Why Revolution Was Needed: Analysis Of T. Paine’s And P. Henry’s Speeches

Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine both are widely considered to be modern fathers for rhetoric. These two powerful men delivered memorable speeches. Both speeches argued the necessity to revolution. Both men used analogy, repetition, parallelism and aphorism to communicate their common claims about the need for public revolution. Paine, in “The Crisis Article 1”, is more concerned with aphorismic appeals to the public. He uses a lot of personal analogies and makes them more relatable. Henry’s speech to Virginia House of Burgesses focused more on repetition and parallelism, which he used to express his strong claim of revolution to tyranny. This made him more appealing to both logic and emotion. Both men successfully captured the essential need to change their society.

Although Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine have slightly different rhetorical choices, they both make the same claim in their speeches: To achieve social and religious liberty, the American people must rebel against King George III’s “tyrannical.” Both speakers strongly oppose the notion of “compromise” and believe that revolution is the only way to overcome the tyrannical British monarchy. Although they make similar claims, both use different rhetorical strategies throughout their speeches. Henry is a master of repetition. He insists that there is only one lamp that guides his feet, and that it “is the lamp to experience”. This “lamp” is the altruistic, motivated spirit that drives America’s dream. It is also a result of oppression by monarchy. Henry continues his speech using inclusive pronouns to unite the public. He uses repetitions – “we’re weak”, and “when will it be stronger”. Paine appeals to common people naturally by using aphorism. The expository statement in his speech – “These were the times that test men’s souls” – is an effective rhetorical tool. Paine targets the “souls”, or common people, to rally the American people against the British monarchy. Henry’s speech is more assertive than his predecessors. He condemns some citizens’ relaxed attitudes and uses parallelism to support his initial claim of revolution. Henry’s inflamatory tone challenges the public, “having eyes not seeing, and having ears not hearing”, and appeals emotionally by drawing parallels between the natural abilities of sight, hearing, and other human abilities. Paine on the other hand uses strong analogies and strong metaphors to influence the common person emotionally. Paine says the British are a “thief that broke into my house and destroyed my [property], then killed or threatened to kill me”. This was due to British soldiers violating privacy laws and invading homes and businesses.

Both the timeless speeches of Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine are timeless and have survived many times. Their words will echo forever amid the cries and freedoms of American men. Patrick Henry uses repetition and parallelism to strategically navigate his audience’s mentality, asking them to rebel against evil. Thomas Paine makes use of multiple analogies as well as aphorisms, which appeal to the common man’s emotional state. Both orators communicate their unique claims about the necessity and importance of freedom with great arguments. Patrick Henry’s immortal words, “men without intrinsic desire” will “indulge into the illusions and deny the painful truth.”