Rhetorical Analysis Of The Gettysburg Address

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Abraham Lincoln in the speech, The Gettysburg Address, constructs a point of achieving a "just and lasting peace" between the North and South without retribution. Lincoln supports his assertion by justifying his beliefs of unity between the states. Lincoln's purpose is to influence the people to not allow what has been done to go to waste. He wants his audience to realize that this division will only persist if no one settles the current issues in society. Lincoln speaks in a sympathizing, determined tone to address the Americans who are mourning the loss of their loved ones and to the rest of Americans who he wants to see a change from. 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 …show more content…

The use of ethos and repetition instills a great sense of togetherness to show that the entire country should stand without division. He also repeats the word "here" throughout the speech to emphasize that this point in time has proven to be a crucial turning point in the Civil War. He uses "here" as a term to define the position of America rather than the physical location. Through repetition, Lincoln is able to create a speech that maintains cohesiveness. The Gettysburg Address has always been one of the most important speeches throughout history. 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