Although many remember him as the President who ended slavery and preserved the Union, Abraham Lincoln was also a very gifted political prose writer. Lincoln wrote many powerful and memorable speeches, but arguably his most famous speech is the 272-word “Gettysburg Address,” which he delivered at a dedication ceremony for the first national cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Throughout the entire speech, Lincoln masterfully utilizes several rhetorical techniques, especially the use of repetition. He repeats two separate patterns of grammar in his address. For example, to start his third paragraph Lincoln writes, “But in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground,” and to finish that same paragraph,…
Coming up this month, we commemorate the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address given on November 19th, 1863. This speech is known and considered as one of the most famous speeches in American history. How could a two minute speech be so highly regarded and enough to be one of the most famous? Abraham Lincoln utilized rhetorical techniques to turn just 10 sentences into one of the most famous and most quoted speeches of all time. “The Gettysburg Address,” was given by President Abraham Lincoln at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on the afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 19, 1863, during the American Civil War, four and a half months after the Union armies defeated the Confederacy at the Battle…
In Abraham Lincoln’s speech “The Gettysburg Address”, he explains why the great civil war was fought and keeps on urging the public to continue fighting. His argument developed through rhetorical devices of juxtaposition, repetition, and diction. His purpose in speaking is to encourage the American population to go on battle in order to unite the nation and keep their pride. His primary audience is the American public, especially those with the capability to fight.…
One of the most powerful speeches that President Abraham Lincoln made towards the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 was empowering to many people. The aspect of the speech that Abraham made declared about the memorial battle that many soldiers had occurred to them. He gave hope for our nation to be mindful of the obstacles that our soldiers faced while fighting for our countries freedom. The soldiers who fought in the battle were fighting for our nations rights, and equalities, that us as “Americans” deserve. Words that he hopes that many people will be remembered about the memorial speech, of empowering words.…
In the Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln utilizes antithesis, repetition, and parallelism to reinforce his purpose for this address and deliver an emotional tone that can persuade all people to continue to fight the same fight that these men died for.…
The purpose of Lincoln’s speech was, not only to dedicate a plot of land to the fallen soldiers, but also to inspire his people to continue the fight.…
Lincoln’s speech at Gettysburg not only memorialized the deaths of the fallen, but also, through the use of the rhetorical strategies of repetition, pathos, and syntax, served as a away to get the people to continue the war. His syntax was most effective in the way that his speech was only composed of two hundred and seventy-words and still serves as one of the greatest speeches ever made. Lincoln’s repetition was used very carefully concentrating on the words being repeated and finally his use of pathos. Lincoln used pathos in away that affected the audience’s emotional views about the battle and the emotional connection between him and the audience. Lincoln’s speech was successful because of these rhetoric devices.…
Speeches often correlate, especially when they are written for a similar audience in a similar situation. For example, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “Pearl Harbor Address” appeals to Americans fear during the time of war. President Roosevelt states what has happened and how it will in turn affect the citizens of America. President Roosevelt also appeals to logic, stating that because America has been attacked, they must engage in World War II. In addition, President Roosevelt gives confidence to American citizens saying that, once they enter into World War II, they will win. Similarly, President Abraham Lincoln empathizes with American citizens. At this time, President Lincoln addresses Americans who have come together to commemorate the lives that America has lost during the Civil War. He encourages Americans to join together to remember that these men have consecrated this ground. He encourages Americans to take courage and remember that they are together in a great country, just as President Roosevelt encouraged Americans to continue to take pride in their country and not to be discouraged. Both President Lincoln and Roosevelt use pathos, or emotion, to empathize with American citizens as well as ethos, or credibility, to be able to point out issues because of their positions as presidents.…
James Wood’s essay Victory Speech and William Safire essay A Spirit Reborn were written about two of our country’s presidential speeches. Both Wood and Safire have distinctive opinions and different viewpoints; however, they do have resembling writing techniques. In A Spirit Reborn, Safire discusses the Gettysburg Address in comparison to 9/11 and analyzes the Gettysburg Address in great detail. Wood’s “Victory Speech” demonstrates how President Obama flowed through different ideas and analyzes specific details of President Obama’s speech offering his personal critique. Both Wood and Safire focus on word usage, connects the speeches with timelines, and historical events.…
In the years, 1863 and 1865, Abraham Lincoln gave two of the most powerful speeches in history. The first speech, “The Gettysburg Address”, was an empowering piece that gave comfort to the public when the Union most needed it. The other speech, “The Second Inaugural Address”, was an influential speech about Abraham Lincoln returning to office for a second term. Both speeches, utilizes rhetoric through the use of ethos, logos, and pathos to support Abraham Lincoln’s viewpoints of the Civil War.…
President Abraham Lincoln delivers a speech at the dedication of the National Cemetery of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania on November 19, 1863. Pennsylvania was the site where the brutal battles of the Civil War were taken place. He was dedicated to the proposition that all men were created equally and soldiers that died for that cause should obviously continue to fight. The sacrifices that were made during the Civil War were the beginning of a new freedom to the land, preservation of the Union, which was created in 1776 and self-government for the most part. However, the boasting of the Union created in 1776 was tested to see if the Union would survive or if it would “perish from the earth” (Lincoln 3). The soldiers that died during the Battle…
Lincoln’s speech creates and emphasizes his purpose to unite a split nation. Lincoln’s good tone help to create the image and attitude that Lincoln has towards the…
We must respect the thousands that have died for your freedom, is one of the many themes that you can get from the gettysburg address ¨Gettysburg Address¨. Lincoln says that the land belongs to the men that have struggled…
Abraham Lincoln presented his speech titled “The Gettysburg Address” to highlight many things during the civil war. He repeated many different words in his speech to highlight specific events as well as to elevate the meaning and depth of his address. The word that I am focusing on using today is the word “Dedicate”. He uses this word throughout the speech and it changes in meaning as the speech continues. In the start of his address, the phrase “Concieved in liberty, and dedicated to proposition that all men are created equal” talks about how the americans were founded as a nation that is concieved in liberty and that they shall also show and continue the practice of the value of equal rights.…
“Fore score and seven years ago,” are the famous words spoken by the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. On that day, his words changed the course of American history. The speech took place during the American Civil war. The Northern states were fighting against the Southern states that seceded from the union, because they thought President Lincoln would abolish slavery in America. The speech was given on November 19, 1863 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Gettysburg Address changed the course of the Civil war because of its location, message, and significance.…