How Does Lincoln Use Repetition In The Gettysburg Address

In 1863 the United States was in the middle of a raging civil war between the northern and southern states. After the battle at Gettysburg, President Abraham Lincoln pays a visit to the cemetery there for the fallen union soldiers. Lincoln reminds the American people of the values they once fought Great Britain for, in order to eradicate the division between the North and South, so that they can become unified and strong with one another, in his speech the Gettysburg Address. In order to effectively reach his audience, President Lincoln uses rhythm, repetition, and historical allusions. This speech would not have been nearly as effective if it didn’t contain the rhythmic flow. Immediately instead of opening with a plain statement of eighty-seven years ago, Lincoln uses the more poetic phrase, “Four score and seven years ago” (774). His word choice automatically makes the piece more formal and rhythmical. He also uses an original triple arrangement and references another: “we cannot dedicate – we cannot consecrate – we cannot hallow” and “government of the people, by the people for the people” (774). Lincoln’s

Words written in first person appear a total of fourteen times throughout the speech; the word “we” appears ten times alone. In using the word “we,” Lincoln likens himself to the American people, making himself comparable to the average citizen. He appeals to pathos in most of the sentences that are first person by showing that the Civil War has also affected him and the country as a whole. In addition to repeating “we”, Lincoln also repeats the word “dedicated” in six of the ten sentences. President Lincoln is again appealing to the emotions of the American people with repetition in saying that like the forefathers, they should dedicate this cemetery to the Union soldiers who died because they were dedicated to the same equality that was stated in the Declaration of