pompolia

Cuddles
2003-03-22 22:54:16 (UTC)

Patrick Henry's address part I

http://libertyonline.hypermall.com/henry-liberty.html

Yay! I found the entire Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death
speech. I'm going to analyze it for the district speech
competitions. I hope to go on to the state competitions.
That would be awesome! So, I thought I'd take out some of
the best passages and analyze them here, in a free-thought
sort of style. If this bores you, I'm sorry. I shall
label every entry about this with a specific "Patrick
Henry" title, so that you can avoid them.

"No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as
well as abilities, of the ... gentlemen who have just
addressed the House. But different men often see the same
subject in different lights; and, ... I hope it will not
be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if ... I ...
speak ... freely and without reserve."

Well, he started out by getting rid of the opposition.
These men liked to think of themselves as open-minded, so
they weren't going to start shouting and tell him to go
sit down, they were going to here him out. A good ploy to
begin with...
:-)

"The questing 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;"

Next, he makes the problem seem as major as possible, and
as negative as possible, as he wants it to go away.

"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 truth, and fulfill the great
responsibility which we hold to God and our country. "

He says they have a duty to GOD and their country.

"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?"

these men think they're wise. They're the brightest and
best of the 13 colonies: Benjamen Franklin, George
Washington, Thomos Jefferson, ... etc. It has been said
that there never was, and never will be again, such a
great collection of geniuses as were at the Virgina
Convention. If anybody has that direct quote, please send
it to me. It's from my history or government book...

"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?"

allusion to the bible, which all of them would have read,
being strong, Bible-believing Christians and well-read
men. it says that if you don't listen to his logic,
you're goign to die here on earth. dying from heaven by
not listening to God was the thing they were supposed to
be most afraid of. They believed God was infallible. So,
he drew a parallel between himself and God, and made his
own logic seem less fallible.

" 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. "

That's pretty straight-forward, but it's important. He's
blaming them for not providing for their ocuntry by not
looking at things the way they really are.


" 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."

I should cut that down... He's making them re-examine the
past. Take another look at what you've been
rationalizing. Is it really that good? Is there really
hope? Second-guess yourself.




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