Question

What is the rhetorical question in one of Paine's Common Sense editions and what purpose does it serve?

Answer 1

Hello!

Common Sense was written as a means to encourage American independence. When Paine asks rhetorical questions, he is not really asking questions that have no answers. He is trying to inspire his listeners/readers to answer these questions for themselves. In the third section, Paine states that any future connection to Britain will be "forced and unnatural" and eventually "more wretched than the first." He then asks a series of rhetorical questions, but, ONE OF THEM WERE FOR EXAMPLE, OR FOR INSTANCE, THE MOST IMPORTANT WOULD BE: "How is it possible that a small island nation can rule over all these colonies?"

Hope this All Helped! Have A Wonderful Day! :)