Read the excerpt from Patrick Henry’s speech “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death.” What is the author’s purpose for using the rhetorical device you identified in the excerpt?

Question

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.

(1 point)
Responses

To help readers understand the difference between judgment and justification

To ask a question for dramatic effect

To explain a new idea using familiar terms

To make a clear connection between the past and the future

Answer 1

The author's purpose for using the rhetorical device identified in the excerpt is:

To make a clear connection between the past and the future.

In this passage, Patrick Henry is emphasizing how the past actions of the British ministry should inform the judgment of the future, suggesting that there are no grounds for optimism based on their history.