Thomas Paine's Use Of Rhetorical Devices During The Revolutionary Period

During the Revolutionary Period, authors used a variety of literary devices and rhetorical devices to get their point across and influence their audiences to take action. They use the devices to get to the audience in a logical sense and an emotional sense. One author in particular, Thomas Paine, wrote the first of a series of essays entitled The American Crisis, Number 1. Washington had it ordered to be read to his troops. Thomas Paine’s purpose for writing this literary work was to motivate the soldiers to keep on fighting and to boost moral among the troops and the colonists. He was able to get through to his audience by targeting the emotional and logical sides of the subject. He listed facts that no-one could deny and he also used anecdotes and aphorisms to get his point across in different ways. One writing strategy that Paine uses to get this point …show more content…
He uses these short, witty sayings to send the repeated message, of not giving up in the fight for freedom, to his audience. Such aphorisms include, “Tyranny, like hell is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph”(117). Paine is saying that no-one said the war would be easy because tyranny is not an easy thing to fight, but if we win, because we worked so hard it will fell so much better. Another aphorism he uses is, “What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly”(117). This one, similar the the previous one, says that when you work hard for something you value it more. Pains says that our hard work will help us value our freedom. The last aphorism he uses is, “These are the times that try men's souls”(117). Paine is saying that during this time of war our souls will be put to the test and those that make it through will have the gift of freedom. He uses theses aphorisms to urge the colonists to keep on fighting against the tyranny of