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Rhetorical Devices in Speech to the Second Virginia Convention
Appeals to Ethos, Pathos, and Logos: Patrick Henry layers impassioned exclamations, scathing denunciations, and masterful rhetoric into a short six-minute speech. As a practiced lawyer and orator, Henry understood the power of rhetoric to appeal to others and employed all three rhetorical appeals in his speech. Initially, he appeals to ethos by establishing his credibility and asserting his devotion to the well-being of the country. Next, he appeals to pathos through evocative and emotional imagery. Finally, he appeals to logos with fact-driven reasoning. In addition to the Aristotelian appeals, Henry also employes “hypophora,” a rhetorical method whereby the speaker asks a question and answers it immediately. By posing a series of questions in quick succession and immediately providing responses, he stokes revolutionary sentiment.
Rhetorical Devices Examples in Speech to the Second Virginia Convention:
Text of henry's speech.
"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?..." See in text (Text of Henry's Speech)
The rhetorical technique Henry uses here is hypophora, commonly called a rhetorical question, in which a speaker poses a sequence of questions followed by an immediate response. One effect of this technique is to stir an audience to action. Since Henry speaks with such passion, these rhetorical questions drive him to greater and greater heights of agitation before he finally erupts with his infamous exclamation. The force of such emotion is contagious and serves as a pathos appeal to his audience.
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"Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded;..." See in text (Text of Henry's Speech)
With the use of parallel structure, Henry reiterates each of his points and highlights how the British have wronged the Americans. This list also employs asyndeton and anaphora in the repetition of “our” at the beginning of each phrase. The vitriolic barrage of insults serves to further compound his point and rile up his audience in his favor.
"We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne..." See in text (Text of Henry's Speech)
Here, Henry appeals to his audience’s emotions by laying out all the ways that Americans have tried to ameliorate their relationship with the British: they have petitioned, remonstrated, supplicated, and prostrated. Using asyndeton and anaphora, whereby Henry speaks without conjunctions between the clauses and with the repetition of the phrase “we have,” he expounds his points with storm-like rage. This repetitive technique creates an emphatic, rhythmic quality that powerfully condemns the British.
"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? ..." See in text (Text of Henry's Speech)
Both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible make reference to eyes that cannot see and ears that cannot hear to describe God’s followers who do not attend to his teachings. Henry alludes to these passages (Isaiah 6:10, Jeremiah 5:21, Ezekiel 12:2, Matthew 13:15, Acts 28:27, and Romans 11:8) to compare his audience to such ignorant disciples. With this rhetorical question, Henry encourages his audience to remain vigilant.
"Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!..." See in text (Text of Henry's Speech)
Throughout the speech, Henry equates the loss of liberty with slavery. By doing so, he sets up a choice between peaceful subjugation and violent revolution, with no middle ground. If the colonists are willing to live in chains, then they can avoid a war. However, in one of the most famous lines of rhetoric in American history, Henry provides his answer to that choice: a life without freedom is not worth living. He shifts “the question before the house” away from whether or not to engage in armed conflict with Britain and instead posits a much simpler choice: liberty or slavery, life or death. By establishing “liberty” and “death” as the only outcomes, Henry asserts that the colonies must fight since a life without liberty is not an option.
"we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight!..." See in text (Text of Henry's Speech)
This is Henry’s call to action to the assembly and his answer to the “question before the house.” Up until this point, Henry has been outlining the injustices that the British have inflicted upon the colonists. He has painted the colonists as long-suffering peace-seekers who have been repeatedly disrespected and rebuffed. In his call to arms, he employs the first-person plural pronoun “we” to indicate unity and the word “must” to indicate that fighting is no longer an option but rather a necessity. Henry has explained all of the ways that American liberty has been infringed upon. Now he appeals directly to the sense of patriotism of his listeners by stating that they must take up arms and defend their rights.
"Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation?..." See in text (Text of Henry's Speech)
Henry uses a rhetorical question to highlight the aggression of the British government and the improbability of a peaceful end to the mounting tensions. The colonies had, up until this point, emphasized peaceful reconciliation and desired to remain a part of the British empire if the Intolerable Acts were addressed satisfactorily. The response by the British was to either outright ignore their appeals or, as seen in the case of the House of Burgesses, remove even more rights. They also increased their naval presence after the Boston Tea Party, leading to increased friction. By sarcastically questioning the peacefulness of Britain’s intentions behind their military escalations, Henry indicates that hostilities are imminent and that the time for peace is over.
"I shall speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve. This is no time for ceremony...." See in text (Text of Henry's Speech)
Patrick Henry (1736–1799) had a reputation as a passionate and skilled orator who could translate lofty political discussions into common language. Henry’s speeches were famous for their impromptu nature and animated delivery. His candid speaking style and tendency to shape his rhetoric for the common man helped spread revolutionary ideals to the masses. By promising to speak “freely” and “without reserve,” Henry appeals to ethos by establishing himself as an honest, straightforward voice. He also establishes a sense of urgency by rejecting ceremoniousness in favor of plain, direct speaking.
Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death: Rhetoric Appeals in Patrick Henry Essay
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The use of rhetoric appeals to strengthen the message is a common instrument for many orators, and Patrick Henry is no exception to the rule. In his speech “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death,” he resorts to all possible means to convince the new government that the war with Great Britain is inevitable (“Patrick Henry – Give me liberty or give me death,” n.d.). In this way, his viewpoint is not entirely of a theoretical nature but a call to action to gain ultimate freedom. Therefore, the consideration of the inclusion of ethos, pathos, and logos in Henry’s argument in the speech will demonstrate the way he attracted the attention of the audience to the presented issue.
The first tool which Henry used to persuade people in the need to fight was related to the attempts to prove the credibility of his thoughts by referencing other reliable sources. Thus, for example, he provided extensive information on the past development of the situation by saying that the British ministry unwillingly received their petition (“Patrick Henry – Give me liberty or give me death,” n.d.). The orator also added that the presence of fleets and armies by their shores did not resemble an attempt to find a peaceful way to negotiate (“Patrick Henry – Give me liberty or give me death,” n.d.). Hence, logos was the principal instrument, which he employed to convince others of the inadequacy of actions of Great Britain by invoking their reaction to American initiatives.
The second method contributing to the good reception of Henry’s speech was pathos, and it was more frequent than the previous technique. As can be seen from the text, the author incorporated it in the very first sentence by referring to the patriotic feelings of his fellow citizens (“Patrick Henry – Give me liberty or give me death,” n.d.). He further included this appeal in the inquiry about any other possible motives that his listeners could ascribe to the actions of the British government rather than deprive them of liberty (“Patrick Henry – Give me liberty or give me death,” n.d.). In this way, Henry emphasized the need to understand their general attitude contrasted to the patriotism of Americans and thereby evoked their emotional response.
The third rhetoric appeal inherent in the speech was ethos, which implied conveying respect to the author’s personality and, therefore, his specific thoughts on the matter. In this way, the upcoming war and its significance for the prosperity of the country were demonstrated through the lens of his personal credibility. For instance, when telling about the actions of American citizens in negotiating with Great Britain, he highlighted his involvement in the decision-making process alongside other leaders (“Patrick Henry – Give me liberty or give me death,” n.d.). Hence, the consideration of his contribution to the political affairs of the country persuaded the listeners in his awareness of the actual problems.
To summarize, Patrick Henry successfully used logos, pathos, and ethos in his speech intended to demonstrate the necessity of war actions against Great Britain. First, he referred to credible sources of information reflecting on the measures taken by the British government in relation to their country. Second, Henry appealed to the patriotic feelings of his fellow citizens to attract their attention to the global problem. Third, the orator presented himself as a person directly involved in negotiations and, therefore, aware of the current situation. Thus, the effectiveness of his attempts to transmit his thoughts on the matter was conditional upon the use of the mentioned rhetoric appeals.
Patrick Henry – Give me liberty or give me death . (n.d.). The Avalon Project. Web.
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IvyPanda. (2020, November 26). Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death: Rhetoric Appeals in Patrick Henry. https://ivypanda.com/essays/give-me-liberty-or-give-me-death-rhetoric-appeals-in-patrick-henry/
"Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death: Rhetoric Appeals in Patrick Henry." IvyPanda , 26 Nov. 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/give-me-liberty-or-give-me-death-rhetoric-appeals-in-patrick-henry/.
IvyPanda . (2020) 'Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death: Rhetoric Appeals in Patrick Henry'. 26 November.
IvyPanda . 2020. "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death: Rhetoric Appeals in Patrick Henry." November 26, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/give-me-liberty-or-give-me-death-rhetoric-appeals-in-patrick-henry/.
1. IvyPanda . "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death: Rhetoric Appeals in Patrick Henry." November 26, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/give-me-liberty-or-give-me-death-rhetoric-appeals-in-patrick-henry/.
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IvyPanda . "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death: Rhetoric Appeals in Patrick Henry." November 26, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/give-me-liberty-or-give-me-death-rhetoric-appeals-in-patrick-henry/.
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Rhetorical Devices Used in Patrick Henry's Speech
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In Patrick Henry's speech, he uses various rhetorical devices such as pathos, to appeal to the audience's emotions; ethos, to establish his credibility; and logos, to present logical arguments. He ...
in. Speech to the Second Virginia Convention. Appeals to Ethos, Pathos, and Logos: Patrick Henry layers impassioned exclamations, scathing denunciations, and masterful rhetoric into a short six-minute speech. As a practiced lawyer and orator, Henry understood the power of rhetoric to appeal to others and employed all three rhetorical appeals in ...
Rhetorical Devices. Ethos. One of Patrick Henry's hallmarks as a speaker was his ability to persuade through common language. In his "Speech to the Virginia Convention," Henry eschews ...
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The use of rhetoric appeals to strengthen the message is a common instrument for many orators, and Patrick Henry is no exception to the rule. In his speech "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death," he resorts to all possible means to convince the new government that the war with Great Britain is inevitable ("Patrick Henry - Give me liberty or give me death," n.d.).
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Q-Chat. Match rhetorical device and/or appeal with examples from Patrick Henry's speech. Please do not think all of this is on the test or that these are your only answer choices. This is simply a study tool to help you refresh yourself about the rhetorical devices in the speech.
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