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How Does Lincoln Use Ethos In The Gettysburg Address

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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. 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. …show more content…

He says “we cannot dedicate--we cannot consecrate--we cannot hallow”. Lincoln is using this device to emphasize that the people gathered there were not as important compared to the soldiers who fight everyday and who have sacrificed a lot to protect a nation and its people. Lincoln emphasizes the pronoun “we” to inform his audience that being as one nation mean that everyone must to work together to make the nation greater, forming a nation cannot only be done by one individual but as a whole nation. Lincoln successfully furthers to connect to his audience by the use of pathos towards concluding his

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