American Crisis Number 1 Rhetorical Devices

After the colonist declared they were going to try to obtain freedom from British rule, they faced several problems such as accepting the decision they have made. In The American Crisis, Number 1 by Thomas Paine, Paine tries to inspire and encourage the colonist to join the fight and not lose faith and their will power. Paine uses several writing strategies, such as aphorism and anecdote, in order to give the colonists reasons why they deserve to live free from tyranny.
An aphorism is a forceful observation that contains a general truth, such as “if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.” Paine uses this writing strategy throughout his speech, to convince his audience that they have made the right decision in separating from Britain. For instance, one

of the several aphorisms used in the American Crisis is “The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” What Paine means by this is that the more effort and time you put into something the better it will feel once you accomplish it. For example, another aphorism used is “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered.” What this means is that defeating the British, and winning the battle, is not easy. Thus, they all have to come together, physically and mentally to fight this battle against Britain.
An anecdote is a short account of a particular incident or event, especially of an interesting or amusing nature.

In The American Crisis, Paine tells an anecdote of the tavern-keeper. With this anecdote, Paine is trying to make the point that anyone who does not support independence from Britain is selfish. For instance, Paine states that war with Britain was inevitable (bound to happen) and anyone who was trying to “keep peace” was just pushing the war off for later. Paine states that they should fight now so later they can live in peace. He says that the man who does not do this is acting unfatherly, because any “generous parent” would have said, “Let me fight now that my children may have peace.” Any man who does not fight now to gain freedom so that his children will not have to fight is a coward. Therefore, through this writing technique Paine is able to persuade and grab the emotions of the audience.
Throughout The American Crisis, number 1 by Thomas Paine, several writing techniques such as aphorism and anecdote are used to enhance Paine’s point. These techniques allow Paine to grasp the audience and convince them of the point being made. Thus, his use of writing strategies aid in the development of the central

idea.