text analysis: The Crisis

--Who is writing?
Thomas Paine is writing.
--Who is the audience?
The audience is all of the colonies, but I believe mainly the New Englanders (due to his constant references to god) and the Middle Colonies (due to his constant reference to the fact that that is where he is)
--Who do the writers represent?
Thomas Paine represents himself, and is arguing to get all of the colonies to agree with him.
--What is being said, argued and/or requested?
The essential argument of this is that the colonists are on the right track and that they should not panic. The should not panic part is iterated in the beginning and end, however the body seems to be saying that they are on the right track and all other tracks are follies, along with encouraging people to stay on the right track.
--How is it being said, argued and/or requested?
It is being argued in the form of a publication. While Thomas Paine says he is arguing logic in plain English, he seems to be arguing more towards the character and ethics by his constant reference to god, and his grammar usage that seems to be trying to shame people into doing what he wants.
--What proof and/or justification is being used to legitimize the request?
His proof includes how well they did at the battle near Fort Lee, how good the troops are, and several trails of logic. The trails of logic include saying that Britain overstepped it’s bounds and is now trying to enslave the colonists (P1), that because the colonists did what they could and that since the British attacked first, “God Almighty will not give up a people to military destruction” (P2), that panic can be good or bad, but it will cause many traitors to be seen, that New England is full of “Tories” who, should they actually join the British, should be banished and have their possessions commandeered, that Tories are useless to everyone, that the colonists have to separate now, that “if there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace” (P9), that they were to tender at the beginning and need to raise an army now, and that you should join in defense of your country, and that “the cunning of the fox is as murderous as the violence of the wolf” (P12) so don’t give up your arms to the Brits.