Summary Of The Harder The Conflict, The More Glorious The Triumph By Thomas Paine

In the words of Thomas Paine, “The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” Paine conveys in this quote that those who are going through a hard time must not fret because from hardships come victory. In regards to the saying, there is a great polarity of opinions among people. Through Paine’s perspective, he is emboldening people to believe that hard times are not permanent, they are merely just obstacles that must be crossed in order to enjoy the best parts of life. Many agree with Paine, they believe that there are no good times without going through the hard times first. Through the perspective of those who disagree, it is as though hard times never go away. It is believed by many others that nothing good can come from

a conflict. They think that there are only bad outcomes. What Thomas Paine is trying to express, however, is not that we should appreciate the hard days we go through, but treasure all the good days that come afterward.

Although some conflicts seem permanent or they seem like a recurring event, it is important to remember that it is the hard times that make the good times that much better. In order to celebrate our triumphs in life, it is necessary that we acknowledge the tragedies we endured in order to get there. For it is the tragedy that births the triumph, not the other way around.

Most people see that conflicts are usually an external event between one thing and another or even between people. What most people do not consider is that it can also be an internal conflict between one’s self and their own thoughts. Benjamin Franklin was a precise thinker and smart person, but he knew he had flaws. Franklin, instead of working with his flaws, tried to rid himself of them completely. At first, he thought it would be a simple task, however, “I soon found I had undertaken a task of more difficulty than I had imagined. While my care was employed in guarding against one fault, I was often surprised by another” (Franklin 25). When Franklin first set out to fix his flaws, he assumed that he would simply fix

one of his faults to avoid the others. In by doing so, he only introduced greater number imperfections within himself. Being meticulous and orderly, Franklin made a list of what he likes to call his “13 virtues”. Believing that he could work on each of his virtues, he attempted to try to fix them one by one. He was at war with himself, reckoning that the point of moral perfection was achievable. In the struggle he endured by his effort to clear his flaws, he did not meet what he originally planned for. Franklin made it clear that “ … though I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavor, a better man than I otherwise should have been if I had not attempted it …” (Franklin 29). The conflict he had with himself was trying to achieve perfection. What makes it a conflict is that Franklin tried to pursue something that was not real, he was trying to fight what made him who he was. Even though he did not reach his goals, he claimed that what he learned from the attempt was even more satisfying than what he first sought out. More often than not people tend to believe that struggles within one’s self are impossible to fix, however, through the works of Franklin he shows that the first step in solving an internal conflict is admitting that one is present.
Although conflicts can be internal and external, struggles that are more physical and complex seem to be more difficult to conquer. Patrick Henry was a colonist in America during the time of the revolution. At the time, most of the colonists were not in favor of rebelling against Britain. The opposition was that the colonists believed they were going to lose the war. Henry, however, argued that “Sir, we are not weak, if we make proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. Three millions of people armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us” (Henry 38). His speech at the convention in Virginia was to encourage colonists to fight against Britain and gain their independence. In his speech, Henry expresses that the strength of their country is not in the number of men, but in the amount of courage and determination that each man had. He had no idea the outcome of the war, yet he trusted that the difficulty of this battle is what would lead them to victory. Patrick Henry was in no way or means going to continue to live under Britain’s rule. Colonists who even considered it a possibility angered him. Delivering one of the most famous lines in American history, Henry asked, “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” (Henry 39). Henry implies that the conflict is not only whether they would win or lose the war, but whether they were willing to die for victory. It is shown throughout the course of history that what was worse was not losing the war, it was not even attempting to fight at all. Patrick Henry recognized that in the event of a battle the best decision he could make was to fight, even if he did not know what was going to happen. In the knowledge of current events, it is known that America did win the war against Britain. This only proves that in wake of a conflict, no matter how large, the best choice to make is to keep on fighting the good fight.
Like Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine was also dealing with the conflict of the American revolution.

