"We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain- (Henry 118) "Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet- (Henry 116). Henry also mentions the use of imagery, metaphors, as well as biblical allusions. Oratories are effective in many ways but they are also not easy to comprehend. At some points the audience may be wondering what the speaker is trying to convey. It is very important for the orator to be skilled and talented. He needs to be able to think off the top of his head. To me I think this style of thoughts would not be effective today. It seems as time goes on there are less and less people who are truly I mean truly talented at speaking (e.g. Martin Luther King). The use of biblical allusions is another good point of the non-effectiveness of an oratory speech. Back in the 1400s-1700s everyone had read the bible; it was the book to read. Nowadays most people have not even picked up the bible, let alone know the stories that go along with it. If you cannot understand the message in a biblical allusion it is not effective.
Persuasive speeches attempt to convince listeners to think or act in a certain way. Similarly Jonathan Edwards used fear like Patrick Henry to get his message across. Instead Edwards brought fear to the people/society that they will fall into Hell. Edwards uses many literary features in his sermon. Similes: "The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present ."" (Edwards 74). Key Diction: "Nothing,"" "Wrath,"" "God,"" and "Hell- (Edwards 74-77). Extended Metaphor: "It is a great furnace of wrath ."" (Edwards 75). Personification: "The earth would not bear you one moment The world would spew you out- (Edwards 74). Biblical Allusion: "Let everyone fly out of Sodom- (Edwards 77). Imagery: "Hell's wide gaping mouth open- (Edwards 74). Edwards's sermon is identical to Henry's in that they both use biblical allusions, imagery and the key diction in Edwards is similar to the use of repetition in Henry's speech.
Oratory was a particularly popular form of entertainment; Americans attended sermons, political speeches, poetry readings, and public lectures with an enthusiasm unmatched in American history. ... In this essay, we are going to see some aspects about the curious life of this enterprising man and his museum of freaks and describe the important impact of his figure on posterity. ...