The American Crisis Thomas Paine Analysis

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Thomas Paine was one of the founding fathers for the United States of America inspiring many with his works Common Sense and The American Crisis. His second pamphlet The American Crisis uses literary devices to inspire the American soldiers when morale was low in the Revolutionary war. The pamphlet was written from an American soldier to inspire the other soldiers fighting after a loss in New Jersey. George Washington read the essays to his troops before he fought in the Battle of Trenton. The essay succeeded in boosting morale and was continued by Thomas Paine to create sixteen pamphlets encouraging those to fight against the British. Thomas Paine served as an important Founding Father for the revolution. He often used logos and pathos to explain his views on the revolution. For example he says “I once felt all that kind of anger, which a man ought to feel, against the mean principals that are held by the Tories.” (Paine 118) Here he uses pathos to ridicule those who …show more content…

From the quote “America did not, nor does not, want force; but she wanted a proper application of the force,” (Paine 118) we can assume that Thomas Paine is talking about the America wanting her freedom from the British, and in this he uses a metaphor comparing the power of the British government to a force on America and describing how America wants control on its force and to govern itself. “I call not upon a few, but upon all” (Paine 118) uses logos to call the American citizens to arms inviting them to the fight. Thomas Paine uses multiple types of literary devices and rhetorical appeals to encourage the reader to fight in the war. Thomas Paine’s works inspired the soldiers in the war and the citizens helping out. While the main purposes of Thomas Paine’s original works are long gone they serve as good references to the past in hopes we don’t eventually repeat

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