In the extended simile of the underlined passage from Paragraph 15 of "A Wagner Matinee," the narrator makes an observation about the soul that aring rokol been A. it is like a strange moss on a dusty shelf that, with excruciating suffering, can wither and die y for I the be B though after excruciating suffering it may seem to wither, the soul never dies, C. excruciating, interminable suffering that goes on for half a century can kill the soul. ​

the rhetoric device being used to persuade the audience is pathos.

paine is arguying that they had tried everything before coming to the conclusion that they needed to fight for their freedom.

argument: "every quiet method for peace hath been ineffectual."

claim 1: "our prayers have been rejected with disdain; and only tended to convince us, that nothing flatters vanity, or confirms obstinacy in kings more than repeated petitioning and nothing hath contributed more than that very measure to make the kings of europe absolute."

claim 2: "wherefore, since nothing but blows will do, for god’s sake, let us come to a final separation, and not leave the next generation to be cutting throats, under the violated unmeaning names of parent and child."

i guess you are missing the idea that has to be supported, am i right?

because he is using a description to provide evidence to support his argument.

hope this could