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Hannah Rigsby
Miss Cook
Composition
31 October 2016
Rhetorical Analysis of Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death!
How much does the freedom and democracy of your country mean? Patrick Henrys Give
Me Liberty or Give Me Death speech was given on March 23, 1775 to protest British tyranny
towards the colonies. Henry was infamous for protesting the unreasonable treatment that Great
Britain had been offering the colonies. During the famous Parsons Cause case in 1763, a
dispute over Anglican Clergy in colonial Virginia over clerical salaries being cut, he had said that
a king that would veto a crucial law made by a locally appointed representative was a tyrant,
and forfeits the allegiance of his subjects, rather than the father to his people,. Henry served
in the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Continental Congress, was a five term governor in
Virginia, and was commissioned as a colonel of the First Virginia Regiment on August 26, 1775.
Henry was a leader in nearly every movement for colonial rights and was a strong believer in a
citizens right to bear arms, using his speech to urge Virginians to arm in self-defense. The
speech Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death was in response to acts that had been passed by
British Parliament that angered colonists and was also a successful cry to gain supporters for a
Revolutionary war against Britain; within less than a month of delivering the speech, the battles
of Lexington and Concord had began. Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death was addressed towards
the president of the convention George Washington and was given to him along with Virginia
Delegates. The speech was later published, giving it a nationwide audience. Henrys reasoning in
making the speech was to encourage pre existing anti-British attitudes of colonists as well as to

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provoke an organization of voluntary militia in all counties of Virginia in defense of the British
military during the Revolutionary Era. Criticizing war and Great Britain for treating the colonies
as subordinates rather than equals fueled Henrys reasoning for becoming one of the highly
influential figures in the beginning of the war for independence. He was attempting to convince
Virginia that what Britain had done to achieve peace had failed and that it would always fail. His
mind was set on fighting a battle with God on their side with strength, preparedness, resistance,
and boldness. Throughout the speech, Henry uses a wide variety of literary devices to get his
point across to the audience as to why they should follow him and his call to action in the war
against Britain and the unfair treatment they had been receiving. He uses devices such as:
appeals to ethos, pathos to appeal to both emotion and religion, and logos; he also uses
techniques such as loaded words, generalizations, metaphors, analogies, allusion, parallelism,
rhetorical questions, imagery, restatement of his points, repetition, and pronouns, to advance his
point to the listener. The useage of this variety of literary devices is what made Henrys speech
and call to action so effective.
Ethos is an appeal to ethics, and it is a means of convincing someone or an audience of
the character or credibility of the persuader. There are many various ways that the ethos appeal is
used in Henrys speech, the first of these instances being the opening sentence, 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. This appeal to ethics is specific to the credibility aspect of
ethical appeals when he said how he feels about patriotism and ability of the men that addressed
the House. Another instance where Henry appeals to ones ethical side of thinking is when he
stated that, ...I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of
disloyalty toward the majesty of heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings, in the end to his

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first paragraph. One would find this appealing to their view on the morals of Henry of what a
high standard he holds himself to when it comes to his country. One more occasion where Henry
appeals to the listeners ethics is in the middle of his third paragraph when he announced, Let us
not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves. Henry is begging the addressee (George Washington)
to not be deceived by anything that Britain is trying to throw their direction. This shows how
Henry genuinely cares for the future of his country by humbling himself and begging the future
president to keep his eyes open. Ethically speaking, caring for the outcome of something that you
may not be in control of says a lot about the ethics you hold as an individual. The appeal to ethos
in a literary sense is very powerful in Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death showing Henrys high
ethical standards to his audience.
Pathos is an appeal to passion or emotion, it is a way of connecting the audience by
tugging at their emotions; in Henrys Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death, emotional connection
to the audience plays a factor in many instances to show how Henry was left feeling inferior and
mistreated with the way that Britain was treating the colonies. The first of these occurrences
being in the third paragraph when Henry states, Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a
kiss, this is an emotional appeal in a couple of varying ways; this statement attaches the
audience in an emotional fashion because no one wants to be betrayed, and this also connects the
reader in a religious standpoint referring to a Biblical teaching from the New Testament. Another
appeal to pathos is in Henrys fourth paragraph when he declared, Sir, we are not weak if we
make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. Three
millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we
possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall
not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations; and

