His hero or his heroine must be a tragedy-victim expiring in show, and not the real prisoner of misery, sliding into death in the silence of a dungeon.
Thomas Paine: “His hero or his heroine must be a tragedy-victim expiring in show, and not the real prisoner of misery, sliding into…”
On the recordJanuary 1, 1791
Said by
Thomas Paine
Source
gutenberg.orgEditor's note · Context
Paine criticizes the preference for dramatic, public displays of suffering over the quiet, unseen misery of the truly oppressed.
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