“Common Sense” is an argumentative essay written by Thomas Paine. This essay was distributed as pamphlets during the early beginnings of the American Revolution to incite and make the Americans aware of the British control of the freedom of American citizens.
Written in 1776 by Anonymous, Paine tried to explain to the Americans why they should come together in unity and revolt against the tyrannical power of Great Britain. Paine uses an argumentative style of writing in his work. He tries to establish a point by providing sufficient evidence to support it. Paine goes further in supporting his argument by explaining both sides of the argument. In other words, he not only tries to appeal to those Americans that want independence, but also with those that want to reconcile with Great Britain. “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. Nothing can be more fallacious than this kind of argument. We may as well assert that because a child has thrived upon milk, that it is never to have meat….”(Baym 694).
Paine states that there are some Americans’ that feel that America has flourished as a country, and in order to continue to flourish we (referring to the Americans) must not revolt but we have to continue to have Britain’s control over us. However since we have flourished because of their control, it doesn’t mean that we can’t flourish on our own. One can see that Paine is attempting to address any counterarguments that may be posed against the point he is trying to establish. By addressing these counterarguments he can try to show those who want to reconcile with Great Britain that his point of view is right.
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Besides from addressing any counterarguments that would have diminished his point, Paine also tried to establish his point by creating a type of mood that would incite anger and bitterness in his readers. When reading some of the grievances that Britain did to American citizens during their tyranny, he explained these grievances in a way that would anger the Americans. For example; he claimed that many Americans felt happy that a great power such as Britain was protecting them from foreign powers that would want to hurt America, but when in fact these foreign powers were really after Britain.
Since Britain had a hold on America, any power that wanted to hurt Britain would try to hurt America. This argument would anger many Americans’ who felt that they shouldn’t be held accountable for Britain’s mistakes. They don’t want to fight any battles that Britain caused. In fact, Paine stated that if they were free, they would try to make peace with those countries that hated Britain. “Let Britain waive her pretensions to the continent, or the continent throw off the dependence, and we should be at peace with France and Spain, were they at war with Britain.” (695).
There are a lot more key instances where Paine tries to create a mood of hatred toward the British. He states that the early descendants of America left Europe to escape and find asylum from the religious persecution, and the tyranny of their mother country. Now when they came to America that same tyranny pursues them. “Hither have they fled, not from the tender embraces of the mother, but from the cruelty of the monster; and it is so far true of England, that the same tyranny which drove the first emigrants from home, pursues their descendants still.”(695).
Paine is trying to make the readers try to remember why their ancestors came to America. By making them remember, he is trying to show them that the same group of people they ran from is still trying to oppress them.
The Essay on Americans Work To Benefit England 61623 Gov People
Athens: Democracy-rule by the people Power in Council Leading the Council was oligarchy (small group of rulers who controlled the judicial, military, civil and religious functions of government) Oligarchy became powerful and passed laws for its benefit Farmers and merchants revolted Nobles saw the danger in the future, so they distributed land of ...
Aside from the mood that Paine tried to create, the basic theme or point in his essay was to make the Americans realize that their freedom was being taken away from them, and it was time for them to make a stand. Paine did so by denouncing British tyranny and insisted that the people should come together and declare their independence. By trying to establish this theme, he does so by stating arguments that support his idea and counterarguments that may diminish the value of his point.
Paine’s essay is typical of work from this point in history. During the middle to late 1700’s, the British presence was being noticed and literary works that asked people to realize that independence was necessary were popular. Not only did Paine’s work coincide with literary works from this time period but also his style of argumentative essay writing was typical of his work. “The Crisis” is another argumentative essay written by Thomas Paine that also tries to argue why Americans should declare their independence. One of the major significances of Paine’s works is that it encouraged and urged Americans to look at what Britain was doing to them. Another interesting fact is that Paine’s writings were very influential and inspirational toward the early writers’ of the Declaration of Independence.
Furthermore, I believe that “Common Sense” was a remarkable essay that asked the Americans to look at and evaluate the situation that they were in. Paine wanted the readers’ to stop living in the past, and to look toward the future. This essay was so threatening to the British, instead of crediting himself for writing the essay he wrote by Anonymous. If the British had found out it was in fact Paine who wrote the essay, he would have been killed for treason. Even today Paine’s “Common Sense is looked at as the key works that helped ignite the American Revolution.
The Norton Anthology of American Literature (Volume I Fifth Edition) eds. Baym, Franklin, et al. pp 693-699.
