Patrick Henry Reflection:

Before reading Patrick Henry's famous "Give me liberty, or give me death" speech, I had thought it to be nothing more but an overly glorified rant made by a simple man. However, I now realize with what all that was said, that Patrick Henry's objective was in no way associated with rebellion or hypocrisy as I had previously beleived. Knowing this, I was better able to open myself up to what this man wanted to be heard, and was astounded. Patrick Henry, with words such as "shut our eyes against a painful truth" and "listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts", gives American legislature a cold slap of reality as to wake it up from its naive slumber. Further, Patrick Henry exposes the irony in America's efforts for peace and love, in that the military's excessive force was being used to do so. At first, this statement agitated me, for Henry seemed to imply no other reasonable resolution for international conflict. Yet, he more than made up for it when he made suggestions regarding the threat of Great Britain, proving him innocent of being another "give peace a chance" idealist of which I was afraid. Overall, this invigorating speech gave me a different outlook upon the American Revolution and what it meant for our ancestors. After reading this speech, I gained a new appreciation for public motivators and all of those like Patrick Henry, who aren't afraid to speak out for what they know is right.