Thomas Paine, "The Crisis"

Throughout the 18th century, America fought relentlessly to gain her independence from the tyrannical reign of the British crown. She fought long and hard for her independence, and on July 4th, of 1776, she gained that independence. However, the battle between America and Great Britain, had not reached a stand still. Even though the United States was now a sovereign nation, it still possessed a weak, under supplied army compared to that of their British counterparts. With battles raging along the coast, Americans began to wonder when the fighting would cease. During the month of December, the Americans began to gain ground on the British, and closer to the decisive blow, that would end this ordeal for good. At this point, the Americans were on their “last leg”. On Christmas Eve of 1776, as George Washington and his supporting regiment of meager soldiers from the Continental Army, were preparing to cross the Delaware River, to face the appending army of the decorated British Monarchy, Thomas Paine penned, “ The Crisis”, in order to enthrall as sense of patriotism within the weary souls of the soldiers. With the hope this inspiration could help the Continental Army overcome what was previously deemed inevitable, Paine accentuated the philosophical ideal that the men would have to makes sacrifice, retain an unbreakable sense of determination, and that they must remain faithful, in order to achieve their ultimate goals of freedom, liberty, and prosperity for their newly founded country.
Paine’s message to the soldiers that sacrifice was necessary in order to achieve their goals, needed to inspire the resolve of the solders in a wide array of ways. One method that he used to portray his aforementioned message was the implication of several aphorisms in his speech. He used aphorisms within his speech because it related to the solders emotions and logic, in a way that every man could easily comprehend. Paine stated, “Tyranny, like hell is not easily conquered; yet we