Question

What was the purpose of Patrick Henry using the metaphor "Sir, we have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now coming on."? What did it do to the audience?

Answer 1

The use of this metaphor shows the audience that the war is going to be hard and cruel, but at this point it is inevitable. the storm in question is the revolutionary war in order to gain independence. this shows that even though the challenge is daunting, there’s no turning back now. after years of tyranny against the colonists, a war is necessary. the first part of the sentence shows that colonists didn’t jump to war at the beginning, it was a gradual call to arms. it started with protests and even simply asking the king for a seat or two in parliament. when peaceful approaches were disregarded, things escalated.