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Rhetorical Devices In The Crisis By Thomas Paine

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In his document, The Crisis, Number 1, Thomas Paine argues that the American colonists should go and fight for the freedom that they want. Thomas Paine supports this cause by explaining to the colonists that they should have that same mind set no matter what it is. Paine’s purpose is to persuade with emotion in order to get the colonists to feel the need to go and fight for the freedom of the developing country against the British. Thomas Paine uses a formal tone to engage with the emotions of the colonists using rhetorical devices.
Paine in his writing likes to use a lot of charged words throughout his writing. In the document he uses these charged words to help engage with the colonists’ emotions and their minds in order to convince them to become soldiers and go fight. He uses the words like hope, virtue, peaceful, bless and faithful. “The summer soldier and the …show more content…

Paine’s purpose of using imagery is to make his words and ideas easier for the continental army to go and fight for their freedom. Imagery is similar and supports the inclusion of repetition. Thomas Paine uses imagery to make things easier to understand just like if he were to repeat something many times to make it more clear. “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” He is describing how much tyranny is like hell and how hell is not easily conquered. He gives the appeal that we must not be afraid and in the end we will have great triumph. Paine also uses imagery relate the devil with the current king of Britain. “The king of Britain can look up to heaven for help against us: a common murderer, a highwayman, or a housebreaker, has as good a pretense as he…” He is painting a picture in the soldiers’ minds of how cruel the king has been to the colonies and should give them even more spirit to go and

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Modified Rhetorical Précis of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense Thomas Paine, a British-American political writer, intellectual, and strong advocate of the American Revolution, published several compelling pamphlets in the mid-late 18th century inspiring colonists to rebel against the British government. One of his most influential works, Common Sense (1776), would eventually become the most widely-read political non-fiction of its time. Samuel Adams would later declare that “without the pen of [Thomas Paine], the sword of Washington would be raised in vain.” In Common Sense, Paine powerfully argues that colonists must declare independence from Britain in order to establish a representative democracy founded upon their religious and political beliefs.

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In his commentary, Crisis No. 1, Thomas Paine argues that the colonists shall continue fighting for their freedom from the British. Paine supports this argument by describing the issues that the colonists have with the British. Paine’s purpose is to persuade in order to encourage the soldiers to keep fighting. The use of a formal tone with his audience, shows the significance of the situation. To help him urge the soldiers to keep fighting, he appeals to the soldier’s pathos, or the characteristic that affects emotions, he uses strong rhetorical techniques and figurative language.

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Which expresses “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered” (Paine 160). This repeated phrase gives the reader context of the true struggle between the colonists and loyalists as well as an understanding of what it was like under the power of the king. The author wants the reader to feel the widespread emotion of frustration that many had experienced. Bear in mind that throughout pamphlets and pieces of literature, the theme of religion was quite customary during this time. By using this quote, making a direct comparison of hell and what life was like as a colonist is a rather bold statement that leaves a wow factor.

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The importance of the author to persuade the colonist was to give them the motivation to get involved in the fight for freedom. Paine used pathos to get to the colonist emotions because he need them to know what it would be like to be under the British rule for much longer. For instance “ A depopulated city habitations without safety, and slavery

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He tells a story of a man he saw in the man’s doorway, holding his young child. The man said “If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.” This use of rhetorical strategy through anecdotes shows not only that Paine has personally been connected with the peace he wants to fight for, but that Paine has also seen many others who want this same tranquility worth fighting for. This anecdote is also a great way to show the fatherly duty that comes with fighting for your country. It 's not just the country you are fighting for, but everyone in it as

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To illustrate, Paine begins his essay by explaining that there is the “summer soldier and the sunshine patriot” (Paine 50). The cacophonous diction differentiates a boy to man, and a man to soldier, thus, appealing to the men's pride. Furthermore, Paine appeals to the soldier’s patriotism because everyone wants the reputation of a soldier because of the benefits that it provides, however, not everyone wants to continue to put their life on the line when times get hard. In addition to that, Paine reveals the effect that this war has on the future of the colonies by emphasizing that the soldiers must “lay your shoulders to the wheel . . .

