Compare And Contrast The Crisis And The Declaration Of Independence

In The Crisis, a pamphlet from the American Revolutionary War in 1776, Thomas Paine attempts to rally the American soldiers to victory over the British forces. Thomas Paine is a revolutionary author most well known for his book Common Sense, where he spoke out against the tyranny of the King of England. The Crisis advocates for revolution and famously inspired the American soldiers under George Washington’s command at Valley Forge to cross the Delaware and fight victoriously against the British. Similarly, the Declaration of Independence promotes the revolution and officially declares the United States independent from Britain. The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson, a political theorist, and edited by a committee of the Founding Fathers of America in 1776. Although The Crisis and the Declaration of Independence have similar purposes, to inspire the …show more content…
Paine’s tone is inconsistent. It changes from paragraph to paragraph. Paine opens with a negative tone, describing the dire harshness of the war and the state of the American soldiers. Then, as he describes his own experience in battle, the tone becomes proud and patriotic. Later, it became didactic, as he tries to teach the soldiers why they should fight, but quickly switched again to a positive tone. Finally, in his conclusion, he begins with a hopeful tone; however, it changes and grows more ominous by the end when he concludes The Crisis with a fear tactic designed to scare the audience. Paine’s tone change continuously but maintains a constant urgent, colloquial, opinionated tone throughout the pamphlet. Jefferson’s tone, however, is very formal and political. Because he is addressing the most powerful people in the western hemisphere at the time, he tries to maintain a strong, yet composed tone. His tone is confident and accusatory towards the king, but overall, remains objective and impersonal, unlike Paine’s