Rhetorical Strategies In The Gettysburg Address

To being with, one effective rhetorical device that Lincoln uses in his speech is tone. In his Second Inaugural Address, Lincoln’s is very optimistic about the future as he describes his aspiration for the country’s reconciliation in a deep and sincere manner. During his speech, Lincoln mentions, “... to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations….”

In American history, there were always these amazing speakers like John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK), Martian Luther King Jr and others, that would influence the people around them to strive for success, never give up because there will always be hope, and one of those speakers was Abraham Lincoln in possibly his best speech “The Gettysburg Address”. The American civil war was the bloodiest war the Unites States had ever seen roughly 620,000 soldiers died, and in that dark time people needed inspiration to rekindle the flame of hope, to have something worth fighting for and Abraham Lincoln inspired them to fight for their nation and not let those who died for the cause not die in vain. In Abraham Lincolns Gettysburg Address he used rhetorical appeals, Parallel structure, Contrast, and Allusion to end the American civil war, unite the north and the south to end slavery in the United States once and for all.

The tone of this speech was prideful and convicted. Abraham Lincoln describes the soldiers as “brave” and that they have honored the land their bodies had been strewn upon far more than the men who dug their graves and create a national cemetery had. His pride in his men is most evident when he states that they must dedicate their time to finishing the war the soldiers had “so nobly advanced.” He also shows a sense of conviction, and tries to persuade the audience that it is imperative they win the war so that “these dead shall not have died in vain” and that they ensure “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom”. He is trying to convince his audience that the only way to ensure

In his speech, he compares the Civil War to a test, a test that challenged America’s strength as a nation and what that they can endure (Lincoln). He utilizes this comparison to evoke a sense of patriotism with his audience. Now that the war is over, the nation can unite as one despite the perils caused by the war. Additionally, Lincoln appeals to pathos by stating “…that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion…” (Lincoln).

In 1863, the Civil War raged on in America and July saw one of the bloodiest battles in American history, and the bloodiest of the Civil War. The Battle of Gettysburg came at a tremendous cost to both sides; an estimated 51,000 soldiers died during the three-day onslaught. This battle questioned both sides will to fight. Morale was running extremely low and many people wanted the war to be over. On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address to honor the fallen soldiers and to try to revive the war fervor that many Americans had lost.

In President Abraham Lincoln's famed speech, The Gettysburg Address, one can plainly see the way he skillfully employed pathos, the appeal to emotion, to persuade and move his audience. The purpose of his speech was to push the people toward their common goal of victory, despite their horrific losses. In his address, two lines specifically stand out regarding his use of pathos. In the first, President Lincoln states “The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to do so” (Miss & Daly, 245). Undoubtedly, he is appealing to the desire of his audience to honor their soldiers and their mission.

For his Second Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln uses rhetorical strategies to surprise his audience’s expectations to talk about politics, slavery, and states’ rights. He offers his vision for the nation and contemplation of the effects of the Civil War. By doing so, Lincoln intends to spread hope to the citizens and congress of the nation through the uses of reframing, Biblical references, and word choice throughout his address.

Abraham Lincoln had carefully-crafted the Gettysburg address. This speech was extremely short but, it was full of information and writing strategies. One way he helps get his point across was through the use of rhetorical strategies. Lincoln’s purpose for the “Gettysburg Address” was to dedicate a portion of the battlefield and motivate the Union to win the war. He uses the rhetorical devices of repeated diction, parallelism, and juxtaposition to achieve his purpose.

Lincoln's expressions in his tone of voice was an eloquent way of speaking their actions louder than words. Lincoln is trying to inspire those who are listening to

Never would Abraham Lincoln know that he would become famous after giving his Gettysburg Address speech in 1863, in front of thousands of people. This speech was given to recognize the soldiers who have sacrifice their lives to fight for America. Throughout this speech Abraham Lincoln uses anaphora, allusion and pathos in order to persuade his audience to show appreciation and honor those who had and continues to fight for the country and its people, and also to work together as a nation.

One rhetorical device he used often used was repetition. He frequently repeated phrases like “that nation, any nation and new nation” which he used on lines two, four, seven, and eighteen. Another source of repetition he used was at the end of the speech at lines nineteen and twenty, where he said “that government of the people, by the people, for the people”. Lincoln also uses pathos in his speech. He uses it on lines ten to eleven, “The Brave men, living or dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract”. Finally, one last example of the many literary and rhetorical devices he used is, a Call to Action. On lines thirteen through fourteen he uses that device, “to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced”. All of these literary and rhetorical devices Lincoln used, helped him speak to the

When the great battle of Gettysburg was over and done with Abraham Lincoln gave his great speech what was known as the Gettysburg addresses. The author, Abraham Lincoln made his speech about the civil war between the North and the South. Lincoln made his speech because the North was fighting for equality and freedom but the south fought because they thought that their life style was being threatened. Abraham Lincoln changed his whole speech to emphasize that he believes all men are created equally. Lincoln tried to start to bring argument for the future of the country.

Although the purpose for each speech is different, Lincoln includes inspirational words on the current events unfolding. The Gettysburg Address was written to dedicate the land where many lives were lost during the Civil War. Lincoln does acknowledge this by stating, “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. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this” (“ Abraham Lincoln Online”). He uses the speech to dedicate, but also to motivate and inspire the public by saying not only should we dedicate the land to the soldiers but:

“The Gettysburg Address” is a speech by the President of United States, Abraham Lincoln, which is one of the best representations of American history. It was produced by Lincoln during the Civil War, on November 19, 1863, at the commitment of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Abraham Lincoln carefully arranges the Address, which was not planned to be as important as other presentations that day; the Gettysburg Address ended up being one of his greatest and most important scripts just over two minutes. Lincoln repeated the equality embraced by the Declaration of Independence, and affirmed the struggle of Civil War fighting over the power from the secession crisis not just for the Union, but also for the principle

The American Civil War consisted of much loss and a significantly divided nation; however, it also served as an opportunity for President Lincoln to remind the people of their nation’s foundation of equality and unity. He gave this reminder through the “Gettysburg Address,” which even today remains a strong example of the values that the forefathers of the United States founded the nation on. The context of this speech was during a time of bloodshed and hatred, which portrays how it was a turning point in the history of the United States. The civil war is perhaps one of the most defining events in the United States’ history, as it was a test for how the nation would be perceived. Fortunately, in just 272 words, Lincoln brilliantly and movingly, reminded the disillusioned public why the Union had to fight and win the Civil War, and about a much bigger picture that was of concern: freedom and equality.