Rhetorical Strategies the Crisis, Number One

Rhetorical Strategies Essay (on an excerpt from Thomas Paine's The Crisis, Number One):

In the excerpt from The Crisis, Number One, Thomas Paine employs various strategies that he hopes will help him to convince his audience to join him in his desire for freedom from the oppressive Great Britain. His language, syntax, and diction, within this writing present a strong argument towards his cause. Paine’s writing proposes a strong argument that appeals to the reader’s senses.

Paine uses strong language tactics to persuade the audience to follow him in his belief of freedom. He uses pathos to appeal to the audience’s emotions. He does this by addressing the patriotic attitude of Americans by telling them that “Tyranny, ...is not easily conquered,” but “the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” He also uses analogies to relate his opinions to experiences of American society. He relates the British rule to slavery by describing Britain’s belief that they have America “bound,” or in other words, they own America. In the same way, a slave is “bound” to his master. Paine also demonstrates attitude by expressing his support of freedom from Great Britain. He does this by stating his “secret opinions,” how he “once felt,” and that he is “confident” in his beliefs that America will only be happy once she is free.

Thomas Paine uses syntactical strategies, such as asyndeton, infinitives, and balance, in his work, The Crisis, Number One. He uses asyndeton to make the phrases flow, such as when he says, “What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; ‘tis dearness only that gives everything its value.” Paine’s use of balance assists the flow of the work, as well. One implication of balance within the excerpt is his description of a thief who “breaks into his home, burns and destroys his property, and kills or threatens to kill him.” Paine also incorporates numerous infinitives into this excerpt, such as “to kill,” “to enforce,” and “to suffer,” in order to...