ipl-logo

Language In Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

577 Words3 Pages

Abe Lincoln, in his second inaugural address, uses language with which the audience can connect and relate. Through inclusive pronouns, parallel sentence structure, pathos, and metaphors, Lincoln does not simply list off what the war has entailed or recommend a certain path the people must take. Lincoln instead consoles the nation as if it was a dear old friend whom is in dire need of advice. The first rhetorical strategy Lincoln used was inclusive pronouns such as “we”, “us”, and “all”. Additionally, the president began the address with the inviting words “Fellow Countrymen”. By including such language, the very divided country is unified into one body. This rhetorical strategy also helps the audience to feel as if they know just as much about the future of the country as Lincoln does. As seen in this line, “the progress of our arms, upon which all else chiefly depends, is as …show more content…

In this metaphor, both sides are held accountable for slavery, an action not commonly done. In the line “wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces” Lincoln has two purposes, first and foremost to question the morality of slavery. How can these people calling themselves Christians do this to their “brothers and sisters” in Christ? And secondly, in the scripture line “let us judge not, that we be not judged” Lincoln engages the religious while also indirectly suggesting that the Southerners aren't the only ones responsible for slavery, everyone in this country played a role whether it was Using these various devices gives Lincoln the ability to connect and relate to his wary audience during his second Inaugural Address. The President unifies the crowd and reassures his divisive country that no side is to blame, it is simply an act from God. Lincoln, being president in one of our nation's toughest times, handles the pressure and power with grace and humility as conveyed in this

Show More
Related
338 Words | 2 Pages

In the closing months of the Civil War, and in his Second Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln speaks upon important matters at the time. These matters being about slavery and politics. He wanted to express his thoughts on the ongoing Civil War and his hopes for creating a better future. In order to achieve his purpose, Abraham Lincoln utilizes sophisticated diction, irony, and pathos. Abraham Lincoln uses sophisticated diction in order to express his thoughts on the Civil War and his hopes for creating a better future.

Read More
860 Words | 4 Pages

He begins to set up this form of comparison at the end of the second paragraph by including the phrases "the nation survive," and "the war came. " Suggesting the nation has the opportunity to survive implies life within its entity that is being threatened. Saying that "the war came" gives the war the ability to come and go which creates a being for this idea. Lincoln strengthens these personifications throughout the rest of his speech. Lincoln endowed the war with the ability to live and die as he had previously done with the nation when he conveys his desires that the war "may speedily pass away."

Read More
464 Words | 2 Pages

President Abraham Lincoln, in his inaugural address, addresses the topic of the civil war and its effects on the nation and argues that America could be unified once more. He supports his claim by using massive amounts of parallel structure and strong word choice. Lincoln ‘s purpose is to contemplate the effects of the civil war in order to unite the broken America once again. He adopts a very hopeful tone for his audience, the readers of the inaugural address and others interested in the topic of American history and the civil war.

Read More
642 Words | 3 Pages

Lincoln urges the people to “strive on to finish the work we are in,” “to bind up the nation's wounds,” he is trying to get the United Sate Citizens to become one again to unite and be one strong country, showing that even after a huge war that the country can remain strong and unified and that this war will allow for a strong brotherhood in the US. Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address is significant because Lincoln offered and objective point of view. Lincoln did not speak of the unloyalty of the South nor did he praise the North. Rather, Lincoln used multiple points to show that the Unification should be the main focus of his speech not that the states should be divided because of

Read More
622 Words | 3 Pages

He uses parallel sentences to compare sides fairly with quotes like “one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let the nation perish”. The line “malice for none, and charity for all” uses contrast to emphasize opposites and focuses on the positive by using antithesis. The sentence “and the war came” is an example of passive structure as it has no subject, making it hard to pin blame on anyone. To diffuse this feeling of a nation divided, in his speech, Lincoln alludes to the war as the cause of a divine consequence for human slavery and tries to convince them that the war was a tragedy for all. The rhetorical device he used to make this point is repetition by mentioning God fourteen times, quoting text from the bible four times, and invoking prayer four times.

