An Un-PAINE-ful Appeal
Thomas Paine was more than just a journalist. Thrown in prison on more than one occasion because of his passionate and controversial writing, Paine was one of the preeminent writers on infant America's fight for freedom at the end of the 18th century. Best known for Common Sense, published in 1776, Paine also wrote The Rights of Man that, when censored by the government, simply increased its popularity. In The Rights of Man, Paine takes a humanistic approach, believing strongly in the power and goodwill of man to overcome its problems and chastises governments that interfere with the natural order of society. Paine's primary ethical appeal is to appear sensible and benevolent by using clear, unsophisticated diction and a cool, relaxed style of writing. Instead of using intense, fervent phrases, Paine relies on concise, defined wording and a style of writing that entices the writer to take his side of the argument. It is after all quite difficult to rebuff the notion that our own society is more Paine's sensibility is plainly evident in the first paragraph where he opens with a thoughtful, clearly stated sentence and continues to his thesis, a short sentence that contains all he needs to set up his
Paine's primary ethical appeal of sensibility and benevolence are achieved with a remarkably short piece of writing that leaves few areas uncovered and can be applicable in any period, though the examples are drawn from the 18th century. The manner in which Paine approaches the topic and employs the ancient-Greek idea of humanism makes his writing feel like that of an earlier era. His concise, lucid, and relevant argument is thoughtfully put together and not many can argue that they themselves are incapable of acting piously, thus the idea of humanism is a perfect backbone to this argument. It brings out the compassionate side of Paine and contrasts that sharply with Burke's callous style. Therefore, the piece is effective and achieves both its goal of rebuffing Burke and displaying Paine is a favorable light. argument in the essay. Paine wastes little time in getting to the point and rarely strays from that style. The opening sentence, "Great part of that order which reigns among mankind is not the effect of government," (Paine, 393) unobtrusively states Paine's argument and contains no unnecessary words that some writers like Edmund Burke often use for no apparent purpose. The essay takes on a logical feel to it because Paine does not seem to let his disagreement with Burke overshadow his goals in the essay. In addition, Paine abandoned the first-person style that many of his contemporaries favored for a third-person style that makes him seem more humbl
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Approximate Word count = 994
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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