Patrick Henry's Speech Rhetorical Devices

During similar periods of anguish for America, the two speeches “Speech in the Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry, and “President Bush Outlines Iraqi Threat” by former President George W. Bush were expressed. Henry’s speech was given to persuade the colonists to go to war against Great Britain, which would come to be called the Revolutionary War. Bush’s speech was given after the tragedy of 9/11 to discuss how going to war with Iraq was needed to keep America safe and secure. The men used similar pathos, rhetorical questions, and loaded language when trying to persuade the people of America that going to war was needed for the sake of freedom Some might say that the two speeches are also rhetorically dissimilar and that is true. The two speeches did not use all of the same rhetorical devices in the same exact way, but that does not mean they are not similar. The speeches are still very similar and use most of the same rhetorical devices that the other has. Henry’s and Bush’s speeches use more than just the three …show more content…
The speeches were given by Patrick Henry and George W. Bush, and both men urged their people to go to war to preserve their freedom. Henry urged the colonists to rise up and fight against Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War or succumb to their fate of slavery that would surely come if there was inaction. Bush wanted America to go to war with Iraq after the catastrophe that was 9/11. In his speech, he had said that going to war was needed for America to once again feel that sense of security it had previous to the attack of 9/11, though he had hoped it would not come to it. The two speeches were not only alike in the sense that they were during similar periods of suffering, but also that they used similar rhetorical devices such as pathos, rhetorical questions, and loaded