"Give me Liberty or give me Death" - Patrick Henry

Excerpt from "Give me Liberty or give me Death" Speech

"This is no time for ceremony. The question before the house is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at the truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, 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. Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the numbers of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth, to know the worst, and to provide for it. I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves and the House. Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? "

Reflection:

Patrick Henry was an inspiring leader who believed in independence and freedom from the agonizing grips of the British government. He explained through his famous “Give me Liberty or give me Death” speech how if the English settlers of the Americas are not allowed freedom from the government but are held under certain rules of what they are allowed to do and how they have restrictions upon them, then they are no more than common slaves to the government of the British. I chose this part of Patrick Henry’s speech because it exhibits his propaganda techniques in the persuasion of following him for independence. I completely agree with Henry on the fact that they should’ve had freedom from Britain as soon as they founded their own government because they are their own people but some thought otherwise and I think that might have been the reason for the uprising conflict within the community. Of course, propaganda is usually very helpful in the persuasion of people’s thoughts upon a subject since it is basically a manipulation of what is really going on. This interested me so much because it actually worked and he was able to persuade many people of the Americas in following him to the uprising to fight for their independence. This was a major part of history for what would later become the US and I think that is the main reason for me picking this portion of the piece, for had Henry not risen up and created this persuasive packet, we would not be living in a country where everyone is free to do as they please. Within his speech, Patrick Henry incorporates the use of the three literary devices known as logos, pathos, and ethos. We see Patrick Henry exhibit his use of logos when he talks about the taxing of Great Britain to the people of America. He then uses pathos when he is talking tothe people of America by using many, many different connotations. Finally, we see Patrick Henry use ethos when he uses high level vocabulary to establishthe point that it is only right for the people of America to rebel to fight for their independence because they are being treated unrulingly by the government of the British.

Diary:

Dear Diary,

It is imperative that we, as the people of America, find independence from Britain because otherwise, we could just label ourselves as the new enslaved people of the British. However, we can defeat this foe if we band together and in doing this, reach our goal of being our own independent country, having liberty, having freedom and the choices of doing what we want to without consequence which is basically what Patrick Henry was saying. We have taken it upon ourselves to do nothing for the time so far but we can eradicate this control over us. Our independence is crucial to separate ourselves from the government of the British for we can become our own government and run our own lives but otherwise, we are basically slaves because we are letting the British control us completely by giving us restrictions on things and giving us certain taxes, etc. However, we can turn these tables upon the British through the careful and peaceful rebellion against their rules and their restrictions.

Independence

Political Extension:

Essential Question Answer:

This piece of literature represents the American Dream because it allows the English settlers to have the opportunity to better themselves by seperating themselves from an overpowering government and by doing so, creating their independence. Their newly opened door of opportunity is their chance to prove themselves and progress in society where as the people they enslaved were not given this opportunity.