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The Crisis Of Today On December 23, 1776 Thomas Paine wrote an article justifying America’s independence from England. This article was called The Crisis and it argued that the colonists they should support the American Revolution. Even though this article was written two-hundred and thirty years ago it can still be looked upon for guidance today. I am amazed that the arguments in The Crisis can be used to describe today’s current events including War, Sports, and freedoms. On Thursday October 19, 2006 I was on a plane headed to Ithaca, NY and on the plane I met a U. S.
Army helicopter pilot who had just returned from Iraq. We started talking about the war. I asked him what he was fighting for, he said, “I fight not for my country or for my freedom I fight for my family, my friends, and my neighborhood” (U. S. Army Helicopter Pilot). This reminded me of The Crisis when Thomas Paine said “a generous parent should have said, If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace;” (Thomas Paine, The Crisis) this quote is talking about how a parent should want their to be war in there time so that their children shouldn’t have to fight in wars.
When I read this quote I interpret it to mean that when war is inevitable you should get it over with sooner rather than make your children fight your war. What is so great about The Crisis is that it can be used for anything I can take quotes from The Crisis and refer it to The Boston Red Sox. The Boston Red Sox won 5 World Series championships before 1919. Then the Boston Red Sox didn’t win the World Series for Eighty-six years. Yet the Red Sox fans did not give up on the team.
It reminds me of what Thomas Paine says in The Crisis, “that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value” (Thomas Paine The Crisis). To me this means that the longer the Red Sox waited it means more to them because of how long they took to win the World Series. For example, the Yankees win the World Series a lot but, that World Series win doesn’t mean as much to them as it does to the Red Sox. On September 11, 2001 the United States was attacked by terrorists.
Currently people’s rights are being taken away. For Example, a writer from the Beloit Daily News was talking about a no smoking law saying, “I feel like more and more of our freedoms are being taken away from us” (Rhonda Heumiller 10/9/06). However, Thomas Paine said in The Crisis “THOSE who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it” (Thomas Paine The Crisis). So Thomas Paine is saying that if you want to benefit from your freedom you may also have to pay a price of supporting your freedom.
If this price may be losing some of your freedoms then you must understand that there is a price that must be paid in being free. In my opinion, there are people dieing in Iraq so that we can keep the freedoms we have but, while at war we are focused on security instead of freedom. Let’s just say there are two bombs at two different airports strapped to two people’s chests. At Freedom Airport there is no security where you just board the plane but, half way through the flight the bomb goes off. At Security Airport they have the best security, at this airport however, you may get strip searched.
During this strip search they found the bomb when the bomber was strip searched and the passengers made it safely to their destination. The difference between the two airports is that the people who went to Security Airport were giving up some of their freedoms to remain safe but, the people at Freedom Airport died because they didn’t want to give up their freedoms to remain safe. The Crisis is a great piece of literature because; the greatest literature will never lose the authors meaning throughout time.
The crisis can be used for War, Sports, and freedoms. Though the Revolutionary war may be over, the meaning of The Crisis will never leave. The opening line of The Crisis is the best quote to end the essay with because it can used to explain war, Sports, and Freedoms. The Crisis says “THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman”(Thomas Paine The Crisis).