Rhetorical Analysis Of Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

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Imagine, a man with a tall hat going up to the podium. The words coming out of his mouth increases the audience inspiration every second. Abraham Lincoln had a way with words, his best being shown through the Second Inaugural address and the Gettysburg address. Furthermore, these two documents had a special meaning at that time as well as today. The documents will be presented in a manner of similarities and differences, through purpose, syntax and rhetorical devices.

The Second Inaugural address was told on March 4th,1865 at the White House, Washington D.C. Accordingly, by the time the speech was told it was during the Civil War. The speaker, President Abraham Lincoln, spoke to a thousand of people about the cause of the civil war being slavery. Not only that, but Abraham questions the divine providence and asserts that God caused the war for God," now wills to remove, He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense [slavery] came." Therefore, Abraham is saying that the nation is being punished for its national sin of slavery. Abraham also states that because of the war, the nation has become divided, for there are men from both the North and South who used to," read the same Bible and pray to the same God" fighting each other in a battle that neither wants to be in. Nevertheless, the speech 's main purpose is the cause of the civil war as well as the myriad of reasons why the people should unite after the civil war.

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