What Are The Rhetorical Devices Used In The Gettysburg Address

During the history of the United States there have been very respectable speakers Martin Luther King Jr. John F. Kennedy but perhaps no greater leader in American history came to addressing the country like Abraham Lincoln. In his Second Inaugural Address, Lincoln gave a short speech concerning the effect of the Civil War and his own personal vision for the future of the nation. In this speech Lincoln uses many different rhetorical strategies to convey his views of the Civil War to his audience.

During Abraham Lincoln’s presidency at the start of the 1860, an issue that had divided the nation was slavery. Lincoln’s election to presidency as a republic was not received well by the Southern slave states, as they thought that as a republican he was out to abolish slavery. In an effort to calm southern states and keep them from seceding from the United States, he attempts to ease them with his First Inaugural Address. In his First Inaugural Address his key points are to clam southern leaders of slave states, keep the states from seceding, and make them at ease as he enters presidency.

“Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, cannot long retain it.” This quote was stated by Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was born in 1809 and died in 1865. He was the sixteenth president of the United States, conserved the Union throughout the Civil War and created the freedom for the slaves. Lincoln composed a letter to Henry L. Pierce and other congressman regretfully declining his attendance to Thomas Jefferson’s birthday celebration. Throughout Lincolns letter he contends for the release of the slaves stating to congress, “This is a world of compensations; and he who would be no slaves, must consent to have no slave. Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves;

President Abraham Lincoln uses a variety of rhetorical strategies in his Second Inaugural Address to pose an argument to the American people regarding the division in the country between the northern states and the southern states. Lincoln gives this address during the American Civil War, when politics were highly debated and there was a lot of disagreement. Lincoln calls for the people of America to overcome their differences to reunite as one whole nation once more.

In “Gettysburg Address,” Lincoln concentrates on the importance of Americans devoting and dedicating their service in the war to better America. His speech brings out connections in all Americans, regardless of race, religion, or gender. The speaker, Abraham Lincoln, uses logical, ethical, and emotional appeals

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States and Commander in Chief during the Civil War. He was a member of the Free Soil Party and later became a Republican. Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves in the Confederate States after the Battle of Antietam, and ultimately led the North to victory in the Civil War. What most do not know, however, is that he got to that point after a long road of lying and deception. Abraham Lincoln constantly altered his views on slavery and other issues during the 1800s purely based on his audience. In addition to this very unpleasant approach, he freed the African Americans only as an advantage that could lead him into winning the war. Furthermore, Abraham Lincoln should be referred to as just another politician.

In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the greatest speeches known as the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln started off by stating, “Fourscore and seven years ago.” What exactly does President Lincoln mean when he says these few words? Those who do not know, a score is equal to 20 years. President Lincoln was in fact refereeing to 87 years ago, which would be 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed. Referring to such a defining moment in history were just one of the reasons why President Lincoln’s speech was so successful. The Gettysburg Address, one of the shortest, most quoted, and successful speeches in U.S. history was all due to the way President Lincoln was able to use ethos, logos, and pathos while presenting his speech to the audience at the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Although a century apart, Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from Birmingham Jail and Frederick Douglass’s What to a Slave is the fourth of July are kindred spirits. Notwithstanding the many differences in their respective writing styles, deep down the essence of the message conveyed is still very much the same. Both Martin Luther King Junior and Frederick Douglas had similar beliefs and concepts related to the treatment of the African American community. They both describe a tough yet heart breaking situation that makes them question their moral values and doubt the system and its ability to change for better. Both King and Douglass were advocating for the same thing: their constitutional sanction of freedom.

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

The listeners are every citizen of the United States, whether that be northerner or southerner. He is addressing both the offender and the tolerator by means of referring to an earlier event and describing the outcome and plan for improvement and prosperity. The defining point in his speech is the quote that was stated in the first paragraph of this essay. Lincoln is upholding the rights and constitution of the

“ I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal.” Dr. King also states that one day he would like his children to be free as whites were. “ I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character.” Dr. King uses his own words to describe what he wants the nation to look like in the future. “ I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” In the Gettysburg Address Lincoln talks about how people fought the war and how people should honor their soldiers. 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 that nation might live.” What he says means that the soldiers lost their lives to give us freedom. Lincoln says, “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” He didn 't know if people would remember what Lincoln said on November 19, 1863 but he said don 't forget that the soldiers lost their lives. “It is rather for us to be here

African Americans received no respect for decades and decades. No matter if you were old or young, man or a woman. Martin Luther King Jr. was an inspirational speaker sticking up for what was right. While dealing with the same disrespect all Negroes were receiving. King spoke out his hopes and wishes for the world, hoping to change the ways of many. King helped people understand by using persuasive and inspiring words, which people eventually listened to. King brought himself and African American the right to freedom of speech.

The Civil War was a time period of social, political, and economic tensions. The North and South fought to decide whether to stop or continue slavery. Abraham Lincoln, the then president, addresses the two crowds before and after the war; however, in the second address, after the war, he uses specific literary devices to convey his message, of the need to end slavery. Abraham Lincoln uses varied sentence structure and appeals, in his succinct Second Inaugural Speech, to try to bring back harmony in the states and the abolitionment of slavery.

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers...”, (464) Lincoln was asking his audience to go back and discover that the country's foundation was not the constitution nor the election of the first president, George Washington, but the signing of the Declaration of Independance in 1776 by our founding fathers was the starting point of the nation.tg

Over the course of history, many people have fought for equality between African-American and whites. They fought very well to bring us to this day and age. Some important people that have done so are Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and Abraham Lincoln. All of which had hope for a brighter future but they had different means of getting it. Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln both inspired people to quit segregation with the speeches that they gave in front of large crowds of people. Knowing this, it would be expected that their speeches would share some similarities. They both had the same mindset while giving these speeches, they both were very important in their own respect and manner, and they both spoke in front of a large crowd of people.