Common Sense by Thomas Paine - Book Report/Review Example

A Literary Review of Paine’s Common Sense Book Thomas Paine was among the people who played a crucial role if fighting for freedom of United States. In this captivating work, he uses all possible themes to inform his reader how America needs to be serious in fighting England as its common enemy. He, therefore, uses a command of English language in his book as a literary weapon in helping fight and defeat British colonialists. With his command of English language used in this ambitious work, the US is able to overthrow Britain as its overseer (Melanson). Paine’s aim is to ensure that he uses a literary language in pursuing a nation that was already in war so that the country combines its efforts in the fight against oppression. This book played a crucial role in American Revolution. Its role is attributed to its ability to use a rhetoric language in condemning the acts of Great Britain. In his book, she describes the country as a brutal nation, a monster with parasitic characteristics among many other descriptions. In his book, Paine shows his ability to use rhetoric and language in creating a historical piece of propaganda ever used across the world in fighting oppression. He uses different themes to express his pieces of propaganda (Paine 321). His choice of the title “Common Sense” implies that his argument is based on logic and reason. His reasoning primarily comes from facts that are common and can easily be comprehended by anyone across the globe, including the majority of those who have a right state of mind and well educated. At the start of the book, Paine notifies the reader in advance that his argument will be based on simple facts, common sense, and the argument will be as plain as possible. He appeals to the readers of his work to forget about “prejudice and prepossession, and suffer his reason and his feelings to determine for themselves” (Paine 335). This statement indeed gives his readers a chance to get logic out his argument. During this time, what the king of England could offer was subjugation. It is through his ability to appeal and reason with intellects that Paine is able to give his assertion that the separation from Great Britain is something does not need much reasoning; it only requires common sense to do so. Pain seems to have an aim of informing the reader of state of affairs in the current political arena. He sees that that there are totally no hopes of politics helping Great Britain and America reach a peaceful resolution to its problems. Paine states that different people from different social and political backgrounds are written a lot about their thoughts about the struggle between America and England. In addition, they have gauged this struggle with totally different opinions. Their opinions have not bored any fruits, and Paine believes that there is no more time to debate. He goes on to state that by using his argument, the country finally has a new era of politics and it also has a new way thinking. Paine reminds his reader that England has finally chosen the path of pursuing bloodshed. To emphasize his point, he takes back the reader and refers the reader to April 19th, 1715, the date when English troops made a step of commandeering the American ammunition stores (Melanson). By deciding to take this daring step, Paine believes that England had decided that the only way to choose loyalty was by applying force, and the friendship was something which the king could either accept or deny. By summing up the political state of affairs in this manner, Paine is hopeful that he will effectively inform his readers that they are at liberty to decide for themselves; whether to fight for freedom on their own or let other people determine their fate for them. To some extent, Paine’s statement serves as an incitement for his readers to fight for their freedom. Paine uses all possible means to appeal to his reader and any other common man to take necessary actions that can save their progeny. In his efforts to appeal to the reader to necessary steps to protect their offspring, he uses statements such as “the sun never shined on a cause of greater worth” (Paine 336). He goes on to state that the sun will still shine on future generations. Therefore, the current general has a responsibility of building a better foundation for the lives of their children by deciding whether their children will live in their country with freedom of still face Great Britain’s oppression. He believes that prosperity is not a matter of a mere day, a year, or age, but it concerns many struggles that can proceed past several generations to come. In that case, Paine is able to evoke the emotions of his reader since he makes the reader believe that todays struggle predominantly determines tomorrows success. With his determination for the American liberation for Great Britain’s oppression, Paine states that the success of future generations depends on actions or inactions of the current generations. The suffering or success of future generations will mainly depend on the actions that will be taken now. Therefore, through this literary struggle for liberation, he urges everyone to fight against oppression for the sake of their children. He strongly agues that the current state of government is one that no one can rely on to bequeath to posterity (Paine 339). In the entire book, Paine uses the theme of posterity as a way of making the reader get a clear understanding on future generations or heirs. Paine’s hopes lie on trying to drive some sense to men by persuading them to use their masculinity to ensure that there is liberation in America. Doing anything less than that may lead to their emasculation. At point, Paine recalls Prime Minister Henry Pelham’s words in regards to actions he intended to take concerning the liberation of America. However, Paine believes that Pelham’s actions portrayed his myopic and selfish attitude that never put into consideration the needs of future generations. Paine, therefore, believes that such an attitude was fatal and unmanly. Instead, Paine believes that the true character of a man can only be found in men who can look beyond their personal interests and look beyond the interests of the current generation by considering those of future generations (Paine 335). He believes that it is only men who have passive tempers that will comfortably overlook the kind of offenses Great Britain is committing in America and lessen hopes for liberation and reconciliation. In his work, Paine tirelessly tries to convince his reader that a real man is one who is ready to make decisions that will not only be of benefit to him alone, but for generations to come. He believes that such men can only choose to fight for American liberation. Paine condemns the actions of the king England by stating that he is a selfish leader who does not have American interests at heart. He is less concerned with rights and property of Americans. In his cry of how Great Britain is misusing American resources and oppressing its citizens, Paine asserts that England has only considered America as a “second object”. In saying so, he bemoans how America has become the servant of Great Britain. Being a British colony, America has lost its respect on the global scene. He goes ahead to argue that Britain will never account for the destruction it has caused to America. In addition, Britain will never compensate America for this loss. Paine uses terms such as “secondary objects”, “material”, and “treasure” for different reasons. In reality, he has an intention of giving his reader an inclination that will see the king of England as a person who is more concerned with American resources and property. Paine uses a rhetoric perspective to portray the king of England as someone who does not deserve to a human being. He describes the king as an animal; a scavenger whose life only revolves around waiting to prey on English colonies. To emphasize on his point, he argues that even brutes cannot devour their young ones, nor savages declare war on their families, in the same way in which England is doing to America. Paine goes on to state that the king has collaborated with “parasites” to manipulate Americans because of their faint hearts and weak minds (Paine 325). He considers England as a cruel “monster” who has caused many people to flee from America due to oppression. As a way of giving his reader hopes that America will finally be free from the tyranny of Great Britain, he tells his reader that no one can rule America all the time other than God. He, therefore, believes that brutality and oppression of Great Britain will soon come to an end, and America will be at liberty to do whatever it thinks is good for its citizens. Towards the end of this captivating work, Paine equal Great Britain to a beast, a nation that no one can ever think of being associated with (Paine 339). Works cited Melanson, Joseph, View profile, and Joseph Melanson. The Earthly Record Of My Internal And External Experience.: A Literary Analysis Of Thomas Paine’S Common Sense. (American Literature I).. Josephrmelanson.blogspot.com. N.p., 2011. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. http://josephrmelanson.blogspot.com/2011/11/literary-analysis-of-thomas-paines.html Paine, Thomas. “Common Sense”. The American Tradition in Literature. 12th ed. Ed. George Perkins and Barbara Perkins. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009. 15-344. Print. Read More