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who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is
to the vigilant, the active, the brave. This shows the audience that America does not have to be
seen as weak if they would take advantage of the resources that God had given them; this appeals
to anyone that would be passionate about their country and what they believe in, to be strong and
courageous in the war against Britain. Pathos is used in one more time in Henrys speech in the
last paragraph. Henry appeals to the listener's emotions by questioning how one values life when
he says, Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?
Forbid it, Almighty God!. Pathos plays a major role in Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death
because Henry is very desperately attempting to gain supporters in the upcoming battles for
independence by tapping into his audiences emotions.
Logos is an appeal to logic, it is a way to convince an audience in the direction of the
persuader by logically spelling things out for someone. The appeal to logos is used a couple of
times in Henrys speech to vocalize some things that Britain had done wrong with the treatment
of the colonies. The statement, Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means
which the God of nature hath placed in our power, is a logical call to action to the audience to
take use of what God had given them and to stand up with their power for their country. Henry
says in the same paragraph, Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire
it, it is now too late to retire from the contest, this is telling the audience that Britain has
wronged them in the aspect of them not having any say in what has gone on, but if they wish to
have it they cannot back out of the fight for independence now. This is logical in the sense that
he is stating how it is simply too late for them to give up, so they may as well keep on chugging
in the fight for independence. Logical explanations are not so common in this speech, however,
Henry makes a very good argument as to why colonists should keep on going.

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Loaded words have strong emotional implications and provoke strong reactions in
someone. To give an example of some loaded words that are used in Give Me Liberty or Give Me
Death, just from the first paragraph alone there are words such as; patriotism, sentiments,
freedom, slavery, magnitude, responsibility, fear, and disloyalty. Although some of these words
may be short, the meaning behind them is that of strong emotion and value to the audience. The
use of these words furthers Henrys argument by being more sophisticated and particular choices
than they would have had to have been if he wanted to have a weaker argument. These words tie
in emotions and passion for listeners because of such strong value put behind them.
Generalizations are simply a general statement that can be obtained from a specific case
but apply to many. There is only one example of this in Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death in the
second paragraph when Henry makes the generalization that, ...it is natural to man to indulge in
the illusions of hope, whereas it is natural for man to do so, he is trying to make the point that
they musnt shut their eyes to the truth of the matter of how Britain is really treating them. This is
just furthering his argument to start the war for independence.
Metaphors use a phrase that is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally
applicable; metaphors are used in two places that prove to be powerful in reinforcing Henrys
argument to start a war for independence against Britain. The first of which is in his third
paragraph when he says, I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that is the lamp
of experience, this is saying to the listener or reader that Henry is experienced in the field that
he is discussing, while it is not tangible, it furthers his point that he should be heard because he is
experienced enough to make an argument for the subject of freedom and democracy that the
colonies deserve. The second occasion that he uses an analogy in Give Me Liberty or Give Me
Death is in the same paragraph, Henry put into words saying, Trust it not, sir; it will prove a

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snare to your feet, discussing the false beneficial treatment that the colonies had been receiving
from Britain. This metaphor is preferential to Henrys argument against Britain warning the
colonists to beware the treatment Britain had been throwing their way. While it may not be
substantial, the usage of metaphors in Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death proves to be
meaningful in enhancing Henrys reasoning for a war on independence.
Analogies are a comparison of two things that are somehow alike; while there is only one
analogy in Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death, it is significant because it moots Henrys
experience. In the first sentence of the third paragraph of the speech, Henry says, ...and that is
the lamp of experience, which compares experience to being a lamp to his feet. Experience to
guide someones actions is colossal when it comes to leading the thoughts and actions of a
nation. Comparing experience to being a lighted pathway establishes credibility for the audience.
Allusions are statements that refer to something indirectly; such as a Biblical story or
teaching. One allusion is used in Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death when Henry declares,
Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. This statement refers to Luke chapter 22 in
the New Testament of the Bible when Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. This reference is
powerful in convincing the audience to beware the treatment that Britain has shown the colonies.
The time period in which this was used was one of strong biblical beliefs, much of the audience
would have been strongly affected by this allusion and would have most likely taken this into
strong consideration when deciding to follow the beliefs of Henry on starting the journey for the
colonies independence against Britain.
Parallelism is repetitive grammatical structure and can sometimes be confused as
repetition. Henry uses this literary device throughout his speech to continue his ideas to the
audience by repeating the same couple of words to the listener. He says in his third paragraph,

