Rhetorical Summary Of Patrick Henry's Virginia Convention Speech

Patrick Henry, in his Virginia Convention speech of 1775, encourages delegates to prepare for war against Britain. He urgently explained how peaceful protest is no longer an option. He uses rhetorical questions to create awareness of topics. He used rhetorical questions to create awareness of topics that help support his ideas of preparing for war. Henry says, “And what have we to oppose them? Shall we try an argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last 10 years.” By mentioning their prior peaceful attempts towards Britain and describing that they haven’t worked, he is leading to the idea that war is the only option, and that peaceful solutions won’t work any longer. If you try something many times and the result doesn’t change, you