He explains how the people must fight for hope and independence. Antithesis, defined as the arrangement of two opposing ideas side-by-side in order to contrast them, is pretty close to the definition of another literary device called juxtaposition. The speech includes several Biblical allusions revolutionary rhetoricians often used Biblical references because it allowed them to speak more strongly against Britain without using overtly treasonous speech. What is his purpose in first asking if they are "disposed to see not, and hear not" and then stating, "I am willing to know the whole truth: to know the worst, and to provide for it"? (35) We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain. He is moving his audience away from the position of illusive hope that they may have held at the beginning of his speech toward another position. He is emphasizing the life changing issue. There is no longer any middle position that can be adopted; there are only two choices: liberty or death. What is the effect of this contrast? MR. PRESIDENT: (1) No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House. He contrasts them with fleets and armies. The effect is to highlight the fact that Great Britain does not consider love and reconciliation a viable strategy, since they have responded with fleets and armies, and these should be the last arguments to which kings resort. Henry emphasizes that Great Britain has already taken the matter past the diplomatic phase to the military level. In a second example, King uses antithesis in the following: I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the. Even when were not aware of it, were using many of the same rhetorical techniques Aristotle, Cicero, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass. 3. endstream endobj 35 0 obj<> endobj 37 0 obj<> endobj 38 0 obj<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text]/ExtGState<>>> endobj 39 0 obj<> endobj 40 0 obj<> endobj 41 0 obj<> endobj 42 0 obj<> endobj 43 0 obj<> endobj 44 0 obj<> endobj 45 0 obj<> endobj 46 0 obj<>stream Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! He challenges his audience with the fact that they are already enslaved and implies that they must themselves remove the chains. How does Henry's final statement, "Give me liberty or give me death" represent the courage of both Henry and his audience? This hypophora explains how the people cannot dream or enjoy hope, without ever experiencing it or having to fight for it. 6. What is his purpose in asking these questions? %PDF-1.4 % Henry also appeals to the audience's religious values, suggesting that fighting is God-ordained. Consider petition (to bring written grievances) versus remonstrate (to forcefully protest) versus supplicate (to beg earnestly or humbly) versus prostrate (to totally submit) versus implore (to beg desperately). "I am not a Virginian but an American" (Henry 2). Interestingly, the very next lines, the ones that explain what Hamlet meant by to be or not to be also use antithesis. (10) Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? The time for vacillation is over; there is no longer any point in trying to compromise with the British. Then, in sentence seven, he introduces his own ethics and how he must be loyal to his country and to God. First of all, antithesis uses more than a single word. (64) I repeat it, sir, let it come. Staking Your Claim By: Andrea Holub Both Abraham Lincoln's, "House Divided" and Patrick Henry's, "Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death" are both powerful speeches that effectively use figurative language, rhetorical appeals, and rhetorical devices. During the age of reason, people believed in logic and appealed more to statistics and reason rather than ethics or emotion. People were interested in and aimed for liberty, progress, tolerance, fraternity . According to Henry, which will his argument contain and which will it NOT contain? Antithesis "There is no retreat but in submission and slavery." Ethos (Ethical Appeal) APPEAL: "Sir, we are not weak, if we make a proper use of the means which the God of nature hath placed in our power." Logos (Logical Appeal) APPEAL: " What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted? A hypophora is useful to present to an audience issues they may not have considered in depth. (44) If we wish to be free, if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending, if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained, we must fight! He delivered it on July 5, 1852 to the women of the Rochester Anti-Slavery Sewing Society--and in that speech youll find a number of striking examples of antithesis. 35. If they do not take action they will end up being enslaved for sure. (29) They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry has been so long forging. xref Such an argument is called an "ethical appeal." (The mention of Boston most probably refers to the Intolerable Acts and their enforcement.). He suggests that Hope is an illusion that we ignorantly use for our own peace of mind. He hopes the speakers before him will respect him as he respects them. Below, watch and listen as Armstrong says it himself, setting foot on the moon for the first time. Henry cautions his audience that the hopes of the past may have been used to comfort the Convention, but such comfort is an illusion and will not last. For instance, you can say that the antithesis of love isnt hate; its indifference.. Speaking in Public: Celebrating 35 Years of Friendly Debate, Quotes: How to Mark them in a Presentation, Speaking on a Panel: Seven tips to help you succeed, Your Big Idea: The Poster Approach to Public Speaking, Ways to Practice When Public Speaking Isn't Part of Your Job, speaking at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. When using parallelism, you are replicating the same exact sentence structure. "The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave"(Par. This ironic tone is conveyed with all his rhetorical questions. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? These are the implements of war; the last arguments to which kings resort. (sentences 20 and 23). He urged his fellow Americans living in the thirteen colonies to call to . Why does he use this phrase? We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated; [we] have implored He uses the parallel structure to indicate the process by which the Colonies have taken multiple steps to resolve differences. He sees no middle ground between a war for freedom from Great Britain or being ground down under the heel of tyranny. The false dichotomy (either-or) fallacy gives only two options with no choices in between, and Henry uses this intentionally. (75) I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! Patrick Henry, speech to the Virginia Convention, 1775. This is a rhetorical shift in perspective that helps to prepare his audience. Padoru (Meme): Meaning & What It Has to Do With Christmas! This sets up the second major element of antithesis: Henry's famous proclamation, "give me liberty or give me death.". (51) Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Frederick Douglass, using antithesis in his powerful anti-slavery speech, "The Meaning of the Fourth of July to the Negro". And, then you have unique poetic structures, like couplets, stanzas, and antithesis. The Convention members consider themselves to be men of integrity and ethics, as Henry acknowledged in sentence 1. The Narratio contextualizes the argument, including presenting