Rhetorical Analysis Of Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

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Abraham Lincoln wrote the second Inaugural Address on March 4th, 1865. The Civil War was a couple months from ending at this point. This speech was very strong and consists of numerous rhetorical devices. The Inaugural Address appeals mainly to pathos, uses allusion, parallel sentences, and figurative language. President Lincoln’s purpose was to persuade the audience to come together despite the war. The primary intended audience for this piece was to everybody living at this time period. The intended secondary audience is for everybody that will read this piece for years to come. The war had disturbed and impacted the audience emotionally and physically which prompted Lincoln to write this speech. Abraham Lincoln’s speech strongly