Ethos And Its Impact On The World Of The Hands Of An Angry God

Unequivocally one of the most historically and culturally-significant pieces of literature, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense has been meticulously analyzed for its effectiveness in eliciting the reaction that Paine himself intended in 1776. At the forefront of Paine’s pamphlet is “Thoughts on the Present State of American Affairs,” notable for its first sentence: “In the following pages I offer nothing more than simple, facts, plain arguments, and commonsense” (7). Within, Paine “elaborates” on three main points that strengthen the option of independence: the effects of British rule on the colonies; the plausible relationship with Britain upon reconciliation; and the actual role of England as a parent country as opposed to England’s optimal role. However, upon analysis of the text, I discerned that Paine does not develop his main points to the extent that he does his almost-propaganda-like statements regarding England. Despite this, adding historical knowledge to Common Sense can help one corroborate Paine’s views to an extent. Overall, when expressing his views on the colonies’ relationship with England, possible results of reconciliation, and England as a parent country, Paine does not elaborate, but information regarding the Navigation Acts and mercantilism can assist one in understanding the significance of Common Sense.

It’s the middle of winter. Soldiers huddled together around the fire for warmth as their entire being shakes from the frigid weather. The snow falls lightly upon them, but not as light as their hearts. It’s December 23, 1776, christmas is soon and America is losing the war for independence from Britain, each soldier wishes to return home to their family, for they feel as if all is lost and there is nothing they can possibly do to win the war. All until Thomas Paine presents the soldiers a whole hearted and encouraging speech, “The Crisis”.

Throughout The Crisis, Paine incorporates multiple uses of language to persuade the men to enlist in the war for freedom. Paine states, “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered” (1). He emphasizes that Britain's tyranny of the American colonies will be

The common purpose between Patrick Henry’s Speech to the Virginia Convention and Thomas Paine’s The Crisis No. 1 was to persuade listeners into fighting for independence from Britain. They used different methods and tactics to do so. A great method is to appeal to the heart and head; emotionally and logically. People listening to the speech need reasons as to why they should follow what the speaker is saying. One can’t just speak with force and no substance and expect to have people agree with them. “You can catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar” Fear is a big motivator but it doesn’t nearly do as well as respect. There are many ways to persuade people but the most effective

The first reason the revolutionary war was justified was because the king ignored a myriad of petitions. In return, their “petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.” (7) Can you serve, respect, and honour a country that has brought death and soldiers into your land? Even after the King George III received the pleas of the settler, he continued to send more troops to their land, waging a silent war with the colonist’s. In Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, makes a very bold point that supports a big reason why the colonists were not guilty of declaring independence from Britain. He says “But...then tell me whether you can hereafter love, honour, and faithfully serve the power [ English Parliament ] that hath carried fire and sword into your land?” (6)What Paine

Ethos is all about credibility/trust. In the speech, Patrick henry uses ethos by talking about who we are and who we should trust. “If we wish to be free -- if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending -- if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained -- we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us”(Henry)! By saying this, is message is that was we the people, we should stand up together and not be anticultural but to be one with each other. We must trust and fight with one another to win the war. Patrick Henry also uses tone and mood to help him point get across. With using different punctuations marks, you can really feel the tone and the mood that the author wants you to feel so you feel like you were actually there when me spoke. “It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace-- but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death”(Henry)! By using/saying these things the author used ethos because that's what people want the hear, that the leader is truthful, and has a

Although Ellis attempts to keep hindsight from skewing the facts about the summer of 1776, he does use his position as a 21st-century historian in order to provide context to the reader. Throughout the book, Ellis occasionally uses his modern-day knowledge to draw attention to certain arguments. For example, in regards to slavery Ellis makes it very clear that what may seem like a minor disagreement between states in 1776 is actually the foundation for a debate that will eventually lead to the Civil War. More generally, Ellis begins the book by saying that “before we begin our trek back to the past, two oddly shaped features of the terrain merit mention, chiefly because they do not align themselves with the expectations we carry in our heads and therefore need to be marked on the map beforehand.” He then goes on to mention the idea of honor in the military, and the lack of unity among states, both of which

Today we look back at the American Revolution and picture a united people fighting for inalienable rights, but to grasp the impact that Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” had upon his contemporaries we must understand the situation in the American colonies in 1776. When Paine wrote his pamphlet, the colonist and The Parliament in London, were almost 10 years into a debate over the rights of limited self-government by the colonies. In the months preceding the publication of Paine’s pamphlet the situation had steadily worsened until the April 19th, 1775 armed confrontation between Massachusetts colonists and British Army soldiers. By the end of that day, blood had been shed by both sides, and armed colonists placed the British garrison in Boston under siege. Despite this violence, most colonists viewed the events as a part of a struggle between Englishmen that would be resolved with the continued allegiance of the colonies to the Crown, but with more favorable treatment from London. It was with this popular mindset throughout the colonies, that Paine would deliver his “Common Sense” pamphlet arguing for complete independence from England. Paine understood that to make his argument resonate he needed to appeal to the public in a manner that had yet to be done.

