In the book Common Sense, Thomas Paine argues that all of England and her supporter’s arguments are null, and that the Revolution is perfectly justifiable. He uses historical fact and “common sense” to reach the conclusion that England was always hindering the United States and it is of upmost importance the colonies should go through with breaking away from England permanently. Thomas Paine uses many strategies to convince the colonists that Revolution is the ideal course of action such as his diction and his knowledge of history that allows his arguments to appear as if it were obvious that England hindered the colonies all along and that Revolution is the only course of action. Paine also presented his arguments very plainly, also utilizing diction in order to allow even uneducated supporters of the Revolution and loyalists to see just how necessary the Revolution is which allowed him to spark protests against England.
In his argument diction is very prevalent in Common Sense, Paine begins to present his argument as pure common knowledge and fact by stating “I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense” which will build up upon his later arguments by making his entire position on the Revolution out to be pure fact. He then later asks the reader to put aside all prejudices and read Paine’s argument and to compare Paine’s argument with the reader’s prejudice and to see which one seems more logical by stating “and have no preliminaries to settle with the reader, than that he will divest himself of prejudice and prepossession, and suffer his reason and his feelings to determine for themselves”. Stating this would allow Paine to argue freely without having the reader, educated or not, to conflict themselves with their feelings and allow nothing but logic and “common sense” to make judgment, not blind emotion. He goes on to state the words of a minister in the minister stated in response to that statement that “his measures were only of a temporary kind” that “they will last my time”. Paine goes on to say that people in the colonies with this mindset will be hated by future generations as the colonists will stay back and let the tyrannical king oppress them for only their time and that future generations will be able to handle it, he uses this prospect of future generations having disdain for their ancestors for having that mindset in order to say that revolution is needed now for their sakes and for the sakes of future generations. Furthermore, he states that “The sun never shined on a cause of greater worth”. Paine is stating that fighting for today and future generations is honorable and an overall excellent cause, as they will free the people of today and tomorrow from King George’s oppressiveness. This emphasizes the necessity of the Revolution and makes the reader feel a sense of worth and honor, like a hero that fights for the good of all people and will save future generations; this allows Paine to further convince the reader that the Revolution is just.
Paine also presents the argument of William the Conqueror of France being the first in line of the current generations of monarchs in England. Stating “The first King of England of the present time (William the Conqueror) was a French man, and half the peers of England are descendants of the same country; wherefore, by that method of reasoning, England ought to be governed by France.” Paine refutes loyalist’s argument of saying that England is the “parent country” and that we should be loyal to England by presenting the counter argument of Englishmen’s descent from the French. Paine used his wits and knowledge of historical fact in order expose the contradiction within loyalist arguments and in doing so proving to the reader how wrong the loyalists really are. This makes Paine appear reasonable and in the right in the reader’s eyes and loyalists appear contradictory and stubborn.