"Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one... The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind. 'Tis time to part." — Thomas Paine, Common Sense, January 1776
Paine's choice to write in plain, direct prose rather than learned Latin-laced argument was intended primarily to:
- A
Imitate the legalistic style of John Dickinson's Letters from a Farmer
- B
Win the favor of British parliamentarians who admired classical rhetoric
- C
Curry favor with French philosophes funding the colonial cause
- Dcheck_circle
Reach a broad popular audience of artisans, farmers, and common readers
Explanation
Paine deliberately abandoned the elite rhetorical conventions of his day to make republican arguments accessible to ordinary colonists, helping the pamphlet sell roughly 100,000 copies in early 1776. The other audiences were not his target.