Historians say that Henry’s “Liberty or Death” speech helped convince those in attendance to begin preparing Virginia troops for war against Great Britain. Royal Governor Lord Dunmore responded to the speech by removing gunpowder from the magazine.

“Give me liberty, or give me death!” is a quotation attributed to Patrick Henry from a speech he made to the Second Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775, at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia.

The main purpose of Patrick Henry ‘s speech at Virginia Conference, was to convince the delegates to secede from Britain; moreover, to fight back against them. He antagonizes Britain by imputing every hardships they faced to Britain. 2.

Give me liberty, or give me death

Patrick Henry’s

In his famous “Give me liberty, or give me death” speech, Patrick Henry uses the rhetorical forms of persuasion of ethos, pathos, and logos throughout the speech, as well as the rhetorical devices of rhetorical questions, allusion, metonymy, juxtaposition, oxymoron, metaphor, and parallel structure.

Parallelism

The author (was him Patrick Henry or his biographer William Wirt) appealed to the pathos as a main persuasion element of his speech and moreover, he did this in a breath taken way. The language of the speech is more closer to a poetry than to a colloquial one.

In 1775, Patrick Henry made his speech to an audience of Virginia legislators to convince them that Virginia should join the War of Independence. Identify and discuss three main points Henry uses to support his argument.

Whats Patrick Henry’s call to action in his speech? For the Virginia Patriots to arm them self and get ready to fight the British, if the British do not yield to their demands.

Specifically, Henry uses rhetorical devices to convince his audience to take military action since attempts at peace had previously been unsuccessful.

Henry frequently uses rhetorical questions to help guide his argument. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain.” He not only asks the rhetorical questions but follows them by answering them directly. Thus, he clearly sets organized logos for the audience to follow.

Parallelism is a technique that Patrick Henry uses many times to help the president better understand the need to declare war on Britain by using the themes of logos and pathos.

Henry urges his audience to turn away from argument and raise arms instead. In an appeal to logos, Henry poses a series of rhetorical questions to his audience, asking them to consider why Great Britain would impose an army and a navy on the colonies if it were not trying to control them.

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.

(Hyperbole) “Give me liberty, or give me death.” “I consider it nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery.” Henry uses overstatement for emphasis…to show his audience how important he thinks it is to support the rebellion against England.

“Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received?” “Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. “Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with these warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land.

Patrick Henry appeals primarily to pathos or emotional appeals in his speech, using heightened language to incite emotions, but he does also use logos.

Emotions that Henry appeals to with the last lines of his speech are patriotism, courage, and religious faith.

Explanation: Patrick Henry uses Rhetorical question to pursue the audience during his speech. Especially in “Speech in Virginia Convention” the persuasive techniques and repetition are the two important persuasive techniques that are used to ask thought provoking questions to the audience.

Pathos is also used when Henry says “our brethren are already in the fields”. This makes the audience feel that people just like them are already fighting in the war. Pathos lets the audience get emotional. Without these strategies, the speech may not be convincing enough.

How does the allusion to Patrick Henry affect the meaning of the text? It emphasizes the intensity of Douglass’s determination to be free. It suggests that Douglass is a descendant of Patrick Henry. It highlights the similarities between enslaved people and the Founding Fathers.

His central idea is the use of love and reconciliation narrative as a cover up for war preparation. He argues that, if not careful, people might be preparing to get themselves into war in the name of reconciliation.

The central idea of the text is that it is time for the Colonists to take action against the tyranny of the British. This is explicitly stated in the text and can be implied by the many examples and counterarguments that Patrick Henry cites in his speech.

Freedom and Tyranny The speech is an argument for taking up arms in the cause of freedom from tyranny. Henry hits again and again on the idea that Britain’s policies are oppressive and are designed to limit colonial freedoms to the point that the colonists will ultimately be unable to resist.

Answer: Patrick Henry’s viewpoint is that he believes the American colonies should have war against Britain and that they will never have freedom unless they d so.

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!

Tolson doing in the barn with all the sharecroppers? They won’t listen to him with a tuxedo.

What alternatives did the colonists already try in their appeal to Great Britain, according to the text (speech)? They have tried many things, including petitions, argument, and pleas to parliament and to the crown.