1. Patrick Henry’s Rhetorical Toolbox

2. Logical or Emotional?
I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that is the lamp of experience. 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?

3. Logical or Emotional?
2. Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us; they can be meant for no other.

4. Logical or Emotional?
3. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament.

5. Logical or Emotional?
4. I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of Hosts is all that is left us!

6. Logical or Emotional?
5. Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us.

7. Logical or Emotional?
6. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston!

8. Henry’s Rhetorical Toolbox
Paragraph 1
Flattery
Either/or
Paragraph 2
Allusion to Sirens/Circe

9. Henry’s Rhetorical Toolbox
Paragraph 3
Metaphor: lamp of experience
Biblical allusion: “betrayed with a kiss”
Rhetorical questions
Metaphor: “chains” of slavery
Parallelism
Periodic sentence (oomph at the end)

10. Henry’s Rhetorical Toolbox
Paragraph 4
Opposing position
Counterargument through rhetorical questions
Imagery/metaphor: clanking of chains
Paragraph 5
Imagery: “next gale that sweeps from the north”
Rhetorical questions

11. Partner Activity #1: Bin Laden Speech
After reading page 1 of the Bin Laden speech,
identify which type of fallacies are present in the
arguments he presents.

12. Partner Activity #2
Do you think this speech is successfully persuasive? Why or why not?

13. Partner Activity #3: Create Your Own Fallacies
With a partner, brainstorm at least three fallacious arguments for one of the following prompts:
You should (not) have a job as a high schooler because
You should go the Homecoming dance because
You should eat crunchy Cheetos because
You should watch Zoolander (or another movie of your choice) because
Use the following formula to get your arguments started:
You should ______________ because ________________.
Label your arguments with the type of fallacy.