And by "hope" we mean "total and complete utter lack of hope."
When Henry's not talking about freedom and tyranny or about warfare, he's talking about how little hope he has that Great Britain and the American colonies can ever come to a peaceful resolution of their problems. Henry has to take a swipe at that best and worst of all emotions— hope—because hope is the main thing standing in the way of the Second Virginia Convention taking decisive action and voting to form militias.
Nobody in their right mind wants war, and he knows as long as they have hope war can be avoided, they'll keep trying to avoid it.
Questions About Hope
- What is the effect of the metaphors Henry uses for hope: "that siren" (9) and "delusive phantom" (52)?
- Based on what you know of the historical situation, is Henry right that there's no room for hope of reconciliation? Or is this a clever use of rhetoric to bend listeners Henry's way?
- What is Henry's attitude toward those members of the Convention who still have hope? What does he think of them?
Chew on This
Henry's scorn at the idea of hoping for a reconciliation with Great Britain makes those who think one is possible feel super naïve.
Mocking the idea of hope allows Henry to persuade those who still have hope that Henry is in the right.