Often times, in acting on serious matters, *the people involved need to be assured that the solution they are pursuing is best. Without reassurance, people may lose sight of their purpose. * *Thomas Paine wrote several pieces providing such encouragement for Patriots in the American Revolution . “Crisis No. 1” was a piece that he wrote directed at *American soldiers in attempts *to use rhetorical analysis to keep their hearts in the ongoing battle with Great Britain.* Scarcely found are men who enjoy going to war for no reason, and consequently Paine makes an effort to give the men a reason to continue the fight. Many of the men that this piece is addressing would have had families and homes to return to when not in combat. When family is what a person lives for, they become extraordinarily protective of it. If a man broke into a soldier’s home, or killed his family, then that soldier would do everything in his power to rectify that crime. Threats such as these are clear and have an immediate effect on the victim. Paine plays well on this predictable reaction and equates the king of England with “…a common murderer, a highwayman, [and] a housebreaker…” He is simultaneously bashing the king by insulting his character and equating him to a threat that soldiers could more commonly relate with. For the common man, a political enemy, a king, is more difficult to see flaw in than a common crook. In this way, Paine reminds the men of the threat at hand. Mentioning