Rhetorical Analysis of Patrick Henry's Speech Essay Example

Patrick Henry uses persuasive language in this address in order to persuade strong, wealthy, land-owning Loyalists in Virginia who stood to lose a lot to change their diplomatic stance against British encroachment to a more treacherous one of open military readiness. In 1775, the American colonies were attempting to negotiate with the British, and most of Henry's fellow delegates preferred to wait until these negotiations were completed before taking action. However, Henry believed that postponing would be a huge mistake. He encouraged the Virginia Convention to immediately take a defensive stance against Great Britain by organizing an armed militia in every Virginia county - an action most regarded as blatant treason, and his statement reflected far more extreme rhetoric and actions than what the rest of the delegates were comfortable engaging in. Henry based his proposal on the premise that violent military operations conducted by the British would shortly be set off. Patrick Henry used three main justifications to persuade the colonists to fight the British: (1) Fighting for colonists' freedom is the only way for peace to be achieved as the British have not treated the colonists well and will not treat them well in the future; (2) If the colonists do nothing, they will eventually become so oppressed and subjugated that they won't be able to defend themselves. Also, they must take action right away because they are stronger now than they ever will be.;  (3) The colonists have a responsibility to fight for the freedom they feel that they so justly earned as a community.

Patrick Henry starts off his argument by saying fighting for the colonists' freedom is the only way for peace to come about. Britain has not treated the colonists well and will not treat them well in the future. Henry emphasizes the state of emergency in line 3 by saying, "This is no time for ceremony," he calls for a decision to be made for this issue rather than postponing it for a later time, as this decision could have life-changing consequences. The current mindset of the colonists is described by Henry in line 8 as an "illusion of hope." One such "illusion" would be the belief that the colonies and the British might reach an acceptable peace without resorting to war. Henry warns his audience that while the "hopes" of the past may have comforted the convention, such comfort is an illusion that will not persist. This is further emphasized in lines 44 to 45 which recount the countless past attempts of the colonists to compromise with the British towards peace which ultimately resulted in vain. These failed attempts have ultimately pushed the colonies into a position with no option other than to fight for their freedom and rights.

Patrick Henry tries his best to rile up his audience by bringing up the topic of slavery and the treatment of the colonists under British rule. Henry underlines that Britain has already moved their position from a diplomatic attitude to a military approach and that they will no longer compromise but rather put the colonies "in their place." "They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry have been so long forging," Henry says in sentence 29. He wishes to continue the picture of slavery to illustrate that the colonies used compromises to resist British attempts to enslave them, but these efforts failed. "Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston!" he says in phrases 61 and 62. He confronts his audience with the idea that they are already enslaved and indicates that they must free themselves by fighting against Britain's subjugation. 

In his final argument, Patrick Henry emphasizes the importance of freedom and how it can be achieved if all the colonists come together as a community. Henry says, "Our brethren are already on the field," at one point. In this instance, Henry seems to be utilizing the nation-as-family metaphor to convince people to take part in the conflict. Through this sense of community, he seeks to motivate his comrades to take up arms in order to avert "chains and slavery". In the most famous last sentence from this speech "I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" Henry compares liberty and death, finding that death is preferable in the absence of freedom. 

Patrick Henry's speech at the Virginia Convention aimed to urge participants to organize a militia to repel British assaults in the future. In his speech, Henry builds an exceptionally thorough and solid case. He insists that the delegates consider reasoning, saying that you must either negotiate with the British or engage them in combat in order to achieve peace. However, history has shown that talking does not produce results, so we must fight for the country's continued progress. In order to motivate the crowd, Henry also uses hyperbole. With this comment, Henry shows his courage and exhorts the other delegates to do the same. This speech eventually persuaded those in attendance to start preparing Virginia troops for war against Great Britain.