“The American Crisis Number 1” by Thomas Paine PDF

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“The American Crisis Number 1” by Thomas Paine...

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In “The American Crisis: Number 1” by Thomas Paine, he states that the best thing for American people to do is to fight for their independence from Great Britain. Paine is able to persuade the people that this is the right thing to do through his writing. He wrote “The Crisis No. 1” so that every man in the county would be able to comprehend, and understand that their best option is to become and independent country. In “The Crisis No. 1”, Thomas Paine was able to accomplish this goal through his use of figurative language, his tone, and his use of rhetorical devices. The use of figurative language in “The Crisis No. 1” is abundant in Paine’s writing to persuade the people to believe that America needs to be independent from Britain. Paine uses similes various amounts of times in his writing. An example of Paine using similes is “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered” (Paine 108); when he says this he is implying that Britain’s control over them will be difficult to overcome. Another type of figurative language that Paine uses is metaphors. A clear metaphor that he uses is “if being bound in that matter, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth” (Paine 108). In this metaphor, Paine is telling the people that the way Britain is treating them is like they are Britain’s slaves. The last type of figurative language that is seen in “The Crisis No. 1” is personification. The example of personification that is used is “Not a place on earth might be so happy as America. Her situation is remote from all the wrangling world, and she has nothing to do but to trade with them” (Paine 108). In this example, Paine is referring to America as a person, and that all America wants is to trade with the other countries. This shows that Paine took advantage of figurative language to persuade people into becoming independent from Britain. Another part of Paine’s writing style in “The Crisis No. 1” was his sentence structure and his vocabulary choice. Many of Paine’s sentences were lengthy and contained plenty of subordinate clauses. A great example of the lengthy sentences is “Whether the independence of the continent was declared to soon, or delayed too long, I will not now enter into an argument; my own simple opinion is that it had been eight months earlier, it would have been much better” (Paine 108) this sentence is unique because it makes up a whole paragraph in Paine’s writing. Another thing that makes “The Crisis No. 1” persuasive is Paine’s word choice to towards his audience. One example of his word choice is “and I am as confident, as I am that God governs the world” (Paine 110); he uses vocabulary that even the common man can relate to and understand the points he is trying to make. Finally, Paine’s diction in “The Crisis No. 1” is tight and efficient and also informal. This can be seen when he says “It matters not where you live, or what rank of life you hold, the evil of the blessing will reach you all” (Paine 109). This sentence shows him making his point made and also that he is trying to reach everyone. Paine uses his sentence structure and vocabulary choice to his advantage to persuade the American people to revolt against Britain. The last thing that Paine uses to persuade people into separating from Britain is the rhetorical strategies: pathos, logos, and ethos. Paine uses pathos to appeal to the audiences feeling towards separating from Britain. An example of pathos would be “The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will…shrink for the service…but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman” (Paine 108). This would make the audience feel grateful for the people that fight against the British. The other example is ethos and Paine uses himself as the reliable person the people can trust. This is seen when

he said “Quitting this class of men, I turn with the warm ardor of a friend to those who have nobly stood, and are yet determined to stand the matter out” (Paine 110). This displays that Paine respects the people who will fight with him. This last rhetorical device he uses is logos. The example for logos is when he says “I thank God, that I fear not. I see no real cause for fear. I know our situation well , and can see the way out of it” (Paine 111). This shows that he is clear that the only choice is to fight for their freedom. The use of these rhetorical devices helps strengthen Paine’s argument so that more people saw the need for fighting for their independence. Paine utilized the rhetorical devices and his writing style and used it to his benefit by making people realize that getting freedom was the best thing to do. He was able to persuade the citizens that the best thing for America was to break away from Britain. Paine’s tone of voice was another reason why people were willing to follow him in his causes. Something that can be taken from this is that if “The Crisis No. 1” did not connect to the audience emotionally then America wouldn’t have had the revolution against Britain.

Thomas Paine was the editor of the Pennsylvania Magazine in Philadelphia. An earnest supporter of the move towards independence he used media as a weapon against British rule. He was in strong favor of a war against Britain, if that is what it was going to take to gain independence. Knowing that the war was going to need the support of all the colonists, he understood that unity was essential and found it necessary to offer what he could to help unite the thirteen colonies into one nation. In 1776, Paine wrote The Crisis, Number One, a plain spoken commentary outlining obstacles the colonies faced in the struggle with Britain. His conviction was to unite all in the colonies and expose the stubborness and tyranny of Britain in hopes of gaining the support of the Loyalists and neutrals to support the cause with the Patriots. He starts out by telling people that "These are the times that try men's souls". He made the point that a soulful person would no longer allow themselves to be oppressed through the unfairness of such an evil kingdom as the British monarchy. He wanted the reader to become outraged and ignited with the same emotions that he and other patriots felt. Paine knew that the average colonist was not going to simply support a war for independence. He had to make it more than that. He used many common relations between the American cause and beliefs that colonists held close. He used many referrals to God in his writing. This referral was used, no doubt, to promote the idea that a war against Britain would be a war in support of God and religious ideals. The British were seen, by Paine, as trying to accumulate a power that he claimed belonged only to God. He helps arrouse support by stating that "God almighty will

not give up a people to military destruction, or leave them unsupportedly to perish, who had so earnestly and so repeatedly sought to avoid the calamities of war, by every decent method which wisdom could invent". They would be protected with God on their side. The point being made that there were no peaceful methods left and that war would be accepted by God because thay tried several times before through peace but to no avail. Paine's interpretation of the British was a disapproving one. he wanted the colonists to understand that they did not have to accept restraint from the British. He made references to the British hold on the colonies as an intruder breaking into a private home to steal and ravage. "...if a thief break into my house, burn and destroy my property, and kill or threaten to kill me, or those that are in it, and to "bind me in all cases whatsoever," to his absolute will, am I to suffer it?" Paine wanted the colonists to know that it was their right to live happy lives at their will. He wanted to give the feeling that the British were not only unjust in their acts on on the colonies. Rather, it was personally against the colonists. Allegiance to the British, he claimed, would make less of a person. Paine promoted the American cause, not necessarily a war. Though it is commonly known as the American Revolution he never used the term "Revolution" for obvious reasons. Many colonists, when thinking of a revolution, think of a bloody, violent attempt of overthrowing a goverment. It is understandable that the colonists would not be willing to fight a long, drawn out, bloody revolution. Therefore, Paine knew it was necessary to portray the upcoming war as a glorious event that was to give hope to all the repressed peoples of the world. His objective was aimed towards the Tories and especially the neutrals who just wanted to be left alone and let the fighting for some other time. He claimed the British government was going to use the Tories against the Patriots be keeping the seat of war in the middle colonies where the Tories stood. He wanted the Tories to understand the danger they were in stating that "...either they or we must change our sentiments, or one or both must fall." He claimed the Tories were cowards, that under British rule can never be brave.The Crisis was written with such force aginst the British monarchy that many British loyalists were, after reading it, turned against the crown. Many loyalists now understood that it was not just about independence. After reading Paine's work they had a better understanding of the desire that had gripped so many of their fellow colonists. The thoughts of loyalists were changed due to Paine's writings. Many neutrals felt that a revolution was necessary but did not feel that the present time was the right time. Paine rallied these people by claiming that America has the ability to be and should be the happiest place on the earth. While the colonists were debating the idea of independence, the British were preparing for war and mounting their troops. He goes on to assert that the situation in America is unique and seperate from other nations and that should be taken advantage of. The only way to take advantage of this would to be free from the British monarchy....