Patrick Henry

Repetition is the literary or rhetorical device of repeating the same idea in the same—or almost the same—words in order to add emphasis or create a sense of rhythm. Restatement is, on the other...

Parallelism has two literary meanings: stating two ideas using the same grammatical structure, or presenting two ideas as if they are equally important. The most famous example of parallelism in...

Patrick Henry's 1775 speech to the Virginia House of Burgesses was a call for the colonies to take up arms in their resistance to continued British rule. Henry felt that the time for negotiation...

When Patrick Henry begins his speech to the Virginia Convention, he first praises the men who spoke before him. He considers them patriots and calls them "worthy gentlemen." After stating that he...

Patrick Henry wanted to raise a militia to prevent the British from taking advantage of them. In this impassioned speech, Henry’s point was that they could not stand back and let the British walk...

At the time when Patrick Henry delivered this passionate speech, the colonies were in constant and growing conflict with Britain. In reply, rumors circulated that Britain was planning some form of...

Patrick Henry uses allusions in his speech. An allusion is an indirect reference to another text or person or event which adds meaning to the new text. In one example, Henry suggests that the...

One of Patrick Henry's great skills was oratory rhetoric. He knew how to use words to achieve his goals and convince people to come over to his side. His most famous speech, the one he gave to the...

The First Continental Congress took place in Philadelphia from 5th September to 26th October, 1774. The Congress was convened in order for the American colonies and their delegates to air their...

Patrick Henry begins the "Speech in the Virginia Convention" by addressing the leader of the House of Burgesses as "Mr. President" to set a civil and respectful tone. He goes on to acknowledge the...

I would say that one component of Henry's political philosophy was a strong favoring of the Patriots. His legislative work in the Virginia House of Burgesses reflected this. Henry introduced...

For modern observers who follow state or federal legislatures, it is difficult for us to imagine what speaking in front of the House of Burgesses must have been like. Unlike today’s made for...

In his 1775 speech to the Virginia House of Burgesses, Patrick Henry states that the American colonies must separate from Britain by declaring war because Britain's rule over the colonies has...

I would note that this question is unclear: it never defines who "they" refers to or gives a year to contextualize the statement in general. Just as a point of reference, consider that while...

On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry delivered his famous “Liberty or Death” speech at the Second Virginia Convention, which was held at Richmond, Virginia. Although he was speaking to the delegation,...