Ethos In Speech To The Virginia Convention By Patrick Henry

Throughout the Speech “Speech to the Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry he utilizes ethos through juxtapositions, diction, and rhetorical questions to advance his purpose of this is the time for freedom. Henry says “freedom, or slavery” to show that the people of the colony of virginia need to do something about the British law soon or they will all be enslaved by the British. This juxtaposition appeals to ethos because the people of Virginia do not want to be enslaved and through this it will enable the people of Virginia to see what will happen if they do not do anything about this situation. The people of virginia will ultimately have to fight to gain their freedom and not get enslaved.

Politician, Patrick Henry, in his speech, “Speech to the Second Virginia Convention”, delineates his views on what action to take in regards to the conflict with Britain. Patrick’s purpose is to address the Virginia Convention to prepare for war if Britain does not meet the colonists’ demands. He adopts a passionate, dramatic, upset, and stern tone in order to persuade the Virginia convention, specifically President Randolph, to concur with his predicament. This tone can be seen through the literary devices of antithesis, rhetorical questions, parallelism, and Biblical allusions.

“ We are not weak if we make a proper use at those means which the God of Nature has placed in our power the battle sir is not the strong alone it is to the vigilant, the active and the brave “ ( Henry ) . Patrick henry was an American Attorney and he felt like he should voice his opinion about the British. The colonists were in a tough spot with the British taxing the colonies after the War. In Patrick Henry’s “ Speech to the Virginia Convention “, the most effective technique Henry uses is pathos which persuaded the colonists to arm against the British because they wanted freedom. Patrick Henry felt like if we sat around doing nothing the British will overrule the colonists. Henry uses pathos to show

In Patrick Henry’s “Speech at the Virginia Convention Center”, P. Henry tries to persuade colonist to fight a war against the English; Henry does this through several main rhetorical strategies: ethos, parallelism, and pathos. While using these rhetorical strategies Patrick Henry appeals to their emotions, to their most beloved King, God, and to the structure of his speech. One of the many ways P.Henry uses ethos is when he’s talking about God. Henry makes an appeal to ethos by making God seem more important than the earthly kings, as character and authority prevail over just authority. Henry builds his ethos by expressing a religious passion.

In “Speech to the Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry, he used allusions to contribute to the meaning of his purpose. Patrick Henry wrote this speech right before the American Revolution took place. His purpose was to persuade the Virginia Convention leaders that it was time to declare war against Great Britain. To prove his point that the time for rebellion had come, he used allusions, which are indirect references to historical people, events, or documents. One of the allusions Patrick Henry used was in lines 18-22 and referenced The Odyssey by Homer.

In response to Great Britain not giving America her freedom Patrick Henry writes”Speech at the Virginia convention”. To convince colonists they need to fight for their freedom. He effectively uses Ethos, Exclamatory sentences and repetition in order to convince the colonists as such.

“Give me liberty, or give me death!” is a quotation attributed to Patrick Henry, which he used to close his speech to Virginia Convention. During this time period, the 1770s, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson all made arguments in favor of separation of the American colonies from Great Britain; many of these appeals were persuasive for different reasons, whether that be logical, emotional, or pertaining to credibility and trust, which is to say logos, pathos, and ethos. First of all, we will examine Henry’s arguments during his speech at the Virginia Convention. Then, we will identify Paine’s appeals in a part of his essay, The Crisis n1. Lastly, we will evaluate Jefferson’s myriad of arguments in a part of his Autobiography.

The prominent patriot Patrick Henry once said, “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” (Henry 7) implying that a life without liberty is not a righteous life. Henry’s quote is included in his popular oratory, “Speech to the Virginia Convention”, in which he discusses with the colonists who were under the tyrannical reign of the Crown. Throughout his speech, Henry lists all of the discrepancies the thirteen colonies had with Great Britain, concluding that there is no other option, but to retaliate instantaneous. In Patrick Henry’s “Speech to the Virginia Convention,” he utilizes amplifying loaded words and coherent parallelism in order to influence the assembly to unify and reciprocate.

Writing to an audience that still lacks the desire to oppose the British, Patrick Henry in his "Speech to Virginia House of Burgesses" focuses on the rights of man and defying oppressors. Through figurative language, rhetorical questions, and diction, Henry heightens the necessity to rise up and fight against the British ruling power over the colonist population in Northern America.

The common purpose between Patrick Henry’s Speech to the Virginia Convention and Thomas Paine’s The Crisis No. 1 was to persuade listeners into fighting for independence from Britain. They used different methods and tactics to do so. A great method is to appeal to the heart and head; emotionally and logically. People listening to the speech need reasons as to why they should follow what the speaker is saying. One can’t just speak with force and no substance and expect to have people agree with them. “You can catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar” Fear is a big motivator but it doesn’t nearly do as well as respect. There are many ways to persuade people but the most effective

“Give me liberty or give me death!” This statement from Patrick Henry’s “Speech to the Virginia Convention,” delivered to the House of Burgesses, has been quoted by many, becoming almost cliché. However, the declaration is truly understood by a select few. The unjust Stamp Act passed by the British crown in 1765, brought fame and notoriety to Henry as he spoke out against the unjust taxation without representation. Ten years later on the eve of revolution, Henry calls upon the Colonial government of which he is part, to act for the betterment of the people. Patrick Henry attempts to persuade the House of Burgesses to revolt and declare war against Britain by logically convincing them that it is their natural right to be free and calling on

In the “Speech in the Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry, there is an abundance of persuasive arguments that are employed to try and push the American politicians to fight the British control over the colonies. The rhetorical strategies used are ethos, pathos, and logos, and this helps further the development of his argument for fighting against the British rule over the colonies.

In the speech given by Henry, the use of Ethos in his rhetoric was very evident. Questions of morality were brought into play to sway the Convention that the need for independence from England was present. “For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.” Not only does he question how moral withholding from the fight for

In “Speech in the Virginia Convention,” Patrick Henry uses a variety of literary techniques such as ethos, pathos, and logos in order to be persuasive in his nonfiction writings. One of these techniques, however, was more effective than the rest. Henry’s use of ethos as a persuasive appeal from his ethical position to his audience’s was most convincing due to the expertise, character, and ethics that he was able to develop. Expertise was developed in this speech mostly by Patrick Henry’s repetitive use of “we” and “us.” He purposefully used these pronouns to create a connection with the audience and to show he is a part of what he is talking about rather than an unrelated onlooker.

The prominent patriot Patrick Henry once said, “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” (Henry 7) implying that a life without liberty is not a righteous life. Henry’s quote is included in his popular oratory “Speech to the Virginia Convention.” While discussing with the colonists, Henry lists all of the discrepancies the thirteen colonies had with Great Britain, concluding that there is no other option, but to retaliate instantaneously. In Patrick Henry’s “Speech to the Virginia Convention,” he utilizes amplifying loaded words and coherent parallelism in order to influence the assembly to unify and reciprocate.