Rhetorical Analysis Of Speech By Patrick Henry

Throughout Patrick Henry’s “Speech to the Virginia Convention” in 1775, the arguments about the unfair ways that the colonies were living under the British were depicted in his prolific and influential writing style. The famous words ‘Give me liberty or give me death’ were uttered by Henry on March 23, 1775, as a conclusion to his speech delivered to the Virginia House of Burgesses. Within his speech, Henry uses the three rhetorical appeals logos, pathos, and ethos, to convey a feeling of urgency toward the changes occurring in policy within the Americas implemented by the British government. He cleverly uses these appeals to disrupt the paradigm that Great Britain is going to let the American people have liberty. By applying these appeals, he persuades his audience to unite and fight against Britain for America’s independence.

The logos contribution of Henry’s address makes use of solid facts to convince the people of Virginia that fighting or slavery are the only possible outcomes of their meeting. He uses this as a fear factor to persuade the people that fighting is the only way to maintain their freedom. These logical facts are seen when Henry states, “Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love …show more content…
Henry commonly refers to God as he is delivering his speech. He states, “Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through the fear of giving offence…and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven which revere above all earthly Kings,” (Lines 11-14). In this excerpt, Henry discredits the king of England by stating that God is compelling and above him. This causes the effect on reassuring the colonists that God is on their side and it is a mission of God to fight Britain. Both of the rhetoric devices of pathos and ethos that he applies creates a stir of emotions to the colonists since God is no one to be