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Thomas Paine

The Rights of Man: The Language Lecture

Thomas Paine

Great Champion of Democracy

Engineer, Artisan of the English Language (MacShane, 1996)

Common Sense Published in 1776

Rights of Man

Published 1791

Outlines Social Institutions

Analyzes forms of government

Supports the French revolution

Defends democracy as a form of government

Critiques the monarchy as a form of government

“The Irresistible Nature of Truth…”

The Rights of Man:

Men are born and always continue free, and equal in respect of their rights.

These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance of oppression.

The nation is essentially the source of all Sovereignty; nor can any individual or any body of men, be entitled to any authority which is not expressly derived from it.

Revolutionary Idea

In 1791, the ideas of freedom, equal rights, and democracy as a form of government were revolutionary.

Forms of government include:

Anarchy- rule by no one

Aristocracy- rule by minority (monarchy)

Autocracy- rule by one

Democracy- rule by majority

We don’t think about it much today, but:

The United States had the first truly representative, democratic form of government (in the new world).

Our country is only 230 years old.

In the grand scheme of history, democracy, as we know it, is still a relatively new idea.

Forms of Government

Against Monarchy. For Paine, the monarchy:

Creates war, cheating, and revolution

Has a history of abuses cloaked by law

Has a premise based on war an extortion

Will continue to perpetuate itself to be so

The monarchy an its heredity:

Lack maturity

Have a rigid perspective

Are inexperienced

For Democracy

The Representative From of Government is:

Adaptive in all cases

In a constant state of maturity

Experienced due to the input of multiple perspectives

Paine Defends:

Establishing government

A nation’s right to a constitution

The Declaration, Bill of Rights, and U.S Constitution

The forming and purpose of executive, judicial, and legislative behaviors

Next Class

Turn in “Rights of Man” summary and reflection by 11:00 am Thursday

The prompt and rubric for our first essay exam will be passed out in class.

Part 2 of Paine Lecture

Paine Continued

Family Narrative

Paine includes a story of families of the time as a persuasive element

All families have a copy of the Constitution, readily available, constantly referred to, and read on regular basis.

According to Paine, there was “scarcely a family without it” (p. 287)

Utopian View

Paine has a utopian, idealistic view of democracy and America:

Made up of people from different nations, accustomed to different forms and habits

…[with] the simple operation of constructing government on the principles of society and the rights of man,

…every difficulty retires and all parts are brought into cordial unison (p. 269)

Questions

Do you agree with Paine?

Do we have a “cordial unison” in our democratic society?

Does our democratic government reflect society’s principles?

Ahead of His Time

Paine’s essay concludes by discussing provisions for revising and altering the Constitution in the future.

“That which may be thought right and found convenient in one age, may be thought wrong and found inconvenient in another. In such cases, who is to decide, the living, or the dead?”

Master of the English Language

Paine is known as a master of language. He is pretty easy and enjoyable to read.

We will analyze language style devices.

Specifically, we will focus on imagery techniques.

Imagery Techniques

Imagery

Imagery is using descriptive, clear language to send a specific message and “create a picture in someone’s head.”

Language Style Devices

Language style devices are techniques writers and speakers can include in rhetorical messages to create imagery.

Imagery Techniques Cont.

Alliteration: the repetition of consonant sounds.

Paine: America’s government is a “revolution of principles and practices of government.”

Metaphors and Similes: a comparison or analogy, made between two concepts, linking them together.

Paine’s Chain: Paine compares society’s civil dependence on one another with a link chain

Common interest regulates their concerns

A civil community creates “the great chain of connection which holds it together” (p. 266).

Imagery Techniques Cont.

Parallelism: similar grammatical form appealing to reader or listener.

Paine: “If government is not founded on rights of man, then [it is] founded on something that is not man” (p. 294).

Repetition: stating a point again and again for impact.

Paine uses this technique within the various sections of the essay. In Chapter 1, of Society and Civilization, he uses the phrase “principles of society” five times in three pages. (pp. 268-270)

Questions?