Question

in Patrick Henry's "Speech in the Virginia Convention," "we have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated before the throne; and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament." what is the rhetorical effect from the passage: it builds tension, it develops humor, it reflects ignorance, it reveals the purpose of the speech, it highlights future action

Answer 1

The rhetorical effect of the passage you provided from Patrick Henry's "Speech in the Virginia Convention" is that it **builds tension** and **highlights future action**.

The repetition of phrases like "we have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated" underscores the desperation and extensiveness of the colonists' attempts to seek redress from the British government, which effectively builds tension as it emphasizes their continued suffering and the lack of response from their oppressors.

Additionally, this accumulation of actions sets the stage for a call to action, indicating that despite their previous efforts, they are now at a point where more decisive and possibly aggressive steps will need to be taken for their freedom. In this way, the passage both heightens the emotional stakes of the situation and points towards the need for future action.