Gettysburg Address Rhetorical Devices

In "The Gettysburg Address," Lincoln has a main focus on the soldiers who died, his statements and views of the nation's future all state that Lincoln strongly thinks that actions are far more important than words. Over four months after the Union defeated the Confederacy at the Battle of Gettysburg, On November 19, 1863 President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address that being over four months after the Union defeated the Confederacy at the Battle of Gettysburg. He gave the soldiers a different way of viewing things on the war and also something to fight for. Before the Gettysburg Address, the Civil War was only based on states’ rights. Lincoln’s speech has the important qualities of America and the thinking that were put into the Declaration

Two examples of repetition are in the opening statement of the Gettysburg Address which set the repeating nature of the whole speech. Common expression, such as “we,” “our,” and “us,” is used to tie the whole address together, but this set of fullness is outweighed by the other. The word “dedicated” has been used in the speech to not only tie the whole speech together but to also appeal to emotion, an emotional appeal. The words “I” and “you” are not present from the speech, instead Lincoln uses words like “we” “our” and “us” to include the people of the Union and the Confederacy to combine both parties as a whole under the one speech. Lincoln plays on the feelings of love hate fear etc. of the audience by never ignoring a single

The section in the speech where Lincoln claims “we cannot dedicate – we cannot bless – we cannot make holy,” parallel structure is again tying together clauses Lincoln hopes to use to tie the nations divide heart back together. This happens at the main tone move in the address, where Lincoln switches from a sad and ashamed and guilty tone to a moralizing and motivating tone. Without any concern about shifting tones Lincoln was capable of keeping the address together with his usage of rhetorical devices. The dashes in the parallel statements build strength and excitement among the crowd. Lincoln continues the strength when he makes a final reference to the Constitution which awakens the hearts of the American people to ignite with patriotic devotion for an old unity of the nation. The last part of the speech, “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” clearly shows the preamble of the Constitution, the document that at first composed the nation together. The address to belief system demonstrates when the Constitution was being written even the founding fathers were divided, but they came together under a sheet of paper to unite a nation, almost the same as the Gettysburg