Persuasive Essays On 'Thomas Paine And Gain'

​Thomas Paine's Common Sense is a seminal piece of American literature and American history; arguably it's the most important piece. Paine wrote Common Sense in 1775-1776, and it's theme was to spread his political beliefs. He wanted American independence from the British monarchy. The pamphlet was anonymously released on January 10th, 1776, and it explained to the reader why the colonies needed to rebel against their British oppressors. It was sold far and wide across the colonies, and it was successful; it inspired many of the soldiers during the initial summer of rebellion in 1776. The whole idea of the pamphlet revolves around persuading the reader to side with the rebels in their valiant fight for independence, and he absolutely uses contemporary persuasive techniques in his writing. He uses facts about the present, he looks towards the future, and he uses religion to persuade his readers. In fact, it's a testament to how the act of persuasion has been very similar over the last 238

With the initially anonymous release of the pamphlet, Common Sense, Thomas Paine proposed to challenge Great Britain, as well as advocate for independence from the British government's sovereignty over what was then the thirteen American colonies. With the objective of coercing the American people to fight against Great Britain in mind, Thomas Paine employed various rhetorical strategies. These rhetorical strategies included: inductive and deductive reasoning through logic; but some of Paine's most persuasive arguments come from emotionally charged appeals to action and various forms of logical fallacies, which Paine used in an effort to coerce and inspire his audience, the American public, to unite with each other in the much anticipated battle

Thomas Paine, in his renowned work Common Sense, unambiguously uses pathos to call the founding fathers, and the American colonies as a whole, to action against the oppression of the British government. By using explicit figurative language, passionate diction, and the persistent parallel structure used to create correlation between citizen and governing powers, Paine masterfully manipulates the rhetorical appeals and devices in this piece in order to inspire action.

In the year of 1776, emotions intensify in Colonial America creating an atmosphere prime for dissidence and a yearning for independence. The livid Americans, overtaxed and mistreated by the British after the French and Indian War, debate and argue amongst themselves about the fate of their fledgling colony. The American colonies interested in seeking independence from their motherland Britain, look abroad in hopes of finding moral and political reasons to justify revolution. In the pamphlet, Common Sense, Frenchman Thomas Paine conveys such reasons using rhetorical elements such as figurative language, rhetorical questions, and assertions in order to enhance the morale of the colonists and support the Americans in their revolution against Britain.

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.

In the pamphlet, “Common Sense,” written by Thomas Paine to the current inhabitants of America, he addresses the flaws of the reasoning of the loyalists and persuasively shows the audience the right path. He does this effectively by appealing to the rhetoric form of logos, setting up each of his arguments with a parallel structure, and by using simple language that everyone can understand.

Thomas Paine was responsible for some of the most influential works of the revolution. Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense was a very crucial part to America and its movement of independence from Britain. Paine was effective with his writings by being very plain. He wanted both farmers and officials to understand what he was talking about and be able to comprehend his ideas. Paine wanted to put his ideas out to the people of the American colonies so that they could understand it just by reading and not have to analyze and decipher what he was really trying to get across. He wanted to let the colonist know that there was no more room for talking about a split from English rule but it was time for the colonies to unite and take up arms against their British oppressors.

Paine effectively used low language and vivid imagery to create what amounts to the most successful propaganda tool in history. He made a point in demonizing King George as a “brute” and painting Great Britain as a “parasitic” overseer, sucking profit from its American Colonies while returning nothing but oppression. His use of plain rhetoric; however was his most powerful weapon, the very title of the work implied that what Paine presented was simple logic, that it could be grasped by anyone. He plainly appealed to the already embattled colonists that “the period for debate is closed” on the issue of the Revolution, that the Crown had “made the choice to pursue bloodshed” and that there was only one

During this time period, several notable publishings and speeches were written, most notably Patrick Henry’s, “Speech to the Virginia Convention” and Paine’s “Crisis No. 1.” Their purposes were of similar intent, as they both promoted unity against the British and both promoted war as the best course of action. Both were remarkable and compelling pieces, but Paine’s “Crisis No. 1” was more effective and inspirational in the struggle for unity against the British. Paine’s assertions were backed by language, allusions, and metaphors that the general public could follow. Henry’s work, although spectacularly worded, referenced topics that only a more educated audience, i.e. the people attending the convention, would easily follow. The fact that Paine’s was more easily followed by the uneducated, which comprised most of the population, would allow its message to reach more people, especially those who would be doing the fighting.

In December of 1776, in the midst of the American Revolution, Thomas Paine, an audacious and rebellious persuasive writer living in the American colonies, gathered the attention of fellow colonists, militiamen, and military generals through his controversial opinions and creative writing style, particularly illustrated in his essay, “The Crisis No. 1.” Paine, a dauntless supporter of the revolution, wrote his essay urging colonists to join the fight and earn their freedom through battle. In order to construct his eloquent and compelling essay, he used an impressive combination of the persuasive techniques; rhetorical appeal, figurative language, and tone.

Thomas Paine was the most persuasive writer for the American Revolution. He wrote to inspire soldiers under Washington that they can win the war, remain strong and fight for the freedom of their country.. In Paine’s essay, “The Crisis, No. 1,” rhetorical devices that Thomas uses are personification and emotional/logical appeal to compare and contrast victory versus defeat. Paine emphasizes that the struggle for freedom from the British through personification and that it’s important because the colonists need to continue to fight and not give up.

Scott Liell’s book 46 pages: Thomas Paine, Common Sense, and the Turning Point to Independence ultimately describes Thomas Paine’s life and showcases the struggles he went through and the outside forces that influenced him to write Common Sense. Liell’s book also expresses the importance of Common Sense, stating that it is the “single most influential political work in American history” (16). Paine was born and raised in England, in which the King and his monarchial rule would have evident influence in his later

Meanwhile, tensions between America and Britain skyrocketed, and Thomas saw his opportunity. Seizing the moment he began writing articles about the condemnation of British-ruled America. After Lexington and Concord he resorted to the Revolutionary point of view.(http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/paine.html) He wrote the scathing 50 page pamphlet that went by “Common Sense” that advertised how the colonists’ right were being reduced to pay for the French and Indian war. Thomas Paine wrote in riddles and pondered Latin words and their meaning, even resorting to use the Bible and there verses to gather religious people to his cause. Common Sense also explained that how, in Paine’s opinion, America needed to revolt against Britain in any manner possible, and another idea that Thomas converted colonists to his side was to open their eyes to their limited representation that was held with British rule.(biography.com/thomas-paine) What

Patrick Henry’s Speech at the Virginia Convention, Thomas Paine in “Common Sense”, and Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence all use persuasive techniques to explain their documents. Thomas Paine in “Common Sense” has the greater effect on colonists’ perspective of the burgeoning country. “Common Sense” was a significant pamphlet that was written to underestimate soldiers. Patrick Henry’s “Speech at the Virginia Convention” expresses unfaithfulness toward some of the colonists. He wanted to influence the colonists to enter war against Britain.

As an anonymous author Common Sense, Thomas Paine wrote the first pamphlet in the colonies to urge immediate independence from Britain. After writing Common Sense, he then wrote the first of sixteen pamphlets titled The Crisis. “The first Crisis paper (‘These are the times that try men’s souls’) was read to Washington’s troops at Trenton and did much to shore up the spirits of the Revolutionary soldiers” (Paine 324). Paine motivated the troops to keep their eyes on what really mattered throughout the war. The purpose of his writings are incredible and he definitely left an impact on a numerous amount of people.