Intention

The main intention of Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!” speech is to persuade the members of the Virginia Convention that the Thirteen Colonies must act against the British Empire, as hoping for a peaceful compromise with Britain is no longer an option. 

Henry uses logos to show why the idea that previous speakers have expressed that the colonies must wait for Britain’s response to their petition is based on flawed reasoning. He points out that hopeful ideas about the future of the colonies and reaching a compromise with Britain are not based in reality and in the past experiences that the colonies have had with Britain. 

Henry also uses figurative language to create impactful visual images which appeal to pathos, such as “war-like preparation...