From The Crisis, No. 1
By Thomas Paine
Page. 106
What kind of appeal is Paine
making here?
An emotional appeal
What is the substance of the
appeal?
He claims God is on the side of the
colonists.
Why, in his judgment, will God
favor the colonists?
Because they have, in his opinion,
tried so hard to avoid war
What does Paine hope to
accomplish with this anecdote? (the
anecdote begins on page 108)
Possible response: He hopes to make his audience see
the selfishness of the Tory position that would avoid
war today but leave it for future generations to fight.
He hopes to appeal to people’s love for children and
hope for their future.
What figure of speech is Paine
using here?
metaphor
What is the purpose of Paine’s
image?
He seeks to convince his audience that even if the
colonists surrendered or lost the war, the desire for
liberty (the coal) would still keep burning, and it would
inevitably break out into war (the flame) again and
again until America became free.
Note the length of the first sentence
of this page—over nine lines. What
is the point of the first independent
clause?
The
second?
The first clause expresses hope for a
reconciliation among the colonists, but the
second advocates the expulsion from the
country of all Tories and the seizure of Tory
property if they assist or encourage the British.
Up to now Paine has used we, us,
and out to refer to the colonists.
Why does he switch to you and
your?
Having finished his discussion of the Tories,
Paine seeks to directly address those colonists
he claims as his own, to make them feel
personally committed to the cause, and to
exhort them to redouble their efforts.
Who is Paine calling an
“individual villain”?
King George
What examples of parallelism
occur here?
The three sentences beginning with
Were are an example of parallelism.
Based on the evidence in this
paragraph, as well as above, how
would you characterize the author?
Possible responses: passionate,
reflective, courageous, just,
optimistic, eloquent
Homework
• Page 112
– Reading check a-d
– Questions 1-4