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(110) Furthermore, he moves ahead to support the revolution in the colonies and says that Americans have been steady to the point that they no longer need support from Britain. Additionally, he uses some kind of phrases that move people’s emotions. According to Paine, “How possible that a small island, means Britain, thousand miles away takes control over a

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He truly believes that Great Britain will have an extremely difficult time controlling the colonies for any long period of time. Specifically, Paine states that “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered”. He uses plenty of figurative language, such as similes and metaphors, to make his speech as thought provoking as possible. Although, Paine obviously tries to make the speech as understandable as possible so any common man or woman can interpret

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In this next paragraph Thomas Paine talks about a summer soldier explaining that we need people to fight for the right fight in the worst of times. He goes on to talk about Joan of Arc using her as a symbol of honor, liberty, and dignity. He tries using these examples as a way of telling the people that we need to fight and you need to be strong enough to stand against britain. Thomas Paine also talks about the flames of liberty saying this is what we need to fight for. He also talks about the powers of hell and that they are limmeted sygnifying that britain is not an unstopable

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In summarization, he says reconciliation will bring ruin because of the British desire to advance at the expense of America and Great Britain’s inability to protect or govern the colonies due to its distance from the continent (page 36-40). By providing numerous logical responses to arguments opposing the formation of America into its own state, Paine assures worries common among colonists, gaining even more advocates for American

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Before this many Colonists did not know of the harsh injustices done by the British. They also did not believe that the cause for revolution was urgent. Thomas Paine showed them that the cause was urgent by explaining the wrongs the British had committed and why King George was a tyrant. He also showed them that America did not need the British Empire 's protection. This quote shows his reasoning “Small islands, not capable of protecting themselves, are the proper objects for kingdoms to take under their care; but there is something absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island.”

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He starts by analyzing the past, saying that if any mistakes were made, they “have none to blame but ourselves” (IN TEXT). However, he counters this with the idea that they cannot change the past, but embrace its effects and move on. Next, he appeals to the logic of his Puritan beliefs. Paine says that he believes that “God Almighty will not give up a people to military destruction” (IN TEXT). This gives the reader a sturdy base to place their hope, which he later increases by calling the king out for his murderous and unethical actions, and claims that the king has no grounds to seek support or solace from

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Thomas Paine uses logos to persuade his opinion on having the people support the army more in, he use facts, logic and reason to appeal to the people, whom knew many words that most of the people today do not. A way he shows logos is in “They sift out the hidden thought of man, and hold them up in public to the world. Many a disguised Tory has lately shown his head, that shall penitentially solemnize with curses the day on which Howe arrived upon the Delaware.”, basically saying that the Tories and British has to hide in order to survive from the Americans, and that they will regret the decisions Howe has put upon them. In the next example that shows logos, Paine presents the Tories are wimps, for they will not join the Revolution and take

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It was extremely important for Paine to persuade the colonist to continue the war for American independence. He used pathos by using a parent’s love for their children against them to convince the army to continue on with the war. By way of example, when Paine is talking about a tori and patriotic father “finished with this unfatherly expression ‘Well! Give me peace in my day…’ and a generous parent should have said ‘If there must be trouble let it be in my day; that my child may have peace’ and this single reflection, well applied, is sufficient enough to awaken every man to duty” (Paine 109).

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One of the Founding Fathers, Thomas Paine, in his pamphlet, “Common Sense”, addressed a response to the American Revolution. Paine’s purpose for writing the piece was to convince the colonists to declare independence from Great Britain. He adopts a patriotic tone, explaining the advantages of and the need to proclaim independence from a tyrannical country. Paine also utilizes multiple rhetorical strategies, and any means necessary, to persuade his audience to share in his beliefs. With the use of constructed argument and rhetorical devices such as ethos, logos and pathos, as well as diction and syntax, Paine is able to present the argument that the United States should strive for its independence from England.

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