American Writers and Cultural Transition - Essay Example

The eighteenth century came with many different cultural transitions since it was a period of great change and development. These changes not only came to the governments and social structures of the time but also in the ideas and concepts that were long held as sacred before the 18th century. The work of the writers of the time reflects this transition quite clearly as the revolutionary inspired writings of Thomas Paine and the calm suggestions of Benjamin Franklin both represent how the world was changing (Branham, 1998).

However, the process of the change clearly lasted only during the revolution since the writers who came after they were more focused on creating order in society rather than bringing about change to a given system (Brinkley et. al., 2006). For example, Thomas Paine talks in a passionate manner about seeking freedom and looking for ways for the American people to overthrow the authority of the king by offering people a viewpoint which comes from Common Sense. However, he does not condone the overthrow of all forms of government which could lead to simple anarchy since some manner of order and protection of the people remains a requirement of him as well as many other writers.

Helping the weak and the needy is a given dictate of Benjamin Franklin, however, he does not condone that people should seek out help but rather that they should stand on their own feet to help themselves (Brinkley et. al., 2006). This was indeed a cultural transition since before the revolution American interests and the interests of the colonies were the same as British interests (Larkin, 2005). After the revolution, America had to seek its own identity and establish itself as a willing partner who wanted peace amongst the brotherhood of nations.