Ojimadu 1

Vivian Ojimadu
Ms. Geiss
AP English and Composition
October 10, 2014
Pathos by Patrick Henry
The revolutionary war began as a disagreement over the way Great Britain treated the
colonies versus the way the colonies felt they should be treated. Americans felt they deserved all
the rights of Englishmen. The British, felt that the colonies were created to be used in the way
that best suited the crown and parliament. By the meeting of the second continental congress
emotions were high and Americans were fed up. In his 1775 speech to the conventions president
Patrick Henry uses diacopes and rhetorical questioning to establish logos and convince his fellow
Americans to go to war against Great Britain.
Patrick Henry uses diacopes throughout his speech to emphasize Americans need to fight
and urge the president to see that the only other choice America has is to go to war. He says
and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest
shall be obtained, we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! and "The war is inevitable and
let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come." Henry is appealing to logic by stating that no matter what
they do, war will come. This is the main point of his speech; that the colonies must go to war to
protect their own interests and gain freedom. He is trying to that the only thing they can do is go
to war.

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Henry also uses rhetorical questioning in his speech to show that Britain is being forceful
and to allow Britain to continue this use of force is to surrender their rights as Englishmen.
Henry says "Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? Have we
shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled, that force must be called in to win back our
love? In this Henry is saying that Britain is not trying to gain the "love" of the colonists; they
are trying to retake the colonies by force. Britain's sending of military force to the colonies to
stop the rebellions is seen as a threat and a tempting of the colonists to Henry. He is appealing to
logic by saying that the British use of military force is an attempt to destroy the colonist's spirit
of rebellion. If the British really wanted peace they would not send military force to the colonies
and intimidate the colonists. Henry proves that the British are not trustworthy and a rebellion is
necessary to protect their rights.