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Patrick Henry ■ Speech to the Virginia Convention 121

RHETORICAL SITUATION

1. Henry is appealing to his audience. Choose an appeal and identify the type of IDEAS IN AMERICAN CULTURE
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device he is using to achieve that appeal.
2. Considering Henry’s audience and his message, what is Henry’s overall
purpose? Cite particular examples from the text to support your answer.
3. Consider the audience. How does Henry appeal to the audience, and how do
these appeals contribute to the tone of the speech?

CLAIMS AND EVIDENCE
4. In this short speech, Patrick Henry organizes each paragraph beginning with a
claim. Identify the line of reasoning and then discuss the overall effect.
5. Evidence and commentary often add the persuasion of a speech. How does
the evidence Henry uses add to the effect of his speech?

REASONING AND ORGANIZATION

6. At the end of paragraph 4, Henry states his call to action. Identify the call to
action. Choose two reasons that support and logically affirm this call to action.
7. Patrick Henry begins his speech with contrasting images of light and dark. How
are these images contrasted, and how does this contrast support his purpose?
8. Describe the metaphor that Henry uses in regard to slavery. What ideas are
being compared and what message is created?

LANGUAGE AND STYLE
9. Henry sets up several contrasts in this speech. Choose a sentence that
contrasts ideas and describe the syntactical choices Henry uses to develop
the contrast.
10. A famous example of antithesis ends the speech. How does that connect to
other contrasts throughout the speech?

IDEAS IN AMERICAN CULTURE
11. Henry uses memorable lines that convey his main ideas that resonate even after
the speech. Can you think of persuasive slogans or famous sayings that lead
movements or revolutions today? Does a line like “give me liberty or give me
death” title a movement and give it recognition? Write a slogan or a title that is
recognizable today.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

12. Through the figurative language, the contrasts, the comparisons, and the call
to action, Henry insists that the time to fight is now. In a well-written paragraph,
analyze how the rhetorical choices contribute to the message.

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