Speech in the VA Convention
Review “The Declaration of
Independence”


Turn in questions from “The
Declaration of Independence.”
Get out a sheet of paper for a quiz
over “The Declaration of
Independence”
Open Book Quiz
Page 240-244


Write one argumentative paragraph in
which you persuade me that you should not
be quizzed over the vocabulary words. Each
paragraph must include a claim, support,
and counterclaim.
Use your book to answer the questions on
the next slide.
Open Book Quiz
Page 240-244
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Who is the author of the Declaration of
Independence?
According to the document, what rights
do people have that cannot be taken
away? (9)
When do people have the right to form a
new government? (11-13)
Why do the colonies oppose the king’s
taxes? (66)
What do the united colonies declare to the
world? (108-109)
Standards
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
RI 5 – Analyze and evaluate the
effectiveness of the structure an author
uses in his or her argument, including
whether the structure makes points clear,
convincing and engaging.
RI6 – Determine an author’s point of view
or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric
is particularly effective, analyzing how
style and content contribute to the power,
persuasiveness, and beauty of the text
Essay Question

Using informational text from the
unit, make a convincing argument
for which text makes the most
effective use of rhetoric.
Rhetorical Devices
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
Rhetorical devices are structures
within language that appeal to
readers and communicate ideas.
In other words, rhetorical devices
make you want to listen.
Rhetorical devices used in The Speech
in the VA Convention
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Rhetorical Question – ex. “But when
shall we grow stronger?”
Antithesis – ex. “Give me liberty or give
me death.”
Repetition – ex. “Let it come! I repeat
sir, let it come?”
Parallelism – “Is life so dear, or peace so
sweet?”
Biblical Allusions – references to
events, figures, or phrases from the Bible.
Class assignment
Read the Speech in the VA Convention by
Patrick Henry in your Baseball groups.
 Use expo markers and transparency
sheets to underline the rhetorical devices
as you see them.
1st base – green/yellow – antithesis
2nd base – blue – parallelism
3rd base – black – rhetorical questions
Home base – pink/ orange - repetition

Class assignment


On your own sheet of paper,
each person in the group will then
write down two examples of each
form of rhetorical device.
Next, help each other answer the
following questions. Write down
answers on your own paper to be
turned in for a grade.
Questions!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
What does Henry mean when he says, “This is no time for
ceremony”? (line 6)
What is the “question before the House”? (line 6-7)
What stark contrast does he present to convey the importance of
this question? (line 9)
According to Henry, why is it so important to have “freedom of the
debate”? (line 9)
Why does he mention the delegates’ responsibility to god and our
country”? (line 11)
In lines 22-26, what point does Henry cite to argue that the British
are preparing for war? (lines 30-31)
In lines 41-46, what is Henry’s answer to those who favor talking to
the British?
What is Henry’s tone in lines 80-86?
What mood might his speech have stirred in the audience?
What does Henry mean when he says, “give me liberty, or give me
death”? (line 86) What does he hope to achieve by this cry?