An Un-PAINE-ful Appeal

AN UNPAINEFUL APPEAL Thomas Paine was more than just a journalist. Thrown in prison on more than one occasion because of his passionate and controversial writing, Paine was one of the preeminent writers on infant America’s fight for freedom at the end of the 18th century. Best known for Common Sense, published in 1776, Paine also wrote The Rights of Man that, when censored by the government, simply increased its popularity. In The Rights of …

…an earlier era. His concise, lucid, and relevant argument is thoughtfully put together and not many can argue that they themselves are incapable of acting piously, thus the idea of humanism is a perfect backbone to this argument. It brings out the compassionate side of Paine and contrasts that sharply with Burke’s callous style. Therefore, the piece is effective and achieves both its goal of rebuffing Burke and displaying Paine is a favorable light.