Rhetorical Analysis Of The Gettysburg Address

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Former President and abolitionist, Abraham Lincoln, in his speech, The Gettysburg Address, praises the men who fought in the Battle of Gettysburg. Lincoln’s purpose of the speech is to remind the audience that this nation should be prospering instead of separated. He also wants to remind his audience of the soldier’s sacrifices and to address how the people in attendance are not only dedicating this battlefield to the soldiers but dedicating themselves to the unfinished work fought for by the martyred soldiers who shed their blood at Gettysburg. He establishes a somber tone then shifts to a motivating tone in order to shape the audience’s mind that they all must finish the soldiers fight to unify the country once and for all. In the first paragraph, Lincoln opens his Gettysburg Address by illuminating the fact that just less than 100 years ago the nation was founded upon an important …show more content…

The president also recalls that the audience is gathered together to dedicate the field for the soldiers who gave their lives. Lincoln juxtaposes life and death to the audience to demonstrate the soldier’s ultimate sacrifice by dedicating the field for those who “gave their lives that that nation might live” (Lincoln). The soldier’s died fighting for what they believed so that others might live on to fight another day. He dedicates this field to the fallen soldier’s by juxtaposing in order to emphasize just how dedicated it takes to be a soldier, how willing and brave you must be to risk your life for others and your beliefs. The juxtaposition of this paragraph creates the somber tone of his speech. The juxtaposition causes the audience to be grateful for those who fight for what they believe is righteous. It may also cause the audience to do something for their nation, to commemorate the fallen