Paine may not have been the greatest philosopher of his day, but he was certainly the greatest rhetorician. (it is a distinction which has been open to debate since the time of Socrates and the Sophists) the needs of rhetoric, as Aristotle himself has said, demand using emotion, sentiment, self-interest, and logic together with fine and comprehensible speech to persuade an audience. Both his synthesis of modern ideals and his simple straight forward manner aided him in fulfilling these demands:
Disavowing the complex neoclassical rhetoric of his day, Paine espoused instead a style that was forceful, direct, clear, and simple. Easily understood, his prose was carefully structured to move his audience to action. A master at the use of such rhetorical devices as parallelism, repetition, the apostrophe, the invective, the rhetorical question, the summary, and the ethical appeal, Paine was able, as one scholar has explained, to awaken 'the lukewarm, hesitating, and indifferent, and turn them in great numbers to the support of the cause.' " (Levernier)
In comparing and contrasting what various critics have said about Paine's body of work, and specifically about Common Sense itself, one can see how its major themes of equality of the masses and the need for revolution are perfectly embodied in a text which is at once revolutionary and textually aimed at the common people themselves. As Paine himself was quick to point out, "Of course, the Revolution would have occurred whether or not Paine had existed..." (Woodress), for it was made inevitable by the distance between America and England, the nature of their relationship, and any number of other forces, "but Common Sense did prepare people's minds for the break with England." (Woodress) in this success one sees the true evidence that Paine's method of common speech and common philosophy...
Thomas Paine -- Common Sense Thomas Paine wrote "Common Sense" as an argument for American independence from Great Britain. Paine begins his essay with general reflections concerning government. He begins the second paragraphs with "Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one" (Paine pp). With this statement Paine is appealing to the masses by laying
Moreover Thomas made people realize that kings are the cause of all wars with his evidence from the Bible: In the early ages of the world, according to the scripture chronology, there were no kings; the consequence of which was there were no wars; it is the pride of kings which throw mankind into confusion." (Thomas Paine) Thomas was an expert in reaching down to the souls of common man and
Common Sense & Fed # Thomas Paine: Common Sense Thomas Paine argues in Common Sense that America should declare independence from Great Britain because submission to, or dependence on, Great Britain tends to directly involve the colonies in European wars and quarrels and sets them at odds with nations that would otherwise "seek our friendship, and against whom, we have neither anger nor complaint."[footnoteRef:1] [1: Thomas Paine, "Common Sense." Constitution Society (1776).
Most nations have let slip the opportunity, and have been compelled to receive laws from their conquerors (Paine). Democracy, the republic, voting, the Supreme Court, debate, etc. are no longer foreign concepts -- the great American "experiment" of 1776 still exists, so contemporary readers do not find issues of individual liberty and law to be either controversial or strange. Common Sense was a seminal event in the way the entire
Throughout the duration of the war, Paine was responsible for publishing a series of propaganda pieces which were published in the Crisis. In these, he often addressed the British Crown and warned of the Americans' united spirit: "In all the wars which you have formerly been concerned in you had only armies to contend with; in this case, you have both an army and a country to combat with,"
Common Sense as a Formal Rejection of Monarchy America's fight for independence would emerge quite naturally out of the needs of its people to establish a form of governance, of economy and of society reflective of the demands created by the path of development of the colonies. Its people would be assisted in their ascent to this revolt by no small degree of propaganda, which would help to represent the trespasses
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now