What Is Patrick Henry's Allusion In Speech To The Virginia Convention

Patrick Henry, in his speech to the Virginia Convention, urges the patriots of Virginia to unite against the forces of Britain and to resist Britain’s deceitful tactics in preventing them from fighting for their natural born rights of freedom and liberty. Patrick Henry inspirits his audience through his use of a biblical and mythological allusions. Henry urges the colonists, who find God as a central part of their lives during this time, through a use of a biblical allusion. For instance he states, “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?” Henry alludes to Ezekiel 12:2 which states that those who can’t see or hear the truth about God will lose their passage to …show more content…
Henry’s biblical allusion is an appeal to ethos because the role of God was a large part of many colonials lives. It challenges their faith by comparing God’s truth to the need to fight for freedom. After capturing the attention of the audience through his biblical allusion, Henry transitions to his mythological allusion to eliminate the possibility of men being lured into the British trap of American subordination. For example Henry alludes, “We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts.” This is an allusion Circe in Homer’s Odyssey, a nymph that would turn men into swine after charming them with her singing. By using this allusion, Henry compares Britain’s statements to the sirens sung by Circe. Henry is depicting that the British are stating things that promise false hope so that America can be lured into a trap, just like Circe did to Odysseus’s