“The Crises” Presentation
American Literature
Mr. Geis
Directions:
Read the selected lines and do the following: Use three separate sheets of
paper. Include a title
First Person
1. Explain the theme or main idea of the selected passage.
2. Describe and explain what kind of “persuasive technique” is being used
Second Person
3. Describe and explain a literary technique used in the selection or figures of speech.
4. Point out any “loaded language” used in the selection or special vocabulary.
Third Person
5. Explain the meaning of the line written in italics or an image you can find.
6. Explain how this selection could convince the soldiers to fight the next day.
Paragraph
1. Lines: 1-12
Example on Back
2. Lines: 13-21
3. Lines: 21-30
4. Lines: 31-46
5. Lines: 47-58
6. Lines 59- 68
7. Lines: 69-78
8. Lines: 79-90
9. Lines: 91-100
10. Lines 100-113
11. Lines: 113-122
Paragraph 1 – Lines 1-12
(First Student)
The main idea of lines 1-12 in “The Crisis” written by Thomas Paine focuses upon the
importance of the concept of freedom to the American soldiers who are fighting and possibly
dying in the Revolutionary War. A second concept that Mr. Paine shares with the reader is the
idea that the American people are “being bound in all cases whatsoever” by England as if they
were slaves. The persuasive techniques being used by Mr. Thomas is the use of the “emotional
appeal” when he says “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered”. He further uses the
“emotional technique” in the line “the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph”.
(Second Student)
A literary technique used in this paragraph is the metaphor “sunshine soldier and the
summer patriot”. These metaphors present the reader the image of a soldier who only shows
up to fight in a battle if the odds are good that he won’t have to fight or possibly die. This
denotes the image of a coward and is not a positive image. I believe some loaded words used
in this paragraph include the words: “tyranny,” “hell,” and “slavery”. Tyranny conjure up the
image of a cruel king who mistreats his people. “Hell” is loaded in the way it connects this
essay to a religious or holy cause for freedom. Finally, the word “slavery” is connected to
people who have no choices or voice with their government.
(Third Student)
The line written in italics is “”to bind us in all cases whatsoever” which is a reference to
wording in an Act that was passed in England in 1766. The British parliament is asserting its
“power and authority” over the people of America. This selection could be used to convince
the soldiers to fight in three ways. The first is to say that the soldiers will have to fight if they
want to be free people, and later they will receive the love and thanks of the future generations
of America. The second way to convince the soldiers is to say that freedom is the goal of every
living soldier in this war. Finally, Paine says that England is planning to totally control every part
of the lives of the American people and are never going to allow the people to have a part in
the government. As the first paragraph of the essay “The Crises”, this selection uses the ideas
of freedom and slavery ( an antithesis) to convince the soldiers that they should fight in the
upcoming battle.