Rhetorical Analysis Of Common Sense By Thomas Paine

The book Common Sense by Thomas Paine was an American pamphlet written during the American Revolution, which was around the time when America was trying to gain independence from Britain. Paine discusses government, religion, and colonial issues. In the first chapter Paine differentiates between the society and the government. He described the society as being positive and constructive and he described the government being a necessary evil. Meaning the colonist needed to have some form of government to protect themselves from the basic rights. Paine also confronts the British government saying that their government is far too complicated and controversial, and that it would eventually cause problems for the colonists and the hierarchies. He makes up a pretend situation with a group of people on an island who are cut off from the general population. After developing relationships with one another the lawmaking portion becomes unavoidable. Paine says the people will be better off if they make up the rules they have to abide by instead of having set rules the King comes up with himself.

He wrote this in order to explain and seemingly demand American’s rights and what he thought they all wanted and what would be most fair to all involved. As mentioned above religion seems to be the center of most controversy, he too had his opinions and it mostly involved where church belonged and most importantly, where it did not belong. Paine spoke in a prejudice tone but proposed this to be an unbiased composition. “The adulterous connection of church and state, wherever it had taken place, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, had so effectually prohibited, by pains and penalties every discussion upon established creeds and upon first principles of religion, that until the system of government should be changed, those subjects could not be brought fairly and openly before the world” (654). He felt that if the government shared their two sense that it would shake up the whole country. His argument was claiming that it was unfair to the people to have a government share in one faith. This after all, was a new world; a world full of equality and everyone should have their own right to believe. Thomas Paine was one of the only people to share his wisdom and speak for the people and made the most points in the right direction, which is fairness. He truly supported whatever the American dream was perceived as at that

He says that the “government is just” and that “there is nothing to engender riots and tumults”. It is very obvious that these things are not true in regard to our current government. Our current government is not just, as it is riddled with corruption and systemic oppression of minorities. In America today, only a small portion of the people feel protected by the government. It is also untrue that there is nothing that the government does which incites riots. We can see examples of riots and protests against the United States government occurring every day. Currently there are protests against racism in the police force, protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, and protests such as the Women’s March against our new president. This shows that Paine’s description of a fair and just government does not hold true

America’s triumph in the Revolutionary War against the British brought pure joy and glory. The Americans won! However, it was not without its struggles. It was essential to invoke passion and feeling from the people, otherwise the war would be lost in fear and doubt. One of those who urged people to join the movement, successfully strengthening their Patriotism, was Thomas Paine, an English-American political activist. In Thomas Paine’s “The Crisis,” he utilizes specific elements of style to persuade the Americans to unite and fight against Britain for liberty.

Paine's vehement use of schemes exposes the intertwined relationship between the government and the governed, as he interjects, "Interchange will establish a common interest with every part of the community, they will mutually and naturally support each other and on this…depends the strength of the government, and the happiness of the governed"(par. 2). This delicate, yet critical balance of the people versus the state is what this country has been about from the very beginning of it, a place where there will not be the acted upon, but those who act, a place where choice has become the most important part of life, the very center of life itself, affecting both individuals, communities, and this nation as a whole. This catching parallel structure is also used in the final paragraph as Paine expresses: "However our eyes may be dazzled with show, or our ears deceived by sound; however prejudice may warp our wills, or interest darken our understanding, the simple voice of nature and of reason will say, it is

Paine opens the closing paragraph by uniting the people with ethos, "The far and near, the home counties and the back, the rich and the poor will suffer or rejoice alike." In saying that Paine implies, no matter what happens they all will stay together, whether it be death or freedom. He also uses ethos by stating "Not all the treasures in the world...could have induced me to support and offensive war, I think it murder.", by saying this Paine shows that war was the last option he would have much rather came to a peaceful solution, but given the circumstances, there was no choice. Paine closes up the paragraph by using an asyndeton, "Let them call me a rebel and welcome...but I should suffer the misery of devils were I to make a whore of my soul by swearing allegiance to one whose character is that of a sottish, stupid, stubborn, worthless, brutish man." His use of the asyndeton to show that the King is much more than that he listed.

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 late 1700's, the colonies and their mother country, Great Britain, were butting heads with immense taxation and the unreasonable laws England placed on the colonies. Thomas Paine was a journalist at the time and published one of his famous works "Common Sense" in 1776. The pamphlet was intended to challenge the British government authority that was overruling the colonial power. The arguments Paine states in Common Sense became some of the deciding factors of the colonies breaking away from Great Britain.

American colonists were getting more and more frustrated with the rules being forced onto them by the British, so Thomas Paine’s timing was very crucial in convincing everyone to take such drastic measures. Paine’s structure makes it clear the colonists need only one more final inspiration to fight and he wants to present that as simply as possible by saying, “In the following pages I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense...” (Paine n.pag.). Thomas Paine was a patriot of the 1770s, meaning he was one of the people who did not like being controlled by the British. The structure gives Paine a specific tone that seems very understandable and very to-the-point. He is trying to spread the idea that the solution to their Britain problem is very simple, but is overlooked by most colonists before 1776 when the pamphlet was written. He blatantly and clearly presents his argument immediately to his readers to give the colonists confidence and make them feel starting a rebellion will be easy to win and worthwhile to do. The colonists all came to the colonies to gain some freedom from the British Empire, yet are still getting controlled by them without any physical representation.

Introduction Thomas Paine's work, Common Sense, was written in 1776. James Chalmers' Plain Truth, written the same year, was a response to what Paine had written. Each was written during a politically divisive time, and the opposing views reflected in each of these documents clearly reflect the sentiments of that period in our nation's history. The thirteen colonies were not of one mind on the subject of whether or not they wanted independence from England. There were strong opinions to support views on either side. As we can see by looking closely at each of these primary sources, emotions ran high on both sides.

In January 1776, Thomas Paine wrote a 57 page pamphlet called Common Sense. Common Sense was written to encourage colonists to fight for independence. Most importantly, it united ordinary colonists and political officials by giving them all one common goal: separating from the crown. First, he wanted to end all associations with the British, most notably by stopping mercantilism as the American colonies were economically stable with or without Great Britain. Next, Paine wanted to end the idea of having a monarchy. He wanted to focus on logical and scientific reasons of power, rather than believing that the king got his power from God, also known as divine right. Finally, he wanted to form a new way of running the colonies. Rather than tying

Paine begins proving his argument by differentiating between government and society. Paine states, “Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries By A Government, which we might expect in a country Without Government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer” (Paine 153-154). This quote shows how Paine believes society is productive and denotes it positively. Whereas on the other hand government is signified as evil and the cause of the nation’s suffering. Paine is arguing for the abolition of the current government due to the fact that it does not accomplish what it is supposed to. Paine states that the government’s only objective is to protect life, liberty and property. The British government is too complex and predominant with

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

The birth of a nation does not happen overnight nor with one word. One can clearly see how words and ideas have an impact on people’s thoughts and writing by examining “The Declaration of Independence” and Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense.” Basically, the two documents echo principles stated in John Locke’s “Second Treatise of Government,” and share a style of expressing their feelings on national issues; the authors examine and give reasons for colonial problems with the government and offer a solution. The tone and audience might vary, but the overall message is similar in its principles, showing the impact Locke and Paine had on such a vital document in our history as the “Declaration of Independence”.

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.