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Rights Of Man Thomas Paine Analysis

Decent Essays

Since its foundation, America has been illustrated by its elaborate composition of diverse cultures, ethnicities, and nationalities. This “melting pot” analogy attempts to illustrate the equal representation of all cultures within the nation’s boundaries. In the “Rights of Man”, however, Thomas Paine argues the “cordial unison” of all citizens in America contributes to a single culture. As it was the Founding Fathers’ intention, and Paine’s expression alike, despite the diversity of its demographic, America performs in harmony by “constructing government on the principles of society and the rights of man”. Instead of expressing individuality, Paine believed all uniformities brought about the single American identity. In cooking with garlic, …show more content…

Thomas Paine’s America was indeed adhered by the shared beliefs of Americans, though today, the adhesive of “shared beliefs” has worn off. Though the immigrants of the eighteenth century promoted a namely diverse population, the “shared beliefs” were preexisting as they were predominantly European, with partial integration of outlying variables. Today, the intertwining of deep-seated belief systems prove counterintuitive to the once “binding factors” of American values. Latin American immigration of recent years has sparked a moral realization. The predominance of Roman Catholicism in Latin American culture promotes devotion to family and human dignity, among other things. The “principles of society” are now no longer “shared values”, as the leading of a free life no longer dominates cultural values. Cultures outside of this nation have been webbed with values and ideals of their own. Though diversity remains, binding forces of “shared beliefs” are no longer commonalities. Instead, the definition of “rights of man” is less general, and pertains to the rights of any citizen within the nation’s borders, as a modern binding factor; modern political campaigns strive to integrate the respect of pre-existing values, turning away from the uniformity of a single, shared …show more content…

Finches scattered throughout the islands each showed unique feeding abilities based on their beak shapes. Long-beaked finches used their beaks to dig for food, while dense, short-beaked finches a stone’s throw away utilized their beaks in cracking seeds and nutshells. Now, if the variations between these finches did not occur from the common ancestral finch, would every bird be expected to survive based merely on the merit of having a “traditional” beak? Similarly, do dog’s need to lift a hind leg up when they pee because it’s their “traditional” stereotype, even though it provides absolutely no benefit in the efficiency of excreting urine; if anything, the sole benefit of being thrown off center of balance? Or, because it’s traditional, and my great-great-grandparents were, do I need to be heterosexual to conform in today’s society? Do I even need to identify myself in today’s society? Change is important in the survival, health, and cooperation among individuals. What Paine failed to recognize is the importance of disagreement being coterminal with agreement- under any circumstances. Disagreement allows ideas to be disputed, and changes to be

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