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patrick henry compared to thomas paine lesson
thomas paine rhetorical analysis
thomas paine rhetorical analysis
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The 1770s proved to be a time of much chaos and debate. The thirteen colonies, which soon gained their independence, were in the midst of a conflict with Great Britain. The colonies were suffering from repeated injuries and usurpations inflicted upon them by the British. As a result of these inflictions, Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry addressed these injustices, and proved to be very persuasive through providing reasoning and evidence that moved many colonists to believe that to reach contentment and peace the colonies had to rid themselves of British rule. Henry and Paine were successful in swaying their audience, not only because of the rhetorical strategies used, but also because they were passionate about the cause they were committed to. Both Paine and Henry tried to push for support against Great Britain and motivate the colonists to side with the revolutionaries. Both felt obligated to stand up for their unalienable rights and the good of the nation, and this is most evident when Henry declared that he had to speak up, or "[he] should consider [him]self as guilty of treason towards [his] country, and of an act of disloyalty towards the majesty of heaven [...]" (Henry 232). Henry conveniently made a reference to God, which strengthened his argument, because people were decidedly religious. Both agree that compromise with Great Britain was not a solution, logically noting that it had been ineffective in the past. Unlike Henry, however, Paine uses his own experiences to strengthen his argument, especially when he describes his participation in the army under the command of General George Washington. Paine's diction and the imagery, portraying the time he spent in the army provided in his pamphlet, The American Crisis, only ... ... middle of paper ... ...sinterpreted to mean that if someone does not fight they are choosing death. Through the accompaniment of rhetorical devices and pathos, one can strengthen an argument to the point where others see no other option. When spoken at the right occasions and with enough of supporting evidence, an argument will intrigue the audience and make people find the argument logical and appealing. Patrick Henry made his speech less than a month before the Revolutionary War came to pass. Thomas Paine commenced a series of articles when the call for men to fight was urgent. When someone makes an argument, even the smallest detail counts. Works Cited Henry, Patrick. "Speech in the Virginia Convention." St. John's Church, Richmond, VA. 23 Mar. 1775. Speech. Paine, Thomas. "The American Crisis." Thomas Paine - The American Crisis. The Thomas Paine Library, n.d. Web. 08 Jan. 2014.
The distance between the colonies and England is what led to most of the political strife in 1776. Paine argued that having a government so far away trying to rule from was deplorable. He urged colonists to be outraged, as he was, that when any issue would arise it would take 3-4 months for the English government to find a solution and start working on fixing the problem. Paine called for independence to create a government that would be run by the people and for the people, not by one single tyrannical leader. He rallied for a government that was in America and that had representatives from every one of the colonies so that all the colonist’s voices would be heard. Paine urged the colonists to see “Our prayers have been rejected with disdain; and hath tended to convince us that nothing flatters vanity or confirms obstinacy in Kings more than repeated petitioning”, and it was now time to fight for independence to create a government that would listen (Paine, Common Sense,
They did not like the conditions the British monarchy was treating them as a colony, so they decided that independence would be the best option. Patrick Henry’s disobedience and rebellious writings were entrenched by something much different. Patrick Henry being transcendentalist, wanted his mind to exceed culture and society. Accordingly, He believed that his ideas and his views were greater than the laws imposed by the government. Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine were both influenced by the conditions of their time period. Thoreau, living right before the revolution, was angered by actual events occurring all over the colonies.
When it comes to the topic of the American Revolution, most of us will readily agree that it influenced essentially every code of ethics in today’s society. Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine address an identical topic. That is, they both provided inspiration to the American Revolution cause. Patrick henry on one point of view, speaks of the harshness of the British rule over the American colonies. In his statement, Patrick Henry addresses the oppressive British rule and emphasis grounds to maintain basic human rights. “Common Sense”, on the other hand stresses on the trials and tribulations of the American colonies under the British rule. With the use of persuasion in their writings, both Henry and Paine support the war against the Great Britain.
There were a lot of events leading up to the colonists deciding to finally declare there independence from Great Britain. The British put numerous taxes on the colonies, which they sought to be unfair. The stamp tax and the tea tax were just a few of the taxes that made the colonists upset with the British. Colonists protested these acts in many ways. The Son's of Liberty were a group that was created to protest and they were responsible for such demonstrations as The Boston Tea Party. Then there was actually violence involved in the 1760's. This is when the Boston Massacre happened, where British soldiers in Boston shot at an angry mob and killed five colonists. Finally there were actual battles going on between the British soldiers and the American soldiers at Lexington and Concord before the war was started and before the Americans declared independence. All of these events led to much tension between Great Britain and the America. What colonists were to do after these events led to much debate. It was the right time for independence but the question of if they were actually going to do it arose. This is where Thomas Paine and his pamphlet Common Sense comes into the picture. Paine was from England and came to America in 1774. He was a friend of Benjamin Franklin, were he found him Paine a job in Philadelphia. It is in Philadelphia were Paine wrote Common Sense after he met delegates from the Second Continental Congress. In his pamphlet lie many convincing arguments for the case of independence for the colonists.
In The Crisis, No.1 Thomas Paine utilizes many different types of rhetorical devices to persuade the readers that America is the strongest it has ever been and Great Britain is at a weak point. Paine uses metaphoric language to compare the greatness of America and Americans different types of connotation, and allusions to rally the American troops. Using different types of connotation Thomas Paine demonstrates the negative opinions he and most Americans had formed towards their overlords in England. Finally, he convinces his audience that the Colonists will win the war solely because God Almighty was on their side.
