“’tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death. my own line of reasoning is to myself as straight and clear as a ray of light.”
in this excerpt, paine uses figurative language to
a describe the physical effects of refusing to fight for independence.
b emphasize britain’s oppressive treatment of the colonists.
c explain why independence is an important cause to him personally.
d illustrate his unwavering belief that the colonists must fight for freedom.

D. illustrate his unwavering belief that the colonists must fight for freedom.

Explanation:

In these lines, Paine describes his unwavering feeling that the colonists must fight for freedom. Paine tells us that his conscience approves of his conduct and he feels sure that he will pursue his principles unto death. Moreover, he tells us that his line of reasoning is straight and clear. With these words, Paine wants to explain how sure he is of the colonists' duty to fight for freedom.

the god   the goddess of salt water, of fresh water   yet more powerful and perfect.

the correct answers are:

c. “never in the history of his people had a man married a woman who spoke a different tongue.”

d. “‘it has never been heard,’ was the verdict of an old man speaking a few weeks later.”

e. “this man had come with others to commiserate with okeke.”