Thomas “T-Pain”
Paine
“These are the times that try men’s souls”
Read Paine’s famous pamphlet, Crisis No. 1 (found on pp 95-96 of your textbook)
Paine’s Rhetorical Approach
Scan
“The Crisis” and the handout on
rhetoric. Identify a few rhetoric
strategies or devices Paine employs in
this speech, and then explain how
these strategies might strengthen his
message. In other words, why has he
chosen to employ these strategies?
Where
do we see evidence of Paine
making a logical appeal?
How about an emotional appeal?
How about an ethical appeal?
The Aphoristic Style
Aphorism
~ a principal or general truth expressed
tersely in a short, memorable form; a proverb.
Ben Franklin wrote (or wrote down) many
aphorisms, including:
“God helps them that help themselves.”
“A small leak will sink a great ship.”
“Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man
healthy, wealthy, and wise.
…more on aphorisms
Aphorisms
are often made memorable by poetic
elements such as rhythm, rhyme, assonance,
and alliteration. Consider these elements in
Paine’s opening line from The Crisis, Number 1:
“These are the times that try men’s souls.”
Rhetorical Devices
Argument
by analogy ~ when a writer
compares two similar situations,
implying that the outcome of one will
resemble the outcome of the other.
Anecdotes ~ when a writer describes a
short scene or story, drawn from
personal experience, to help make his
point.
In Your Notes…
Aphorism:
Select at least one aphoristic
statement from The Crisis (other than the first
sentence); describe what elements help make
it memorable.
Analogy: What conclusion can we draw from
Paine’s analogy between the political situation
in America and the case of a thief who breaks
into someone’s house?
What other analogies does Paine draw?
Anecdote: What point does Paine make by
telling his readers about the tavernkeeper in
Amboy?
Religious Language?
Like
many writers before him, Paine uses
religious language in this pamphlet on a
number of occasions. Where does he do
so?
How is this similar to/different than the use
of religious language in other texts we’ve
read?