Why is it that we hesitate? From Britain we can expect nothing but ruin. If she is admitted to the government of America again, this continent will not be worth living in.

This quote, from the middle of the final section of Common Sense, is characteristic of much of Paine's rhetoric. His pamphlet is intended not just to lay out an argument in favor of independence, but also to motivate and rouse the populace. As such, Paine's style is often intended to rouse the reader. He accomplishes this task particularly well in this passage by first questioning whether there really is a good reason to stay quiet about the need for independence and then by painting a vivid picture of the disturbing reality that would exist were America to remain under British rule.