Rhetorical Analysis Of Patrick Henry

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On March 23, 1775, history was made. However, this was not the typical type of groundbreaking history. It was the beginning of a revolution so profound, that it altered the life of every person in America. In his speech to the Virginia Convention in 1775, Patrick Henry insists that it is time for the Americans to rise up and fight back against the British powers by invoking anger through descriptions of their past oppression, and by unifying the delegates through ideas of the potential enslavement of their people. Anger is a huge motivator for many people, and Henry understood this fact and used it to his advantage in an attempt to convince the delegates to fight back against the British. He reminded the attending delegates of the “tyrannical” oppression they had faced for “the last ten years” through the usage of pathos. Henry was very particular in how and when he stirred up indignation and ego in these men, highlighting how the British have left them “bound and riveted [in the] chains which [they had] been so long forging”. His diction and imagery within the pathos was very intentional as well, alluding that the “wise men” were “lying supinely on their backs” while “hugging the delusive phantom of hope”. Henry not only appealed to their …show more content…

Though he uses logos more sparingly than he does ethos, it still is very prominent and very important in his plea, reminding the group that they “have

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