AP English III
Mrs. Guzman
April 27, 2015
Patrick Henry rhetorical analysis
The speech written by Patrick Henry, named “Liberty or Death”, was delivered on March 23, 1775. Henry addresses the Virginia Convention with his speech which contains several rhetorical devices such as repetition, and allusions in order to politely introduce his view on what actions to take in matter of the conflict with Britain.
In paragraph three Henry uses repetition in his rhetorical questions and then answers them. Henry asks, “And what have we to oppose them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the past ten years. Have we anything new to offer on the subject? Nothing.”. He uses choppy and repetitive rhetorical questions to leave a lasting impression on the audience and gives them time to respond mentally and then he unquestionably opposes it with his blunt declarative answers disapproving any counter arguments. Throughout the paragraph Henry continually repeats the words “we” and “ourselves” to make them see that he is on the same side as the audience.
He also uses the rhetorical strategy of allusion to get his point across in a more descriptive way. Henry states, in one of the many allusions used, “listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts”. This allusion of the “song of sirens” ties back to the Odyssey, where in many cases the sirens would lure in many sailors to their deaths on the rocks by singing to them beautiful songs. What Henry is trying to say with this quote is that it is of nature of man to think in an optimistic way, to have hope for something, even when the hope is not logical. Still, a person who has hope and ignores the “painful truth”, will end up with consequence of those who give in to the sirens and are then “transformed into a beast”.
In Henry’s speech the use of the rhetorical strategies provoked fear but in a reasonable way attempts to balance his fellow citizens. Not only that, but it also helped to strengthen the power of the message he was trying to convey in the Virginia Convention. The speech had a large impact on its present day society, and without it, America would be a very different place.
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