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What Are The Rhetorical Devices In The Gettysburg Address

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Soon after Lincoln took office as the 16th president of the United States, the country became involved in a great Civil War,Two years later the war was still raging, bringing death and destruction across our country, tearing the country apart, pitting neighbor against neighbor, and sometimes brother against brother. On November 19, 1863, President Lincoln, at the dedication of a battlefield, gave his speech known as the Gettysburg Address, using rhetorical devices and resources of language to create unity in the country and hopefully bring an end to the Civil War. One of many rhetorical devices Lincoln uses is repetition. The most common word the is the most obvious is the word “we.” Lincoln Repeats “we” to show not only to his audience at the time but for others to hear about the famous speech later in time that as people of the United States, we are one. Also that our country was enduring some great trauma at the time and that we as US citizens need to stick together so we can survive this great Civil …show more content…

Lincoln states “We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that the nation might live.” The paradox being the death of the soldiers and life of the nation. These soldiers have put their lives at stake for our country, fighting in one of the most memorable Wars ever known so that their country, the United States could successed. another device used was an oxymoron. Lincoln said that the soldiers who have died or are still fighting have dedicated much more than our poor power could have. Poor meaning a low or inferior standard and power meaning to be able to do something in a particular way especially as a quality. The two words are polar opposites hence, the oxymoron. Lincoln uses this terminology because during this time we are weak. Many of our people have died and we are running out of options to make it out of this war still as a

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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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In "The Gettysburg Address," Abraham Lincoln uses several rhetorical devices to argue for a continued war. These devices include anaphora, parallelism, and metaphor. Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of multiple clauses or sentences. Lincoln uses this device when he repeats the phrase "we cannot" throughout his speech. This repetition emphasizes the importance of continuing the war and the consequences of not doing so.

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The first line of the speech Lincoln reminds the addressees that our relatively new nation designed to uphold civil liberty and of the immortal declaration. Earlier that year Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation and it is evident by his tone throughout the discourse was meant to embellish a truly free America. Lincoln’s intention was seeking the greater good in a period thought to be so grim. In the body of the speech, Lincoln refers to the sacrifices made “The brave men, living and dead” (Lincoln, A) but that they should not be dwelled on and instead used as motivation to succeed in hopes of a better future. One of the most powerful and captivating lines “we here be dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that, from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here, gave the last full measure of devotion” (Lincoln, A) which directly pulls at the conscious of American liberty.

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The Great Speech Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863 delivered one of the most iconic speeches in American History. His delivery infuses us with such raw power and emotions that poured out from the bottom of his heart will change the hearts and minds of Americans for ages to come. Abraham Lincoln did not just write one speech he made five different copies with different sentence structure and paragraph structure, to show how important the layout of the message and how it needed to be simple and to the point. Dissecting “The Gettysburg Address” we begin to understand Abraham Lincoln’s heart lies, he reminds everyone about our past and that we should honor those who fought for our freedom; he tells us “All men are created equal” only to show us what we need to work on as people in the present, he spreads hope for the future and encourages us to grow together

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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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One rhetorical device that Abraham Lincoln uses in "The Gettysburg Address" to argue for a continued war is anaphora. Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of consecutive clauses or sentences. Lincoln uses anaphora in the phrase "we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground" to emphasize the importance of the ground on which the battle of Gettysburg was fought. By repeating the word "we cannot," Lincoln emphasizes the impossibility of honoring the ground in the traditional sense, instead suggesting that the only way to truly honor the fallen is to continue the fight for the ideals for which they died.

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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.

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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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