Common Sense by Thomas Paine Thomas Paine was born on January 29, 1737 at Thetford, Norfolk in England, as a son of a Quaker. In 1774, he met Benjamin Franklin in London, who advised him to immigrate to America, giving him letters of recommendation. Paine reached Philadelphia on November 30, 1774 where he started over as a publicist. He wrote many articles that touched on various topics. On January 10, 1776 Thomas Paine grouped his ideas on American independence in his pamphlet “Common Sense.” I think Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” had a significant influence on the separation from England. I believe Paine thought the Colonies had all the right to revolt against a government that imposed taxes on them but didn’t give them the right of representation in the Parliament at Westminster. Thomas believed there was no reason for the Colonies to stay dependent on England. I think Thomas Paine had an incredible way of persuading people to take action through his writing. In his “Common Sense,” Paine states that sooner or later independence from England must come, because America had lost touch with the mother country. In his words, all the arguments for separation of England are based on nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments and common sense. Paine viewed government as necessary evil that could only become safe when it was represented and altered by frequent elections. Paine also states that the function of government in society ought to be only regulating and as simple as possible. Thomas Paine uses several forms of literary terms and techniques. In his “Common Sense” he used an aphorism, which is the general truth that is usually stated concisely and pointedly. He also used argumentation, which is a discourse in which the writer presents and logically supports a particular view or opinion. Paine used motivation in which people’s values, want...
