AP English III
Mrs. Guzman
April 27, 2015
Patrick Henry rhetorical analysis
The speech written by Patrick Henry, named “Liberty or Death”, was delivered on March 23, 1775. Henry addresses the Virginia Convention with his speech which contains several rhetorical devices such as repetition, and allusions in order to politely introduce his view on what actions to take in matter of the conflict with Britain.
In paragraph three Henry uses repetition in his rhetorical questions and then answers them. Henry asks, “And what have we to oppose them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the past ten years. Have we anything new to offer on the subject? Nothing.”. He uses choppy and repetitive rhetorical questions to leave a lasting impression on the audience and gives them time to respond mentally and then he unquestionably opposes it with his blunt declarative answers disapproving any counter arguments. Throughout the paragraph Henry continually repeats the words “we” and “ourselves” to make them see that he is on the same side as the audience.
He also uses the rhetorical strategy of allusion to get his point across in a more descriptive way. Henry states, in one of the many allusions used, “listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts”. This allusion of the “song of sirens” ties back to the Odyssey, where in many cases the sirens would lure in many sailors to their deaths on the rocks by singing to them beautiful songs. What Henry is trying to say with this quote is that it is of nature of man to think in an optimistic way, to have hope for something, even when the hope is not logical. Still, a person who has hope and ignores the “painful truth”, will end up with consequence of those who give in to the sirens and are then “transformed into a beast”.
In Henry’s speech the use of the rhetorical strategies provoked fear but in a reasonable way attempts to balance his fellow citizens. Not only that, but it also helped to strengthen the power of the message he was trying to convey in the Virginia Convention. The speech had a large impact on its present day society, and without it, America would be a very different place.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
DEVON (20s) makes his way through the trees. He sees a bulldozer cover a massive pit filled with thousands of dead animals. Suddenly, a bullet hits a rock by his head. Devon makes a run for it as bullets continue to fly at him. A helicopter cuts off his path.…
- 1408 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
Henry opened his speech by establishing his own patriotism and encouraging the delegation to pursue freedom. Henry appeals to man’s natural willingness…
- 330 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Patrick Henry said in his speech “listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts.”(pg 263), quoted from the Odyssey , using illusion, that the siren are female creatures who sing to sailors attracting them to wreck their ships. Henry is refrencing to the situation that it will cause them to believe something…
- 382 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Patrick Henry gave a speech in 1775 to the Virginia Convention that convinced them to take action and fight back against Great Britain for their freedom because their methods of hope and petition failed to work. First, he used concession to opposition in the beginning of his speech to acknowledge the arguments and thoughts of the preceding speakers so that he could speak freely while he suggested treason. Secondly, he pointed out how despite the obvious facts of the start of a war, the convention continued to hope even without response from Britain. Henry stated, “Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with these war-like preparations which cover our waters and darken our land" (Henry). In addition, Henry contradicted…
- 285 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Patrick Henry starts off his argument beautifully. He geniusly changes the mindset of the audience by complementing them, “...very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the house...” He then clarifies that he is not being disrespectful, even if his opinion is almost completely opposite to theirs. This is an excellent way to start, as it lowers tensions in the room and opens up the minds of the house to listen. It also serves as his first defense.…
- 175 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
Well, this is blunt to say the least! Writing as being communication and not self-expression is all in a matter of one’s opinion. I detect, that Richard Peck my not like to waste his time on reading others feelings, thoughts, or ideas. In my assessment, this appears to be absolutely hypocritical of him. I myself appreciate reading about different people's self-expressions besides just my own. Therefore, by my observation of Richard Peck statement; it is just a mere feeling, thought or ideas he is projecting. So how ironic is his statement? In my conclusion, it’s bona fide irony.…
- 98 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
One device that he employs is asking a rhetorical question, which is a question that is not meant to be answered but to be pondered. “Is it that insidious smile which our petition has been lately received?” (---). Here, Henry is asking colonists to really think about their concerns and how England is actually not paying attention to them.…
- 832 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
During 1775, the American Colonies had a dispute between each other in the Virginia Convention on whether a war should be declared against Britain. For one of the meetings, Patrick Henry, an attorney and politician, gave a speech explaining his position on why the colonies should go to war. In his speech, Henry successfully applied the rhetorical strategies of metaphor and repetition to convey his argument that a war against Britain was the only right course of action to take.…
- 550 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
"And what have we to oppose to them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. "(Henry, 89) Henry uses several rhetorical questions on the issues and uses a short answer to response them. It clearly shows that the action that they took before for getting freedom was useless under British's rude control. Last but not least, Henry emphasis the importance of freedom. "Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" Henry ends his speech with this famous quote. He indicates that he'd rather die for his country than living without freedom. He repeats the importance of freedom and accentuates it in the last…
- 490 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
In 1775, during a time of political unrest, Patrick Henry addresses the delegates of the Virginia convention about the "question of freedom or slavery". Through the use of juxtapositions allusions, and metophors, Patrick Henry successfully gains support for the revolutionary cause and the colonial struggle for freedom.…
- 748 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
He begins to do so by asking the question “shall we try argument?” He then proceeds to answer with “we have been doing that for the last ten years.” By asking this question and providing the answer for the audience, Henry makes it clear that arguing has not and will never work. He later asks the question “when shall we be stronger?” Here, he helps the audience realize that they have been weak for a long time and have made no progress in attaining and preserving peace. Patrick Henry proves that the country’s leaders have failed to attain peace by asking questions that really help the audience understand that they must change their methods in order to be…
- 450 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Virginia convention 1775. Patrick Henry a very inspirational man who was tired of sitting back and waiting on something to happen. He was ready to fight for what was his and his freedom he was also known as "The Orator of Liberty". Patrick Henry was famous for giving speeches supporting American Democracy. Henry was also a very big patriot who loved his country and the people in it. Today I will be explaining why and how he uses such rhetorical devices as ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos appeals to the audiences trust as being a credible speaker. Pathos is the audiences emotions. logos is logic, thinking.…
- 613 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Henry also uses hypothetical situations throughout his speech to help convey his purpose. Towards the middle of his second paragraph he gives the audience and image of what life is starting to look like. He describes it a “war-like preparations which cover our waters and darken our land.” This provides evidence of the impending danger. Henry also uses a lot of rhetorical questions and answer. One example of a question he asked that gives a hypothetical situation is “Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies?” and “They are meant for us; they can be meant for no other…” This suggests that Britain is only building up their armies and navies to attack against them, because they have no other enemies. Telling the congregation hypothetical situations, can be useful in helping them to realize what Britain is planning to do, which can persuade the congregation to take action.…
- 379 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Thomas Paine wrote this speech to encourage the troops and colonists to work together towards freedom and independence. This essay effected everyone and made the people realize that anything worth having should be worked/fought for, instead of just waiting for it to…
- 530 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Henry uses motivation to inspire the colonists to be an independent country where the individual is free rather than being under England's rule. This shows in Henry quote “Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death.” This quote shows the power of how one individual can motivate other individuals.…
- 532 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays