Question

Why is Paine's use of aphorisms effective for his purpose and audience?

A. His readers had heard his aphorisms before in documents like the
Declaration of Independence.
B. His readers were accustomed to abiding by short statements of
truth from books like Poor Richard's Almanack.
C. Paine's readers were easily swayed by the repetition of similar
phrases and sentence structures.
D. Using similar ideas to stand in for familiar concepts was novel and
engaging for Paine's readers, so it kept their interest.

Answer 1

Paine uses a number of aphorisms to introduce his argument. By doing so, he captures the audience allowing them to take to means these brief witty statements on a personal level. “The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph,” quoted Paine. By stating a number of aphorisms, he was able to hint the audience of what is to come throughout his copy. For instance, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” This makes the reader wonder and ask themselves certain questions that are later answered through the text. The aphorisms also leave room for a various number of interpretations that may all be accurate; “What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly.” Through the aphorisms used in the introduction of Paine’s work, the audience is able to get a sense of the tone of the narrative.

Step-by-step explanation: