Rights of Man Essay - 503 Words

Rights of Man The identity of a society is verified through the rights which are given to the citizens. The rights of man have been at many different standards throughout time. Often being very one sided, and at times striving for a median between the two sides. In Edmund Burkes essay Reflections on the Revolution in France Burke states that a king is in one sense a servant but in everyday situations they are above every individual. All persons under him owe him a legal agreement to serve his hopes. This essay will demonstrate why Thomas Paines essay The Rights of Man is more convincing than Edmund Burkes through examination of a heredity government, the nature of rights and the uselessness of the monarchy. Edmund Burkes†¦show more content†¦All individuals of the state should have say in selecting an individual to represent him and everyone else. Paine states that rights by nature cannot be granted. He supports this by saying that if rights are granted then they can be revoked, and if they can be revoked then they can be considered privileges, not rights. He claims that they should not be an agreement between the living and the dead, but the sole benefit of the entire constituent of these two groups. This is a very good argument on Paines behalf. For if rights leaned to the deceased side then the living will be sold short on what they are deserved. On the other hand, if it supported the other side, we would be excluding the necessary component of tradition and example. Without the component of precedents and tradition, legitimacy would be lost. The rights are constantly changing through time. Rights which are appropriate in one decade do not necessarily mean it is applicable in the next. Mans morals and expectations of each other change drastically through history. So how is it possible to accept a forever binding r ight? Rights are often looked upon as rewards for abiding to the regulations set out by the higher party. In my mind rights are not earned, but they are rather an extension of our social contract. Rights must be applicable to all individuals. Paines looks down upon the monarchicalShow MoreRelatedThe Declaration Of The Rights Of Man And Citizen954 Words   |  4 PagesThe Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was the product of an oppressed people who were tired of living under a government in which they had no voice. During the Ancià ©n Regime in France, there social classes, called estates, greatly divided the people on the basis of power and wealth. The first estate being the clergy, the second nobility, and the third estate being everyone else in the country of France (â€Å"The French Revolution† 23:20). 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