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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, repeating himself at the start of each independent clause with the
words, we have. This is crucial to his argument because it gets into the listeners head and they
tend to remember facts more easily when repeated. This will get the audience thinking; in
Henrys case, this will get colonists contemplating on the idea of war against Britain and whether
or not they would wish to support Henry along the way. Directly following this, Henry states,
Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and
insult; our supplications have been disregarded, restating the word, our to get into the
audiences mind and to get them thinking on the ideas that follow the repeated word. Henry uses
parallelism greatly to his advantage when trying to gain supporters; he gets them thinking with
the repetition he uses and follows up with compelling facts.
Rhetorical questions are questions that do not necessarily require an answer, however,
they are typically used to feed thoughts into someone and to get them focused on an idea and
allow them to form their own opinion. Henry uses rhetorical questions quite a few times
throughout his speech in order to get his audience thinking about the way that Britain had been
treating them and the colonies. Some examples of questions that he asks his audience are, Are
we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not,
the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation?, Is it that insidious smile with
which our petition has been lately received?, Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be
reconciled, that force must be called in to win back our love?, Shall we gather strength by
irresolution and inaction?, and, Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price
of chains and slavery?. Each of these questions do not have a direct answer and do not require

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an answer; each question was strategically placed throughout the speech to keep the listeners
tuned in and thinking. Every question listed and not listed were placed in the speech to get the
audience to truly think about the way that Britain had been and how they were currently treating
them. These questions were placed to make the listener think about how they had been treated as
subordinates or rather almost like slaves the Britain and whether or not they wanted to stand for
it or to take a chance and fight for themselves and the freedom that they deserved.
The usage of descriptive words to create a picture for the reader or audience is known as
imagery. Strongly describing a setting or even feeling to make a picture in ones head is a literary
technique that can be used as persuasive means to get the audience to envision what the speaker
has seen or experienced. Henry used this technique in his speech to make a picture in the mind of
the listener of the way that he sees Britain and the tyranny that had been going on for the
colonies. He states, ...have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the
ministry and Parliament, to describe British government and religion as hands that need to be
dealt with by new law in order to protect the rights of the people; said rights had not been
established at the time, making this imagery that much more powerful in gaining supporters.
Henry uses imagery again in his speech when he says, Our chains are forged! to create the
image of the naval ships that were ready to depart from Boston harbor to attack the French.
Without imagery in this speech, it most likely would have been more difficult to gain support
from colonists; with the imagery it helped them to visualize some truths that needed to be
brought to the surface.
Pronouns such as the words, I, and, my are used throughout Henrys speech as a
means of showing strong emotion and control towards the subject matter. Henry uses pronouns
in Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death because that shows the audience that he truly cares and is

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passionate about what he is speaking about; that he is in a place of authority to be talking about
it. The future of the colonies was something that meant a lot to him; he was a very patriotic man
and was strongly against the treatment that Britain had been showing them. The speech would
not be anywhere close to the level of persuasiveness that it needed to be to gain supporters for
the war against the unfair and unethical treatment of Britain.
Repetition is like parallelism, however it does not repeat only structure; every word is
repeated when someone uses repetition. Henry uses this in his third and fourth paragraphs. On
the first occasion he exclaimed, ...we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! to grab the
presidents along with the audiences attention and show passion towards beginning a battle
against the British. Next when he used repetition, he again tried to grab the president's along with
the audiences attention by exclaiming, ...let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come. when he
discussed the war that was going to happen. By this point in his speech, he had become so
confident that he was going to have enough support for a war that he said it was inevitable.
Henry was right, it did come, and he was ready for it. Without repetition, Henrys speech would
have been less confident; the way that he repeated things with directly addressing the president
showed his confidence in himself and his feelings towards the subject.
In conclusion, Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death is an exceptional speech about freedom
and democracy. Without the usage of the numerous literary devices used, Henry may not have
been able to get the number of supporters needed to start the war for independence against
Britain. After analyzing the varying techniques that Henry used one may begin to analyze other
political speeches and wonder if history would be altered without using such techniques that
Henry did.

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Works Cited
Custom, Henry By. "Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death" Speech.": The
Colonial Williamsburg Official History & Citizenship Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov.
2016.