Read More
1572 Words | 7 Pages

It is important to recognize Lincoln’s role here. Lincoln, understanding he faced a divided country with cracks forming in its patriotic foundation, stood as a voice of reason to bridge the divide. He was an arbitrator to bring reason into a realm that was dominated by combative strife. This was why he presented himself as an understanding

Read More
2265 Words | 10 Pages

He touches on his previous idea of separating himself from the government, stating that he has a solemn oath to protect it, while maintaining that the government is not the enemy and will not be the aggressor. Even the themes in the last paragraph harken back to an earlier time of unity and enforce Lincolns claim as the embodiment of the founders vision. The mystic chords of memory are remarkably similar to Madison’s many cords of affection the connect all American’s together, and the structure of the argument is nearly identical (Hubbel, 1931, p. 551). It’s with this final plea that Lincoln finishes his speech, and can only hope that it was enough to prevent a catastrophic loss of

Read More
793 Words | 4 Pages

He doesn’t want to dwell on the future, but work on the present. He wants to conduct change and orchestrate harmony among the states. Also, especially, from paragraph 2, Abraham Lincoln starts using the pronoun “all” and, different forms of it, more often to highlight the inclusiveness of the aggregation, North & South, and to make everyone, including himself, on equal ground. This is to bring a sense of unity and appeal to reason. By bringing a sense of unity, he tries to achieve peace and ease in the tension.

Read More
824 Words | 4 Pages

The United States of America was founded on hard-work, pride, devotion, and dedication. All which are important characteristics of the American spirit. Over time, the American spirit has been overshadowed by less meaningful traits. However, Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” and Sullivan Ballou’s “Letter to Sarah Ballou” both exemplify the important qualities of the American spirit, such as dedication to our country through war.

Read More
799 Words | 4 Pages

As Lincoln gives this speech the war is winding down, which is the reasoning behind the urgency for the unity which Lincoln calls for. Lincoln says “The progress of our arms

Read More
593 Words | 3 Pages

The first time he alluded to the closing of the Gettysburg Address, the second time he quoted directly from Lincoln’s 1858 House Divided speech. Many politicians and orators often quote Lincoln’s House Divided speech, because we must stay united as one country. Obama says that we must work to make it through the challenges set before us. He spoke of how we made it through the Civil War united, and we built up a country that cares for the vulnerable. This is the beginning of the “never-ending journey” he speaks of.

Read More
580 Words | 3 Pages

His diction is very inclusive; he commences his speech with several uses of the words ‘we’ and ‘our’, which makes way for inclusivity. JFK is blurring the distinction between citizen and superior governor by including the people in his proclamation. While describing the hardships and challenges that the country is facing, Kennedy mentions how imperative the occasion is on a global level; in the midst of the Cold War, he reminds his audience of the importance of uniting. Through the use of the lexical field of danger — words such as: ‘defiance’, ‘serious’, ‘risk’, and ‘sacrifice’ — he creates a feeling of tension and urgency, and engages his audience to the concern. To conclude his speech, the President mentions self-guilt on the part of the country on how they had not displayed the “sense of business responsibility” that they should have, a rhetorical strategy that approximates the audience to the government.

Read More
978 Words | 4 Pages

Barack Obama’s win for President in 2009 was a historical moment for the United States. His inaugural speech was much anticipated, because this was going to set the tone for his presidency. His speech told the American people that improving the economy is one of his priorities, but there were also other areas he would like to improve like healthcare and the education system. This was a speech that was meant to persuade the American public to take action for them to rise as a nation again, and for them to put their trust into him. His message addressed a couple of specific points like his gratefulness to the American people, the different crises America is facing, how America will overcome these crises, replying to his cynics, addressing the world, and then he reminded America again to be brave like they’ve always been to overcome the hard times (5 Speechwriting Lessons from Obama's Inaugural Speech, (n.d.).

Read More
502 Words | 3 Pages

Lincoln makes a reference to our founding fathers at the start of his speech to remind his audience of how our nation started. Giving a description of the origin of our country depicts the purpose of America's existence. A place that was once united against one cause has become a place that is divided and against each other. Lincoln also states, "that all men are created equal" in the same area he mentions the founding fathers to position his opinion on

Read More
808 Words | 4 Pages

On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln gave a speech that, unbeknownst to him, would become one of the most recognized speeches in the history of the United States. The empowering speech was given in the midst of the gruesome civil war that began between the north and the south over the long-conflicted morality of slavery. Through one of the most highly remembered speeches of our history, The Gettysburg Address, Lincoln commemorates the dead and wounded soldiers at the site of the battle in Gettysburg through references to history, unificating diction and metaphors of life and death to unite the nation in a time of separation and provide a direction for the future of the country. Lincoln begins his essay utilizing historical references in order to illustrate to the public the basis of what the nation was founded upon. Through this, he reminds Americans the morals and ideals that the people are willing to spill blood for.

Read More

More about Language In Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

Related Topics

Open Document