Through the accompaniment of rhetorical devices and pathos, one can strengthen his or her argument to the point where others see no other option. When spoken at the right occasions and with enough of supporting evidence, an argument will enrapture the audience and make people find your argument logical and appealing. Patrick Henry made his speech less than a month before the American Revolution took place. Thomas Paine began a series of articles when the call for men to fight against the British was urgent. When someone makes and argument, even the smallest detail counts.
The eighteenth century, a time of turmoil and chaos in the colonies, brought many opinionated writers to the forefront in support or refutation of the coming American Revolution. This highly controversial war that would ultimately separate the future United States of America from Great Britain became the center of debate. Two writers, both of whom supported the Revolution, now stand to fully illuminate one side of the debate. Thomas Paine, a radical propagandist, wrote many pieces during this time including “The Crisis Number 1” (1776). Through writing, he appealed to the “common man” in order to convince them to gather their arms and fight for their freedom. In this document, he utilizes many of the same rhetorical skills and propaganda techniques as Patrick Henry, a convincing orator, did in his famous speech delivered to the state’s delegates in 1775. Among these techniques are transfer, abstract language, and pathos. In both works, these were used to call the audiences to war. These influential pieces both contained a call to action which, through the use of strong and decisive language, aided the beginning of the American Revolution.
Thomas Paine’s objective in “The American Crisis” is to persuade Americans to untie and take action in ridding America of British control; his writings effectiveness is due primarily to his employment of religious diction, vivid imagery, a sentimental anecdote, an urgent tone, as well as his consistent exploitation of his audiences’ emotions.
It is widely believed that if Patrick Henry had not given the speech “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” which influenced the start of the Revolutionary War, then America might still be under the rule of the British Monarchy. The Revolutionary War was the war when America regained their freedom from the British Monarchy in 1783. Henry is considered by many to be the best orator of his time. Patrick Henry was an attorney and politician; his most important characteristic was being one of America’s most renowned patriots. The effects of his speech were enriching and brought new hope to the American people. People present in the Church could only truly tell the atmosphere that remained at St. John’s Church after Henry concluded his speech. William Wirt (Biographer of Patrick Henry) tells how it felt in the Church, “He took his seat. No murmur of applause was heard. The effect was too deep. After the trance of a moment, several members started from their seats. The cry, ‘to arms!’ seemed to quiver on every lip and gleam from every eye.” The audience can easily connect with Henry’s speech due to the fact they believed in liberty and would protect it at any cost. The speech was so radical because of the pathos that was used. Henry’s use of allusion and antithesis helps develop pathos to convince the House of Burgesses that beginning the Revolutionary War with Great Britain is necessary, to prevent them from forcing America into submission and slavery, in the speech “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death.”
“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman” (Paine). With these words Thomas Paine’s inspiring, but inflated rhetoric helped to transform a dispute about taxes into a struggle for the soul of man. This kind of language united the feuding colonies around a principle greater than their own economic interests.
Thomas Paine, known for bringing the pain using a quill and a bottle of ink, paved the way for the Declaration of Independence. In fact, Samuel Adams one of the founding fathers of the United States, would later be one of the first men to put his “John Hancock” on that famous document. Similar to Paine, Adams believed the people needed to gain independence from Great Britain. Therefore, Thomas Paine, Samuel Adams and the idea of virtual representation affected Americans’ perceptions of Britain during the years of 1763 to 1775.
Paine believed that America needed to break free of the British clutches. He spoke out against slavery and joined the army to help fight the war. He did not agree with hereditary monarchy and wrote another paper to argue this point (Franklin 321). Paine was very aware of his criticizers, and worked very hard to persuade them toward his way of thinking. In his pamphlet Common Sense he writes: "I have heard it asserted by some, that as America has flourished under her former connection with Great Britain, the same connection is necessary towards her future happiness, and will always have the same effect"(Paine 323). Paine states the following argument: ."..for I answer roundly, that America would have flourished as much, and proba...
Claeys, Gregory. Thomas Paine: Social and Political Thought. Boston: Unwin Hyman, 1989. ebook Collection (EBSCOhost). 16 25 2013.
The language used in Common Sense is that of a leader hoping to inspire his followers to heed his warning and answer his call. Paine's audience was the people of the colonies, he wanted them to realize that the oppression of the crown has not limit and sure there were benefits of belonging to the crown, there were far more oppression beyond measure that comes with such benefits.
Thomas Paine constructs Common Sense as an editorial on the subject of the relationship between the Colonies and Great Britain. Through the paper, he hopes to educate his fellow Americans about this subject. In his introduction, he says he feels that there is 'a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong'; which 'gives it a superficial appearance of being right'; (693). He is alluding to the relationship, also calling it a 'violent abuse of power'; (693). This choice of words is similar to those of Jefferson, who asserts that the king had established an 'absolute tyranny'; over the states. Both men set an immediate understanding about their feelings towards the rule of Great Britain over the States. However, where Common Sense seems to be an opinionated essay, Thomas Jefferson writes somewhat of a call to battle. Paine generally seems to be alerting his readers to the fact that there is more going on than they are aware of. Jefferson, on the other hand, begins his declaration by stating, 'When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another'; (715). Unlike Paine, this seems to presuppose that readers are aware of the plight of the nation, and Jefferson is announcing that the time has come to take a stand.