The Rhetorical Common Sense

             In January of 1776, Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense with the intention of convincing American colonist to establish independence from Britain. It's apparent from the style of his pamphlet that he wanted to convince the masses in a fashion which would make them come to the conclusion that, without a doubt, Thomas Paine must be right. This rhetorical form of writing is evident throughout his pamphlet and obviously present in the title. By titling his pamphlet Common Sense, he was stating to all his readers, that it wasn't necessary for him to explain why the colonies should separate from America. It was "common sense" that independence was inevitable.
             Paine's Common Sense was a pamphlet that spoke to all types of people and groups that read it. He spoke to the merchants, the loyalist, the religious separatist, and all other who may have seemed skeptical of supporting a war against Britain. As he wrote, he knew his job was to make his ideas and major points simple. He also need to phrase them in ways that made people think there could be no other way to see things. He starts by breaking down the institution of government. He states that society is what is good in man while government is what is evil. "Society in every state is a blessing, but government in its best is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable on." However, the first pages of his pamphlet did not directly connected the colonies to his ideas on society and government. He uses a parable to show the evolution of society. This is an extremely important form because, for the reader, by the time they have read a few pages and reached his connection to colonies, they are already engulfed in the idea of the reality in Paine's words. How can they not concluded that with such an evolution of society that Paine described in his parable, the distance of Britain and America would soon be to much for the growing co...

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The Rhetorical Common Sense. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 03:36, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/85365.html