Thomas Paine's Common Sense, and Tone, Rhetoric and Irony
1) Please provide a brief summary including the main points of Paine's essay on common sense
2) Tone, Rhetorical, Irony?
http://www.ushistory.org/paine/commonsense/sense4.htm.
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1) Below is an outline of his essay:
- Paine introduces his essay/pamphlet by saying that he will use common sense to decide the issue of American independence from Britain.
- he then goes on to discuss the importance of this issue ("The Sun never shined on a cause of greater worth")
- commencement of hostilities (begun by Britain) means that whatever argument there was for reconciliation is no longer useful, and its now time to consider the alternative (independence)
- Britain only protected America because it benefited itself, not because it actually cared about America
- if independent, America may actually stop being at war with other countries, such as France and Spain. Since Europe is a port of trade, America should remain impartial and steer clear of European contentions (which it cannot do while a dependent of Britain)
- Britain is not the "mother country": a) ...
Solution Summary
The solution examines Tomas Paine's common sense and tone, rhetoric, and irony.