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Rhetorical Analysis Of The Gettysburg Address

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In order to describe the tone of the address I would use the words “hopeful mourning” because while Abraham Lincoln pays tribute to the men who have passed, he also describes how their sacrifice has helped our nation move towards freedom. He’s using their death as a propelling force in the war for the people. A great example of this is in paragraph two where it says, “We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that this nation might live.” In his opening sentence Lincoln refers to our forefathers and their coming forth to America in order to establish a new nation. This reference reminds the audience of the very cause our country was founded upon; freedom. Thus alluding to the proposition that all men are equal which creates a parallel structure with what they were fighting for in the civil war taking place at that time. The brevity of the Gettysburg Address is not because it is simple, but because Lincoln carefully chose each word, and each sentence had a purpose. He does this by using antithesis, repetition, and parallelism. Lincoln adequately expresses his purpose through repetition, and he uses antithesis and parallelism to compare and contrast all …show more content…

Some of these include phrases such as “great battle field”/”great civil war”, “so dedicated”/”come to dedicate”, “we cannot”, “we are”, and “to be dedicated”/”to be here dedicated”. The use of the repeated phrases “great battle field”/”great civil war” and “so dedicated”/”come to dedicate” are used for political purposes. The phrases beginning with “we cannot” is Lincoln’s way of starting with the negative first in order to get the audience to agree with him when he brought in the positive phrase “we can”. And finally, “to be dedicated”/”to be here dedicated” is a repetition similar to the first, however this time he uses the phrases of dedication to reiterate his

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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.

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Utilizing rhetorical devices such as formal diction, allusion, and repetition, Abraham Lincoln’s “The Gettysburg Address” successfully expresses the importance of coming together as a nation during the Civil War. Lincoln portrays himself professionally and speaks to his audience in a strong, firm manner by using formal diction. Instead of making his speech casual and more personal, in a sense, the author makes sure that his words are to be heard and respected by using the word choice he did. For example, in the thirds paragraph, Lincoln talks about the soldiers stating, “It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have this far so nobly advanced.” The specific word choice

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Abraham Lincoln wrote “The Gettysburg Address” to remind the audience that they’re fighting the war to unite the nation and give equality to everyone. He uses rhetorical appeals to develop and support his purpose. Throughout his speech, he uses ethos by alluding to the Declaration of Independence, an example being in the first paragraph when he states, “all men are created equal”. By using ethos, he establishes that he is credible by referencing a trusted document that supports his purpose of equality. Another way he develops his purpose is by using logos when he claims that it’s “fitting and proper” that they should dedicate part of the battlefield to the people who died fighting (2).

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Another device Lincoln uses is a metaphor. He compares the

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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”.

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Specifically, 1776 the year we gained our independence from Great Britain. He reminds us where we came from and how we as people joined together in the past to defeat a common enemy. Abraham Lincoln reminds us that we came from a king that showed no mercy towards us Americans. President Lincoln takes time to show honor for all of those who fought in battle and got wounded or killed. “The Gettysburg Address” is specifically made up to this point in time in our nation’s gruesome history.

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In "The Gettysburg Address," Abraham Lincoln brings his point across of dedicating the cemetery at Gettysburg by using repetition, antithesis, and parallelism. Abraham Lincoln uses repetition in his speech to bring a point across and to grab the audience attention. For example, President Lincoln states, "We can not dedicate--we can not consecrate-- we can not hallow-- this ground." Abraham Lincoln is saying the Gettysburg cannot be a holy land since the ones that fought there will still be remembered, and Lincoln is assuming that the dead and brave that fought would still want Gettysburg to improve on more.

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Throughout the speech, Lincoln uses repetition to really get the point across to the people just how dedicated he was and how dedicated the people should be. He repeats multiple

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The Gettysburg Address was intended to be an argument to persuade. Abraham Lincoln was inspiring his troops because morale was low after the Battle of Gettysburg. They need motivation to keep fighting. Lincoln used logos by explaining that because people gave their lives defending what they believed in, the living should finish the job the dead started. By talking about the fellow soldiers who died at Gettysburg, Lincoln appeals to the pathos of his listeners.

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Rhetorically analyzing the speech, Lincoln uses many literary tactics to engage the audience in taking action in restoring America's unity. He utilizes shifts, comparisons, and repetition to create a speech that connects with the

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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.

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