any background information necessary, while the Confirmatio lays out in order the evidence to support the thesis. Henry begins this paragraph with another Biblical allusion, one lamp by which my feet are guided (Psalms 119:105). He wants to be seen as respectful in order to get his message across more clearly. Instead of relying on the British to protect their liberties, Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this answer and thousands more. (34) Nothing. (25) Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it? (26) Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? Such a statement implies that there is no middle groundthere are no other alternatives. What are examples of anaphora in the "Speech to the Virginia Convention"? (37) What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted? Henry believes that the situation is critical enough that any choices in between freedom and slavery are meaningless and the actions taken must be extreme. Give an example in this paragraph of an attempt to engage the audience and an example of an attempt to prepare the audience. Henry builds to a syllogistic argument, an appeal to logic, at the end of this paragraph. On March 23, 1775, he asked the Virginia Convention to take a defensive stance immediately against Great Britain by raising an armed company in every Virginia county an action considered by many to be open treason. (59) If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. In sentence 1 Henry acknowledges the patriotism of the members of the House who have just spoken. 0000008014 00000 n 2023. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. To really get a feel for antithesis and to see how common it is in everyday life, here are a few common sayings and expressions that rely on this literary device. Antithesis can also be expressed as a contrast of two things, such as when Henry speaks of the colonies' situation as "nothing less thana question of. Red Hill, The Patrick Henry National Memorial, Brookneal, Virginia. 0000002858 00000 n Enjoy eNotes ad-free and cancel anytime. 14. 18. The speech was so inspiring that it ignited a massive flame of patriotism. In this second paragraph of the exordium, Henry works to explain the importance and timeliness of his argument by setting up a contrast between illusions and truth in sentences 8 and 12. 887 Words4 Pages. Or to take arms against a sea of trouble. Find at least one example of hypophora in this paragraph and explain its contribution to Henrys argument. On the other hand, they are alive in every sense of the word. In sentence 54 he appeals to Logos and pathos by citing "three millions of people (logos) armed in the holy cause of liberty (pathos), and in such a country as that which we possess (pathos, patriotism).". He again sets up a choice for his audience. So, how is this different from antithesis? 24. He states in sentence 68, "the next gale will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms.". It reminds us that people will always make mistakes, but only the best of us will find the strength to forgive and let go. Choose three examples of emotional language from excerpt 3. Henry writes this in Virginia, yet still uses the pronoun "our" when talking about disputes in Boston, connecting Virginia to Boston because the southern colonies objected to take up arms against England. In sentence 7 Henry is asking them to understand that he likewise is compelled to speak based on his own sense of integrity (if he holds back, he would consider himself "guilty of treason"). (40) We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament. Who does Henry believe represents Judas and how does this allusion as a metaphor contribute to Henry's argument? In 1775, Patrick Henry made his speech to an audience of Virginia legislators to convince them that Virginia should join the War of Independence. Why does Henry use the term gentlemen twice in the first two sentences? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. (sentences 30, 31, and 32). Even though I am taking just a small step here on the moon, the mere fact that I am on the moon is an indication of how far we have come as a species. What is the "if then" statement in this paragraph? He chooses verbs that are increasingly dramatic to remind his audience that the Colonies have tried everything without result. Identify the parenthesis and Henry's purpose for including it. (74) Forbid it, Almighty God! An example Henry uses relating King George's bane characteristics was to Judas in the Bible. This text divides into four sections aligned to the arrangement of classical argument. trailer Determine Patrick Henry's tone in this speech. -To rouse: "Why stand we here idle?" What was the purpose of the "Speech to the Virginia Convention"? Each month, our Buckley School resident students of classical rhetoric explain a rhetorical device that can improve your public speaking. How does Henry use both parallelism and verb choice (diction) to explain that the Colonies have tried many steps to maintain peace? In an environment of digital media and world-wide instant communication, students may wonder how Henrys words were preserved. Our chains are forged! Latest answer posted September 21, 2016 at 8:05:13 PM. 10. He is unwilling to accept anything less than liberty, and he will fight to the death to win it. The story of the sirens, is that on an island, women would sing songs that would cause men to see them as beautiful women and go to them. "Where is antithesis in Patrick Henry's speech to the Virginia Convention?" Henry will contain the truth in his argument regardless of the cost of realizing the illusion of hope and will try to use the truth to benefit their cause. What allusion does Henry use in sentence 9 when he says listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts? How does this allusion contribute to his argument? In sentences 70 through 73, Henry uses a series of questions which directly challenge his fellow delegates. Why does Henry use this term? (72) What would they have? Patrick Henry's speech is based on an either/or premise, which can be summed up in antithetical terms as fight or die. Because Henry sees the options as slavery (in submitting to Britain) or freedom (in successfully asserting independence), and because Henry refuses to accept this kind of "slavery," the only options left were liberty and death. He also wants to let the audience know he is addressing the same people in both sentences. Find an example of asyndeton in this paragraph. (6) It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. (8) Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. (20) Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? 13. Since were on the subject of contrasting ideas, it is worth taking a look at a few other literary devices that are usually confused with antithesis. For example, we describe zombies as the "living dead," which illustrates their contradictory nature. He is alluding to the sirens found in the epic The Odyssey. How does Henry shift from a ironic tone back to his urgent argument? You may choose words, phrases, imagery, or other language elements. Henry does this in sentences 11 and 12. relates to this idea, and appeals to the dignity of the men in the assembly. 0000003543 00000 n What is Henry's response to those who say the colonists are too weak to fight the British? Most of the British military action to this point had occurred in and around Boston.

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