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Similes
Style
Explanation and Analysis:
Locke writes in an extremely careful, well-reasoned style. He relies on careful logic in order to make his case, and clearly orders his arguments so that they build on his previous conclusions in sequence.
He also makes use of allusion as a way to connect his argument to a wider philosophical, literary, and religious world. At the very beginning of the Second Treatise, he turns to the Bible to highlight the inherent dignity and equality of humanity. He later makes frequent allusions to other works of political theory in order to legitimize his own arguments and refute those of thinkers with whom he deeply disagrees. In particular, he positions himself as an intellectual successor to the English theologian Robert Hooker, who had similar thoughts on the divine origins of a human right to self-government, and as an opponent of Thomas Hobbes and Robert Filmer, who were both supporters of absolute monarchy.
Locke tends to write in the manner in which he discussed his philosophy with peers: in lengthy sentences that follow multiple threads simultaneously and occasionally digress in asides. While this can make Locke's logic difficult to follow, it also means that his writing is incredibly dense with meaning.
