Well, upon listening to the story being read, I felt like I was being lectured. The tone of the story is very persuasive. The speaker is trying to get people to see the light. He is using his ideas and his theories to show people the differences in what the world has done in the past, and has not work, and what we should do now in the future. The story uses many characteristics of the Rationalism time period.
One of the main characteristics I found in the story was the use of persuasion. The main character in the story uses persuasion so the President will make a change. I think that in a way, from the tone, he over-exaggerates things, which makes the people listen and realize what is really going on. He persuades people into believing everything he is telling him (Henry 117). A second characteristic that I saw was the use of figurative, or descriptive language. The language was full of detail I think because the author wanted the words to appeal to the senses. He wanted people to use their eyes to see what was happening and that the current plans were not working. He wanted the people to use their ears to hear the things he was saying and process the changes that were taking place. He wanted people to use their senses, so his words really appealed to the readers and made an impact on the people in the story. One of the big characteristics seen in this story in particular is the use of logical reasoning. The narrator in this story is uses his words, his logic, to explain changes that need to be made. He is using the facts he knows about the past and figuring out a way to make a better future for the people (Henry 117). When he is presenting these ideas, he has support to back him up. He uses logic so that no one can question him. He has logical reasoning for all of the problems and a logical solution for each of them. He keeps repeating his words in places which shows he is trying to emphasize something very important. In this case he is trying to emphasize the problems to the president and what he thinks would be a better solution, or what he would do instead.
In the story, I also like how the narrator appeals to the readers emotions. Even though when I read the story I pictured an angrier tone, I still was moved by the speech. As a reader I wanted to believe what he was saying and wanted to agree with him. He took things to the extreme! When he said "Give me liberty, or give me death," that is a pretty big ultimatum (Henry 118). He is willing to be put on his death bed for liberty. He seeks peace and fairness. He seeks a plan that will work for the people, unlike the plans of the past. Overall, the very short story had a lot of meaning and displayed many characteristics of the Rationalism style of writing!
Henry, Patrick. "Speech to the Second Virginia Convention." American Literature. Columbus: Mc-Graw Hill, 2009. 114-18. Print.
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