Rhetorical Devices In Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address
On March 4, 1865 in Washington, D.C., President Abraham Lincoln gave his second inauguration address to the nation. In his address to the nation he stated what he would do for the nation during his presidency and tried to prepare the nation for the end of the civil war and slavery. President Lincoln used figurative language, allusion, parallel structure, logos and pathos to express his theme that both sides are at fault and need to come together as one. Lincoln uses the rhetorical appeals pathos and logos during his second inauguration speech.
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.
With the beginning of his second term and the Civil War coming to a close, President Lincoln was burdened by a country torn apart by war. Speaking to a nation of divided loyalties, Lincoln hoped his humble approach of divine strength would convince both the North and the South to put aside their prejudices against each other and restore the shattered Union. Lincoln’s allusion, parallel structure, and syntax helped restore the nation with dignity and grace. The newly elected president began his speech by suggesting that he would not repeat what others have said in the past; little progress had been made, and the public was very aware of the negative progress the troops were making.
President Abraham Lincoln, in his inaugural address, addresses the topic of the civil war and its effects on the nation and argues that America could be unified once more. He supports his claim by using massive amounts of parallel structure and strong word choice. Lincoln ‘s purpose is to contemplate the effects of the civil war in order to unite the broken America once again. He adopts a very hopeful tone for his audience, the readers of the inaugural address and others interested in the topic of American history and the civil war.
He says in the third paragraph “let us judge not, that we be not judged.” This is a direct allusion to Jesus and his statement “Judge not lest we be judged.” It reflects the Christian values of forgiveness, something North and South share, and that should certainly apply for both in their current situation Lincoln also quotes the Bible twice in the third paragraph, in the sections “woe…cometh” and “the judgements…righteous altogether.” Both these allusions point how the values shared by North and south apply to the current situation. With frequent use of He and Him, Lincoln shows how the war may fall into God’s plan; this encourages both sides to not lose faith, and to bear in mind God’s teachings should still be
Lincoln's uses rhetorical strategy throughout his Second Inaugural Address was the use of an appeal to his audience's emotions. This is evident during his entire speech Lincoln continuously revert to religious evidence of some sort to support his claim. He says that although it may seem absurd for slavery's proponents to be allowed to pray to God, that his audience and he should “judge not that [they] be not judged,” alluding to the Lord's Prayer and appealing to his audience's Christian beliefs. He continues religion when talking about the Christians, he states, “Fondly do [they] hope, fervently do
Lincoln begins his address by establishing the distinct time in which his inauguration arrives. Lincoln, using ethos, acknowledges that “public declarations have been constantly called forth… The progress of our arms…is as well known to the public as to myself” (7-11). Lincoln establishes that he has already been transparent with the country about the progress of the war, employing the collective pronoun “our arms” and communal identifies such as the “public” (4-6). Lincoln continues to use more inclusive language as he revisits the growing factionalism of the nation during his first inaugural address: “four years ago, all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war.
Jaime Polit 3/22/2016 Rhetoric Rhetoric in Lincolns 2nd inaugural speech & Dickinson poem Rhetoric is a powerful tool in communication that has the ability to ultimately influence an audience towards an action or belief. Although it has a negative reputation as a device used to deceive or confuse by using words in an unfamiliar and odd sequence, the use of ethical rhetoric can serve useful in situations where a certain topic may be deemed too sensitive for direct formal communication or to explain concepts that may conflict with popular belief. Two artifacts that provide an example of this is are Abraham Lincoln’s “Second Inaugural Address” concerned with the Civil War and Emily Dickinson “Success is counted sweetest”. Both employ language in an unorthodox way and use literary devices to enhance their ideas and can be considered rhetoric as they encompass the four resources.
E pluribus unum, meaning “out of many, one” is the unofficial motto of the United States of America. Yet how can a nation remain united when ethnic diversity has frequently led to the Balkanization of political states? America thrives as a result of the common sense of national pride existing among citizens that stems from the idea that the United States has received divine intervention on numerous occasions, and as a result of the fact that unlike many other nations, America was founded with the purpose of being diverse and providing freedom for all. Various events throughout the history of the United States have led to the belief that the country has experienced guidance from a divine entity in order to flourish in the way that it has. This
He doesn’t want to dwell on the future, but work on the present. He wants to conduct change and orchestrate harmony among the states. Also, especially, from paragraph 2, Abraham Lincoln starts using the pronoun “all” and, different forms of it, more often to highlight the inclusiveness of the aggregation, North & South, and to make everyone, including himself, on equal ground. This is to bring a sense of unity and appeal to reason. By bringing a sense of unity, he tries to achieve peace and ease in the tension.
As Lincoln gives this speech the war is winding down, which is the reasoning behind the urgency for the unity which Lincoln calls for. Lincoln says “The progress of our arms
“.. but it [world] can never forget what they did here.” (465) Here, Lincoln is discussing that the world can not forget about the many soldiers who died
Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address Rhetorical Analysis The purpose of this speech is detailed in the time period. This speech was written/spoken at the end of the American Civil war. It is President Lincoln’s way of putting a tentative end to the war and a start to the recovery period. He is still oppressing the south in his diction when he states “Both parties deprecated war: but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive; and the other would accept war rather than let it perish.
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
Throughout the speech, Lincoln seldom utilizes dividing diction such as “you”, “I” or “them” that implies that the people, and even the speaker, are separate from one another. Instead, he utilizes unifying terms, such as in “We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live”(Lincoln, #). Numerous times throughout this section the term “we” can be seen, which Lincoln used specifically as it is a unifying term. The term brings together the speaker and the audience as one, leaving no room for
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