Rhetorical Devices In The Crisis By Thomas Paine

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In his document, The Crisis, Number 1, Thomas Paine argues that the American colonists should go and fight for the freedom that they want. Thomas Paine supports this cause by explaining to the colonists that they should have that same mind set no matter what it is. Paine’s purpose is to persuade with emotion in order to get the colonists to feel the need to go and fight for the freedom of the developing country against the British. Thomas Paine uses a formal tone to engage with the emotions of the colonists using rhetorical devices.
Paine in his writing likes to use a lot of charged words throughout his writing. In the document he uses these charged words to help engage with the colonists’ emotions and their minds in order to convince them to become soldiers and go fight. He uses the words like hope, virtue, peaceful, bless and faithful. “The summer soldier and the …show more content…

Paine’s purpose of using imagery is to make his words and ideas easier for the continental army to go and fight for their freedom. Imagery is similar and supports the inclusion of repetition. Thomas Paine uses imagery to make things easier to understand just like if he were to repeat something many times to make it more clear. “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” He is describing how much tyranny is like hell and how hell is not easily conquered. He gives the appeal that we must not be afraid and in the end we will have great triumph. Paine also uses imagery relate the devil with the current king of Britain. “The king of Britain can look up to heaven for help against us: a common murderer, a highwayman, or a housebreaker, has as good a pretense as he…” He is painting a picture in the soldiers’ minds of how cruel the king has been to the colonies and should give them even more spirit to go and

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