Patrick Henry in his “Speech to the Virginia Convention” utilizes the three pillars of rhetoric; Ethos, Logos, and Pathos to induce and provoke his audience to fight for Independence and to fight for freedom.
Patrick Henry forges his ethos, by being considerate towards the other men and through his use of metaphors. He starts by “saying it is only natural for men to indulge in the illusion of hope” Henry says, hope comes naturally to men but in this case it is nothing but an illusion. He then continues, by saying “we are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen the song of the siren...” by using this metaphor, Patrick Henry portrays Britain as an evil “siren” and if his audience were to listen to her song for any longer-she …show more content…
Yet again, Henry uses rhetorical questions to be inclusive and bring the audience to his conclusion. He asks, “but when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year?” Henry displays a sense of urgency in starting to fight for independence from Britain. Henry continues by saying, “There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.” which brings religion (a popular thing in the 19th century) into perspective. The quote justifies fighting for independence from Britain and suggests that god is on the colonist's side. Lastly, Henry brings the colonist together by saying “The war is actually begun!...Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle?... Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!” which is arguably the most influentially pathos argument, because it bring all of his other arguments and puts it into one. He starts off by saying, that the war has already started and that they should stop watching their brothers fighting the enemy and should start helping them. Henry says that a life of slavery is inferior to a life of freedom, and it is wrong to accept slavery and forbid the will of god.
To sum up, Patrick Henry persuades his audience by appealing to them via Ethos, Logos, and Pathos, and by providing very convincing arguments and by using rhetorical question to engage his audience--which in turn leads them to his conclusion and
Patrick Henry forges his ethos, by being considerate towards the other men and through his use of metaphors. He starts by “saying it is only natural for men to indulge in the illusion of hope” Henry says, hope comes naturally to men but in this case it is nothing but an illusion. He then continues, by saying “we are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen the song of the siren...” by using this metaphor, Patrick Henry portrays Britain as an evil “siren” and if his audience were to listen to her song for any longer-she …show more content…
Yet again, Henry uses rhetorical questions to be inclusive and bring the audience to his conclusion. He asks, “but when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year?” Henry displays a sense of urgency in starting to fight for independence from Britain. Henry continues by saying, “There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.” which brings religion (a popular thing in the 19th century) into perspective. The quote justifies fighting for independence from Britain and suggests that god is on the colonist's side. Lastly, Henry brings the colonist together by saying “The war is actually begun!...Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle?... Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!” which is arguably the most influentially pathos argument, because it bring all of his other arguments and puts it into one. He starts off by saying, that the war has already started and that they should stop watching their brothers fighting the enemy and should start helping them. Henry says that a life of slavery is inferior to a life of freedom, and it is wrong to accept slavery and forbid the will of god.
To sum up, Patrick Henry persuades his audience by appealing to them via Ethos, Logos, and Pathos, and by providing very convincing arguments and by using rhetorical question to engage his audience--which in turn leads them to his conclusion and