“The American Crisis” by Thomas Paine is written as an argument to why America should want independence from Great Britain. The majority of the first chapter consists of anecdotes from Paine’s experience in fighting battles and how the soldiers who were currently fighting in the revolutionary war should learn from them. Paine establishes his credibility early on by stating that he served as a soldier. He shares his stories from the battle of Fort Lee, in which the Americans were forced to retreat by the British in 1776.Thomas Paine is most widely known for his book “common sense” which outlines why it was logical for America to be independent from Britain.
The audience of Paine’s book is quite clearly the American citizens, specifically soldiers, fighting for independence against the British. This becomes evident no later than the first sentence, “These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” It is clear that this book was meant to be read during the miseries of war, times when the soldiers were freezing and hungry during the winter at Valley Forge.
Paine motivates the soldiers with powerful diction that appeals to the readers’ pathos while also managing to connect with the soldiers reading it. He says “I once felt all that kind of anger, which a man ought to feel, against the mean principles that are held by the Tories.” This reassures the miserable soldiers that there is an end to their sufferings and that there is a purpose meant to their misery. This motivates the soldiers to push through and be victorious. One can only imagine the effect that such strong words would have had on someone shivering in their hut in Valley Forge. Paine’s writings are certainly a partial reason for America’s victory.
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