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Patrick Henry "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" Speech Rhetorical Analysis Essay

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Patrick Henry "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" Speech Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death”: Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Throughout Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech in 1775, the arguments about the unfair ways that the colonies were living through under the British were depicted in prolific and influential writing style. The ending of the British Crown’s exploitation of the thirteen colonies, as well as Patrick Henry’s and many other American colonist’s revolutionary ideas were encouraged and elaborated through the speech. Various rhetorical devices such as anastrophe, parallelism, and allusion was used in the speech to provide logical appeals to the ‘sir’ who is King George. Patrick Henry uses anastrophe in the beginning of his speech to display the emotions felt in deciding whether or not, as a colonist, should he/they should go against their ‘majesty of heaven’; He applied rhetorical devices like anastrophe to support the subject of ‘freedom or slavery’. Patrick Henry starts off with a nice warming tone, furthermore then transfers on to a more demanding tone. Specifically for creating the impacting statement towards the audience, in describing the fury and anger one as a colonist may feel as living under King George’s rule. Anastrophe is presented to emphasize the hesitation Henry had when deciding between fighting for his rightful rights or continue to be loyal to King George, that he considers as his ‘majesty of heavens’. “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 towards the majesty of heavens, which I revere above all earthly kings.” Allusion is created in these few sentences: “Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. we are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of the siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous

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