Unlike Henry, however, Paine voiced his opinions through his writing rather than through his voice. Paine had to deal with the same opposition that Henry had. Colonists at the time were reluctant to fight Britain in fear that they would not win the war. It simply was just to hard a battle for the Americans to fight. Thomas Paine, disagreeing, ensured “that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph” (Paine 32). This implied that he knew the harshness of the war and even the consequences that would occur if they were to lose. In light of those consequences, Paine recognized that the pros outweigh the cons. It was not going to be easy considering that they were fighting against their mother country. However, Paine was encouraged by how difficult the war was going to be, if anything, to him it ensured victory over Britain. Thomas Paine had certainty that they had to fight, he believed that no struggle was ever overcome by waiting for it to go away. Through his writings he stated that he“love the man that can smile at trouble; that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection” (Paine 33). By saying this he expresses that in time of strain there is strength, and any man is capable of overcoming hardships. This expands to the idea of the revolution, to know that there is a possibility of losing, to know that you might die, yet you still fight that is

what makes the conflict more glorious. Like Henry, Paine did not know the outcome of the war and like Henry, he still believed fighting was the best option. In light current events, both Henry and Paine’s work paid off, seeing as though America did win the war. In spite of the British being more advanced than the colonists, the Americans triumphed because, in the end, they had more to lose which gave them that much more of a reason to win.
Although there seems to always be a silver lining when something bad has occurred, that might not always be the case. Sometimes hardships are recurring and for some people it does not any get better. In America, during the year of 2017 alone, multiple tragedies have occurred across the country. Starting from the wildfires in California to how “Houston and Florida are still reeling from sequential hurricanes. Puerto Rico hasn’t gotten to its feet in the wake of Maria. The people of Charlottesville, Va., watched hate march into town and take one of their own–an event from which they’re still recovering. Now a man has hauled a cache of weapons into a hotel room in Las Vegas and unleashed a hailstorm of death on concertgoers below, killing dozens and wounding hundreds” (Schrobsdorff). Listing all those disasters, it seems like nothing good is happening this year. The Vegas shooting is now deemed as America’s deadliest mass shooting in American history, Puerto Rico still does not have power, and Texas and Florida are still recovering from being overrun by hurricanes. With all the lives lost this year, it is hard to believe that any good can come from tragedies such as these. It is as if Americans are all prepared for the next worst thing to come. However, in wake of these tragedies it is important for us to remember, life goes on. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was known as an American educator and poet. Through his works it is taught that while there are many tragedies that can occur in one’s life, it is to be reminded that that is how life is supposed to be. People believe that after a tragedy it is only grief, however, Longfellow says, “Let us, then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait” (Longfellow 61). In spite of the tragedies that have occured in current times, Longfellow’s words apply to lives now. He encourages us to keep going no matter what. If our hearts our still beating after something bad happens, then we are living and we are overcoming. If our hearts are still beating it is only fair we continue to work in order to keep the hearts of others beating too. In life we do not work alone, we conquer together. Longfellow believes that hardships should not keep somebody from living, it should be the very reason as to why they continue to live. People need to work through their struggles, strive for their goals, and wait for what is to be the best days of their life.
It is necessary for us to remind ourselves of the tragedies it took for us to reach our triumphs in order to celebrate them. Because good things come from the bad, it is very important to remember that it is the hard times that make the good times better, even if the conflicts may seem permanent or recurring. Conflicts can be multiple things, whether it is an internal thing, like how Franklin wanted to fix his flaws, or an external thing, like how Paine and Henry wanted to fight against the British. All in all, each one of these writers express how the struggle of their fight lead them or would lead them to victory. There are certain cases where the tragedy may seem so bad that nothing can fix it, however in the words of Longfellow we must work hard through our lives and wait for the reward. In relation to Henry and Paine, people today, like the colonists then, need to work together in order to overcome the tragedies they face. We must not wait for the struggle to end, for change does not happen if you don’t move.