Let us consider Paine as a blacksmith of words. How does he use repetition to give effect to the first part of the paragraph? It contains two repetitive sentences: 1. „It is not“ to begin sentences 2 and 3 [anaphora] 2. The expressions „of a city, country, province or kingdom“ and „of a day, year or age“ [prepositions with multiple objects]. Read the passage aloud to hear the haunting rhythm that elevates Paine`s prose to a challenging call to action (his goal in writing Common Sense). [Note: Paine mentions both the options of „independence“ and „reconciliation“ elsewhere in Common Sense, but he wanted to avoid them here.] Here, Paine exhorts his opponents to bring „reconciliation to the test of nature.“ What does he mean by that? (A „touchstone“ is a test of the quality or authenticity of something. Since ancient times, the purity of gold or silver has been tested with a basalt „touchstone.“) Test the chances of reconciliation against what you know about people`s reactions in similar crises in history, not against your own hopes and fears during that particular crisis. In other words, use common sense. In the early days of the world, according to the chronology of Scripture, there were no kings; Consequently, there have been no wars; It is the pride of kings that plunges humanity into confusion. Holland, without a king, has known more peace in the last century than any of the monarchical governments in Europe. Antiquity favors the same remark; For the quiet and rural life of the first patriarchs has something biting that disappears when we come to the history of the Jewish royal house. Our own government is our natural right: and if a person thinks seriously about the precariousness of human affairs, he will be convinced that it is infinitely wiser and safer to form our own constitution in a cold and conscious way, as long as we have it in our power than to entrust such an interesting event to time and chance. If we leave it aside now, some Massanello might emerge later, seizing the agitation of the people, rallying the desperate and discontented and, taking power from the government, sweeping away the freedoms of the continent like a deluge.

If the American government returns to the hands of Great Britain, the faltering situation will be a temptation for a desperate adventurer to try his luck; and in such a case, what relief can Britain give? Before she could hear the news, the fateful deal could be done; and we, like the wretched British, suffer from the oppression of the conqueror. You who are now opposed to independence, you do not know what you are doing; You open a door to eternal tyranny by keeping the seat of government empty. By January 1776, the American colonies were in open rebellion against Britain. Their soldiers had captured Fort Ticonderoga, besieged Boston, fortified New York, and invaded Canada. Yet few dared to say what most knew – they were no longer fighting for their rights as British subjects. They did not fight for self-defence or the protection of their property, nor did they fight to force Britain to the negotiating table. They fought for independence. It took a hard shock to move Americans from overt loyalty to overt rebellion, and that came to much of Thomas Paine`s common sense. Not a stupid diatribe for the masses, as often described, Common Sense is a masterful piece of argumentation and rhetoric that proved the power of words. Perhaps the sentiments contained in the following pages are not yet fashionable enough to give them a general favor; a long habit of not thinking something FALSE gives him the superficial appearance of being RIGHT, and at first causes a huge uproar in the defense of habit. But the turmoil quickly subsides.

Time converts more than reason. A long and violent abuse of power is usually the means of questioning the right of the latter (and also in cases that might never have been thought of if the victims had not been involved in the investigation) and, as the King of England has pledged to do on his own initiative, to assist Parliament in what he calls THEIRS, And since the good people of this country are severely oppressed by the combination, they undoubtedly have the privilege of considering the claims of both and also rejecting the usurpation of both. In the following sheets, the author has carefully avoided all that is personal among us. Compliments and reprimands to individuals are not part of it. The wise and the worthy do not need the triumph of a pamphlet; And those whose feelings are reckless or wicked will cease to give themselves gifts unless too much pain is inflicted on their conversion. The cause of America is, to a large extent, the cause of all mankind. Many circumstances occur and will occur which are not local but universal, and through which the principles of all human lovers are touched and in which their affection is interested. To devastate an earth by fire and sword, to declare war on the natural rights of all mankind, and to exterminate its defenders from the face of the earth, is the concern of every human being to whom nature has given the power to feel; of which class, regardless of party censorship, is the AUTHOR. In this sense, what tone does the reader expect: cynical, impatient, hopeful, reasonable, passionate, angry? Reasonable. Both sentences sound like the opening of a legal argument that promises a balanced evaluation of two options based on known evidence („natural principles“) and ordinary honest reasoning („common sense“). How does his tone prepare the resistant reader? Paine means avoiding challenges related to prejudice or extremism by inviting readers to make his voice heard.

„If I`m right in my writing, you can try to be fair in your listening.“ Government by kings was first introduced to the world by the Gentiles, whose custom the children of Israel copied. It was the most successful invention the devil ever made on foot to promote idolatry. The pagans returned divine honors to their deceased kings, and the Christian world improved the plan by doing the same for their lives. How impious is the title of Holy Majesty for a worm that collapses into dust in the midst of its splendour! In Common Sense (January 1776), Thomas Paine awakened the American public with the idea that complete independence from Britain was possible. It marked an important intellectual phase of the movement, as many individuals in the North American colonies began to think that there were two alternatives that were now possible: an alternative to British rule and an alternative to one-man rule. In these passages, Paine worries about the return of a new, independent America to a monarchy. Paine believed that an agitator like Massanello could exploit discontent to take control of the government and declare himself king. Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to Robert Livingston (December 1800), also feared that republicanism in America was superficial and that there was a masked monarchy (hidden monarchy) lurking just beneath the surface. It should be remembered that some thought that George Washington should have been a monarch and not a president in the new American nation. According to Paine`s strictly republican view, if there were to be a „king,“ it should be the rule of law, not that of one man. If a day of celebration were to be set aside, the law (the „Charter“) should be venerated, a crown should be placed on it to remind those gathered that „the law is king,“ and at the end of the ceremony, the crown should be broken and scattered among the people to remind us that the notion of kingship is a dangerous thing in a free republic. But there is another great distinction to which no real natural or religious reason can be attributed, and that is the distinction of men into KINGS and SUBJECTS.

Male and female are the distinctions of nature, good and evil are the distinctions of heaven; But how a race of humans came into the world that was so sublime compared to the rest and distinguished itself as a new species deserves to be studied, and whether they are the means of happiness or misery for humanity. Paine ends this paragraph with an analogy: what we do now is like carving initials into the bark of a young oak tree. What does he mean by analogy? One. This is the time to create a new nation. Our lesser efforts today will yield enormous benefits in the future. B. This is the time to unite for independence. The discord between us will now escalate into future crises that could ruin the young nation. Answer: B.

Why does he write „I offer nothing more“ instead of „I offer you many reasons“ or „I offer a detailed argument“? „Nothing more“ implies that common sense is easy to follow and presents only what is necessary to plead one`s case. (Paine considered calling his essay Pure Truth.) . The present time is also that particular time that happens to a nation only once, namely, the time to form a government.