Patrick Henry Rhetoric

On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry gave a speech at the Virginia convention to convince the House of Burgesses and the colonists to prepare for war, as it was the only option available. He started the speech without discrediting the original viewpoint of the audience; instead, Patrick Henry compliments the British which gains the colonists trust and respect. Henry then apologies in advance if he offends anyone with his new viewpoint which further creates a connection with the audience. Furthermore, he aligned his new perspective with the Bible to create a religious passion towards the subject that shows that he is fighting this battle for God. By using various tactics such as asking rhetorical questions, triggering an emotional response, and …show more content…
Right from the beginning of his speech he asks the audience “Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction” (Henry 30). This usage of the question helps the audience ponder about the subject which draws out emotion, creating a more fueled argument. He hopes to establish the grounds within the public by setting up an outline of what he is going to talk about during his speech; even though the answer to the question is clear, he asks it to engage the audience in his argument thoroughly. Furthermore, Patrick Henry regularly drills his argument over and over again by using constant repetition of words and phrases. By repeating phrases such as “the war is inevitable” and “we must fight” his word and phrases create a sense in the audience that war is the only option. The repetition emphasizes that the country is to get in a war sooner or later, and that is his primary goal was to prepare for war just in case if Britain refuses to meet the colonist's demands. He combines the constant repetition by providing great imagery that helps paint a picture in the audience’s head. "There is no retreat but in submission and slavery” (Henry). The use of this significant sentence draws a direct line to slavery which evokes emotions such as fear and anger. These emotions help fuel the argument by making the colonist gear their anger towards the British. Finally, he round out his argument by using similar sentence structure that creates a flow of his speech. "Give me liberty or give me death!" and we have prostrated ourselves before the throne" uses the same grammatical, and creates a balance and rhythm to his speech which further helps him establish his argument with his audience. By setting the tone early with the use of rhetorical questions and finishing off with repetition and