thinking and deductive reasoning. Patrick Henry used logos to win over the colonists and change their overall opinions on the British. …show more content…

Henry uses logos to provide a counterpoint to the British’s rule over the colonies. He stated,“They are meant for us; they can be meant for no other” (Henry 104). In that statement, Henry is using his logic to infer that British ships that they docked on our harbors are meant to take over and control us. This statement alerts the people know the British are not allies of ours and that they are really are enemies in disguise. Patrick Henry also uses logos to state that our past efforts to make peace have not worked. “Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years...nothing” (Henry 104). His statement made people come to their senses and realize that fighting is the only other option. Therefore, logos influenced them the most because it forced them to see that they are the enemies and fighting back was the best

Show More
Related
409 Words | 2 Pages

He did point out that he was tired of trying to get the England to understand. Patrick Henry was and anti-federalist. He wanted to go to war. He wanted the power of Britain by attacking

Read More
852 Words | 4 Pages

In his famous speech, "Speech in the Virginia Convention," Patrick Henry fervently develops the theme of taking a stand. He passionately argues that the colonists must take a firm stance against Britain's unwarranted actions, specifically in regard to regarding taxation without representation. At the Virginia convention, the author develops the theme of taking a stand through the use of pathos, and historical references, and ultimately leading to a call for action and resistance against British oppression. The speech's opening lines set the tone for what is to come, as Henry declares that "the question before the House is one of awful moment to this country. " By framing the issue in these terms, he emphasizes the urgency of the situation and reinforces the idea that taking a stand is necessary to preserve the entire nation's future.

Read More
738 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
1018 Words | 5 Pages

On March 23, 1775, “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” was heard all throughout St. John 's Church. These famous words were not only a great speaker looking to have his voice heard, but they would have an everlasting impact on young English students studying the use of ethos, logos, and pathos. Patrick Henry also used figurative languages such as allusions, parallelism, and biblical references to bring his speech to life. In this specific piece of literature, qualities like independence and individualism are exceedingly prominent, this all being due to Henry’s use of literary devices. Conversely, in the very first sentence, Henry uses ethos to articulate how he is patriotic to his home, but he occupies diverse views than his audience, the Virginia

Read More
904 Words | 4 Pages

There are many different rhetorical devices used in famous speeches. What is a rhetorical device? A rhetorical device is a method to enhance the overall content of a speech. For example, rhetorical questions, parallelism, repetition, ethos, pathos, and logos. Patrick Henry's speech to the Virginia Convention was to persuade colonial ideas against negotiating with England, he believed that the colonists should pull away from the British ruling and create their own country.

Read More
345 Words | 2 Pages

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.

Read More
570 Words | 3 Pages

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?

Read More
459 Words | 2 Pages

Finally, he also uses logos to show logical appeal towards the audience. Patrick henry says "shall we try arguments" talking about and thinking about everything they have done in the past that hasnt worked. Henry say the British will betray the colonists, telling the audience you can't trust the British that why we shall fight. Give me liberty or give me death is a way of him saying and showing he will get peace one way or another, but if the people dont agree with him then there is no hope for freedom so give him

Read More
691 Words | 3 Pages

During this time, religion was very important so it was very crucial for Patrick Henry to mention this in his speech, because it was a main appeal everyone had in common. Finally, Patrick Henry uses the rhetorical appeal of logos, logic appeal. Mr. Henry uses logos when he says, “...what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission?”. This is a logical analysis, because he points out that there is no other reason for the warlike products, but for the Americans. Another logical point Mr. Henry makes is when he says “...we have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now coming on...petitioned...remonstrated...supplicated...and implored its interposition...

Read More
701 Words | 3 Pages

Rhetorical Analysis Convincing people of something or to do something is not an easy task but Patrick Henry's “Speech to the Second Virginia Convention” shows how well someone can persuade people when they trust you, appeal to their emotions, or back up what you are saying with facts...ethos, pathos, and logos. The purpose of this speech is to persuade the colonist to fight against the british. Patrick is talking to the members of the virginia convention and what they need to do to become free. Patrick Henry uses ethos to help convince the audience that he knows what he's talking about and how they should trust him.

Read More
689 Words | 3 Pages

In the “Speech to the Virginia Convention” given by Patrick Henry to the President in 1775, asserts that the colonists should not be trying to negotiate with the British. His purpose was to convince the audience that they should not be trying to befriend the people of Great Britain rather that they should make Great Britain their foe. Henry uses his speech to appeal to both the President and the colonist through the use of figurative language, tone, and syntax. Patrick Henry’s use of diction, a persuasive and forceful tone, appeal to ethos and pathos, as well as various syntactical elements in his “Speech to the Virginia Convention” shows that the colonists should be fighting to break away from the British monarchy rather than negotiate terms to try and stay under their clutches.

Read More
756 Words | 4 Pages

Drawing upon his established ethos, Henry alludes to the Bible, implying that if the Convention ignored him they would face destruction. Henry develops this idea of destruction throughout his speech, creating an emotional sense of fear and urgency around his argument with words such as “snare,” “war and subjugation,” “chains,” and “tyrannical.” Despite this heavy pathos throughout his speech, Henry also incudes logic, speaking of how he must judge the future by the past, and for that reason can only find proof that Britain will continue to mistreat the Colonies. He additionally utilizes logos through recounting all the acts they have tried so far, which had all been in vain, as well as through a series of “if… then” statements, such as “if we wish to be free… [then] we must

Read More
485 Words | 2 Pages

With the same purpose of persuasion, the literary device logos is used as a solely logical and factual form of enticement or argumentation, especially in paragraph 13. He uses this “fact of the matter” when he states that the colonies were a force to be reckoned with, “three millions of people, armed with the holy cause of liberty” to be exact. As has been noted all throughout Patrick Henry’s speech, he uses many devices and fallacies to inform his audience of the facts, explain what said facts mean for the country and people, and to persuade and alert their viewpoints; all of this is done magnificently and famously in his “Give Me

Read More
460 Words | 2 Pages

On March 23,1775 Patrick Henry convinced colonists to fight against Britain by using four rhetorical devices which were allusion, imagery, one-word sentences and rhetorical questions. He did this by reading his famous speech called “the Virgina Convention speech”. These four devices helped Patrick Henry convinced many people that were still not willing to go to war. Patrick Henry purpose for using allusion was to helped him connect with the listeners. “Listen to the song of the siren till she transforms us into beast.”

Read More
1000 Words | 4 Pages

Henry's way of using pathos convinced all the people listening to him, that they felt the same way he did about the arising situation. When Henry used ethos, he continued to show the urgent actions that needed to be done. As Henry's last sentence to the Virginia Convention,“Give me liberty or give me death!” showed that he was willing to die if that was what needed to be done, for the colonists to be free. Patrick Henry was a wonderful speaker and really knew how to capture

Read More

More about Rhetorical Analysis Of Speech By Patrick Henry

Related Topics

Open Document