Which sentence best describes a theme of the poison tree?

a. the desire to escape social constructs will result in ones ruin.

b. the destruction and denial of beauty is the ultimate evil.

c. beauty without guidance and morality can bring ruin.

d. the caste system is a trap from which no one can escape.

The answer is C) Beauty without guidance and morality can bring ruin.

today we'd use social media to quickly spread a controversial idea, but in the eighteenth century, the printed pamphlet was highly effective. and thomas paine took full advantage of it. on january 9, 1776, when paine published his pamphlet, "common sense," he wanted to push the american people toward independence from britain. it ultimately ignite the american revolution. thomas paine argued that the monarchy was evil and should be rejected as a form of government. to underscore his point, he cited the bible to argue his case -- in judges 8: 22-23: "the israelites said to gideon, 'rule over us, you and your son and your ' gideon told them, 'i will not rule over you. the lord will rule over you'" (nrsv).