Poetic Devices Used In The Gettysburg Address

Seven score and nine years ago, Abraham Lincoln, our sixteenth President of the United States of America, set off for Gettysburg in order to consecrate Gettysburg National Cemetery. In an uncharacteristically short speech-at least for the 1860s-Lincoln was able to reaffirm the values our Founding Fathers had laid down in the Declaration of Independence as well as the Constitution, and painted a vision of a unified United States where freedom and democracy would be the rule for all citizens. Lincoln utilized various rhetorical devices to make the Gettysburg Address accomplish two tasks in one. The first is to bring remembrance to the principals and morals for which the United States was built upon, second is to honor the brave soldiers who fought and died at Gettysburg and consecrate the land upon which they stood and finally was to sway those attending into giving their “…last full measure of devotion-” to ensure a nation that would remain built upon the concepts of liberty and democracy and continues to gain support for the cause of the war.. Seeking only to honor the dead and inspire the living, Lincoln ended up delivering one of the most powerful speeches in American-if not world-history.

To begin with ethos, president Lincoln starts his speech by referring to the Founding Fathers, which helps him gain the listeners’ attention and to establish his credibility. He then mentions the basic principles on which the American nation was founded, that is liberty and equality, which also adds to his credibility. The president knows that many of his listeners lost the loved ones in the battle and that the majority wants the war to end, so he clarifies his motive for ending the war and states: “the brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract”. Those men died fighting for the

The Gettysburg Address is one of the most famous speeches in American history. The History Place indicates that on November 19, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln went to a battle field positioned in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where three dreadful days of battle occurred called the Battle of Gettysburg. While he was attending the battle field to dedicate it as a national cemetery, he read his speech to the public. After the main orator, Edward Everett of Massachusetts, delivered his speech that lasted about two hours, it was Lincoln’s turn. Everyone was shocked that it only lasted a little over two minutes. The speech talked about the men who fought in the Civil War to help create the nation people have today: that it is only fair to honor them

While the Gettysburg Address is fairly short in length at around 300 words, this famous speech delivered by President Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1963 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is both enduring and meaningful for all Americans today, almost exactly 146 years later. The first paragraph of his speech sets the tone, in which Lincoln does not directly mention the bloody Battle of Gettysburg, in which 50,000 soldiers lost their lives. Instead, he refers in the opening phrase, “Four score and seven years ago,” to the founding of America through another important written document, the Declaration of Independence in 1776. I believe Lincoln wanted the country to focus on preserving this

Lincoln’s speech in the Gettysburg Address lasted about two minutes and only few from the large audience comprehended what he had stated (Cochran 1). It was over so quickly that the audience lacked an applause (Cochran 1). Lincoln was very self conscious of his speeches and with a lack of an applause from the large audience, it made lincoln believe that he had failed them. Though they hadn’t understood what he meant at that moment in time, from this day forward Lincoln’s speech had become one of the best speeches in American History that gave a purpose to the nation.

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

President Abraham Lincoln was one of the most honest and most popular of all of the presidents. For a large part of that presidency, however, he was only president of half of the country due to the nature of the American Civil War. Throughout his time in office, he was able to deliver many great speeches, of which include the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address. In both of these orations, he uses primarily uses ethical appeals to assist in the deliverance of and strengthen the main themes.

After a brutal three day battle at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Robert E. Lee and his men retreated back into Virginia on July 4, 1863. The battle was a devastating loss for the Confederacy and a devastating victory for the Union. This battle may have proved the power of the Union army and destroyed every hope the Confederacy had of winning this war, but the loss of American lives could not be justified through this battle. When the fighting stopped over 50,000 casualties lay dead sprawled across the city and outskirts of Gettysburg. Eleven score and nineteen years ago our forefathers planned out a new nation based upon the principles that all persons should have. Seven score and twelve years ago as the reburying of thousands of fallen soldiers were taking place, Abraham Lincoln, The Union President, reminded approximately 15,000 people of that plan our forefathers architected for us. His brief address, lasting almost 2 minutes, became a national language that itself gave purpose to the Battle of Gettysburg and the sacrifice made here (Voelker). Lincoln 's speech can be summed up into many sacrifices and one powerful word; freedom.

The importance of remembering, honoring, and dedicating is evident and presented in Abraham Lincoln's speech, "The Gettysburg Address. " Lincoln's objective is to bring forth recognition and honor that the dead deserve and to encourage the living amd breathing Americans to carry that honor and finish the hard work they fought for and sacrificed their lives for. By including the use of antithesis and parallelism, he makes his point valid as well as communicating with his audience. With Lincoln's passionate and political tone, he comes across a use of rhetorical devices such as antithesis in his speech. He firmly states, "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.

Abraham Lincoln opens his speech by using an allusion to convey his purpose. He alludes to the Declaration of Independence when he says “all men are created equal” in his opening paragraph. It symbolizes equality and freedom, and reminds his audience what they are fighting for. The Gettysburg Address and The Declaration of Independence are both similar because they both express the aspect of equality of human rights to their audience. The use of an allusion helps him achieve his purpose because he restates words from history, in case it was forgotten, that all people should be treated equally, with the same appreciation and honor. While Lincoln alludes to the Declaration of Independence, he also uses an anaphora.

Lincoln opens up his speech to the men who not only fought for their lives but the fallen men who gave up their life to make a free nation. He acknowledged the men for their dedication and “abolition of slavery on the Battle of Gettysburg and the Civil War”. Uses emotional appeals to the audience by building his speech upon the “the past, present, and future.” Giving hard evidence that without question this fight was more than the opportunity to rebuild a nation, but a fight for equal rights for men. Using Jefferson’s words in the Declaration of Independence “all men are created equal”. He engages the men who gave up their lives to make a difference. Touching on the emotional effects they had to encounter, the fear, and desire to fight for their lives to make the present and future better for everybody. He instilled the great task

During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most memorable speeches, “The Gettysburg Address”. Abraham Lincoln implements effective rhetorical devices such as historical context, diction, and antithesis to give unify the nation.

In this speech, Lincoln gives the people a sense of strength and unity in the fact that the United States is privileged to have been, and still continues to be, founded on equality. “The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. (Lincoln)” Many will never be able to know exactly all that happened in the duration of the Civil War, but they will be able to stand proud in the freedom that was fought for them during it.

“Fourscore and seven years ago” (Gettysburg Address) are the famous first words of President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. The Gettysburg Address was an epideictic discourse given in honor of the fallen soldiers in the Civil War. The address itself is very ceremonial due to the fact that it commemorates the brave efforts of the soldiers who had been fighting. The main purpose of an epideictic argument is to praise someone and Lincoln’s address does just that. He states in his speech “the brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract” (Gettysburg Address). Lincoln discusses the plethora of virtues that these soldiers possessed in the midst of war.

​Abraham Lincoln addressed the people of the United States in his writing “The Gettysburg Address.” Lincoln’s speech addresses how our nation dealt with the struggle of equality and humanity. Lincoln’s strong ideas and beliefs on humanity are shown in his speech: “It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion” (503).