The author’s purpose for using the rhetorical device in the excerpt is to make a clear connection between the past and the future. By referencing the past conduct of the British ministry, Patrick Henry emphasizes the reasons for his skepticism about future promises and hopes, thereby reinforcing the urgency of his argument for action.
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?
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)
To make a clear connection between the past and the future
To explain a new idea using familiar terms
To help readers understand the difference between judgment and justification
To ask a question for dramatic effect
1 answer
1 answer