During the Revolutionary War, writers and orators publicly revealed their thoughts on how to respond to Britain’s further subjugation of the American colonies. After a futile hope for reconciliation and failed petitions to the British government, several patriots, such as Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry, called for the colonists to take up arms against the British. Through Paine’s Common Sense and Henry’s “Speech in the Virginia Convention”, they displayed an adamant message for the colonies to fight immediately. Both used the rhetorical elements of ethos, pathos, and logos within their respective works, and their various applications to the three elements allowed for their arguments to reach all ears and influence the majority of the population towards the fight for independence.

“I know not what others may choose but, as for me, give me liberty or give me death” (Henry). These famous words were delivered by the young Virginia representative, Patrick Henry, on March 23rd of 1775. He was a driving force in the upbringing of America and his use of pathos greatly influenced the nation’s future. Similar to most American politicians of the time, he was highly antagonistic towards British control in the colonies, and thus feared that if U.S. forces were not armed against them, the future of the nation would be in peril. In Patrick Henry’s “Speech to the Virginia Convention”, he utilizes pathos as a tool to aide him in persuading the Virginia Assembly to prepare America’s troops for battle against the British by evoking trepidation and concern from within his audience.

“Give me liberty, or give me death!” is a quotation attributed to Patrick Henry, which he used to close his speech to Virginia Convention. During this time period, the 1770s, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson all made arguments in favor of separation of the American colonies from Great Britain; many of these appeals were persuasive for different reasons, whether that be logical, emotional, or pertaining to credibility and trust, which is to say logos, pathos, and ethos. First of all, we will examine Henry’s arguments during his speech at the Virginia Convention. Then, we will identify Paine’s appeals in a part of his essay, The Crisis n1. Lastly, we will evaluate Jefferson’s myriad of arguments in a part of his Autobiography.

In 46 Pages author Scott Liell is able to poignantly illustrate the colonies metamorphosis from a dependent arm of the English Empire to an independent country, the catalyst for which was Thomas Paine's Common Sense. Liell is able to not only articulate the turning point of the American consensus towards independence, but he also very intelligibly depicts the sentiments of all facets of colonial dogma and the torrential effect that Common Sense had in loosening the cement that held those beliefs. Using fantastic examples of the opinions of Tories, Whigs, and those ambivalent towards independence, Liell efficiently and

During the period of the American Revolutionary War, the colonists of America fought for their independence from Great Britain. Throughout this period, there are several documents that strongly demand freedom for the colonists. I feel that these documents have a strong impact on me making me feel as if I belong in that duration. Two specific documents that I find most engaging are the “Declaration of Independence” by Thomas Jefferson and “The Crisis, Number 1” by Thomas Paine. Both pieces express a similar need to revolt against Britain, yet the way they address them is slightly different.

Throughout time, events such as wars and assassinations have occurred that people today can describe as “a turning point in history”. However, not all turning points in history have to be wars, assassinations, etc. In fact, perhaps everybody acknowledges that Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense is a “turning point in history” because it inspired the United States Revolutionary War. Common Sense, a pamphlet, can be credited as to inciting the American Colonies to revolt against Great Britain. However, how could a mere pamphlet concerning such a complex and complicated issue ignite The United States to a major turning point? By focusing on trade sanctions imposed on the United States by Great Britain and insisting the United States could have a better Navy than Great Britain while writing in an easy to read style that emphasizes key words by capitalizing or italicizing, Paine appealed to the average colonist in a way that reinforced the democratic ideals of the early Americans.

The involvement by the gods simply begins with Aphrodite. Though the gods do not determine fate, they work alongside the fates and have the ability to act against them. Zeus tells Thetis, who has convinced him to aid her son Achilles to attain revenge against Agamemnon, “I’ll say yes to you by nodding my head, / The ultimate pledge. Unambiguous, / irreversible, and absolutely fulfilled, / Whatever I say yes to with a nod of my head” (Lombardo 1.556-559). And despite Hera’s reluctance, Zeus speaks to a Dream: