On Hitchens book, Paines Rights of Man

I read Christopher Hitchens new book Thomas Paine's The Right's of Man. A quasi biography about Thomas Paine who profoundly influenced the thought of our founding fathers.

Hitchens says that part of Paine's purpose in writing the Rights of Man in the way he did, was to "reform or purify" the language of political discourse. Hitchens quotes Rudyard Kipling who writes a poem about a dying Norman aristocrat from the year 1100. He offers this advice to his son about Saxons.

'The Saxon is not like us Normans. His manners
are not so polite.
But he never means anything serious till he talks
about justice and right.
When he stands like an ox in the furrow - with his
sullen set eyes on your own,
And grumbles, 'This isn't fair dealing,' my son,
leave the Saxon alone.'

He also says that the Rights of Man, was an attempt to marry the ideas of the American and French Revolutions. The second part of Rights of Man was an attempt to take it to Britain. Considerable time is spent on the interesting debates with Edmund Burke.

A word of warning, Hitchens seems anti-Christian for some reason, much like Thomas Paine. His reasons have to do with a misunderstanding of the purpose of Christ entering the world and a basic acceptance of God's plan. He found it offensive. Perhaps Kierkegaard would help him here. The rest of the book was excellent.