Rhetorical Analysis Of Abraham Lincoln 's Second Inaugural Address

Mencken criticized Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, saying that it made no sense. To Mencken, the speech was just one of Lincoln’s political moves to gain more fame and win the people’s support, and Lincoln speech was untrue because Mencken believed that the speech was just mere words to soothe the listener. Mencken gave the opinion which he felt was right regarding the message Abraham Lincoln presented at the Gettysburg Address, by criticizing it as being “eloquent”, “poetry” and said that its “beauty” undercuts its “logic”, “sense” and “truth”.(Mencken 1920, 775). However, it was not true because during the speech in Gettysburg, Lincoln proved to the people that he was not just saying these things because they was “eloquent” and had “beauty”, but, because he had plans for the growth of the nation after the Civil War. Mencken presented Lincolns speech as “It is difficult to imagine anything more untrue” (Mencken 1920, 775).

Weeks of wet weather had occurred before Saturday March 4th, 1865, making Pennsylvania Avenue a thick, muddy place; however, the pounding rain did not stop the spectators from listening to Lincoln give his Second Inaugural Address, given one month before the end of the Civil War. The Civil War was the result of a long standing controversy over slavery. The North and the South did not agree with each other. Slavery in the North had died out to the point where almost all blacks were free. The South on the other hand very few blacks were free. Causing a long lastly disagreement between both sides. When Lincoln gave his speech spectators were expecting a speech on slavery when Lincoln gave a dark gloomy speech that no one saw coming. The Civil War had lasted through his passed presidency and ended five days before his death. United States President Abraham Lincoln surprised his massive audience with a very short speech in which he talked about the effects of the Civil War, and expressed his feelings toward the future of the United States. Lincoln wanted to restore faith in the nation, talking about how the war would end soon, and that the nation was going to reunite. In this short speech Lincoln asserts that the audience knows and is knowledgeable about the war, which shows that the Americans know the war was just by using juxtaposition. Lincoln addresses his opinion towards the war, and makes it clear by utilizing biblical allusion, creating a basis of mutual agreement between the North and the South.

Abraham Lincoln gives his Second Inaugural Address, Saturday, March 4, 1865, contemplating the effects of the Civil War using various rhetorical devices, rooting from logic. Lincoln expresses his passion for the country, not as separated states, but as a whole Union. Abraham uses these devices to achieve his soul purpose which is to persuade the “countrymen” to resolve this Civil war, and think about the future of this country. Lincoln shows passion for the country by explaining the unity he wants in the states. We are all united by one God, and the fellow-countrymen need to remember this. Lincoln also secretly points a finger at the South, to prove that while this isn’t all the Souths fault, they do have fault in this war. Lincoln is also trying to engage the men and women to think about the future and what this wars effects will be. He wants the best for this country, and with war this is not fulfilling his beliefs.

The Civil War was a period of racial injustice and a time of great loss for the people of America. During Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, he creates a moral framework for peace and reconciliation with the use of many rhetorical strategies. With a sincere but reflective tone, Abraham Lincoln highlights the reality of the troubled nation and the solution to all of the problems, which is unity. Lincoln repeats strong phrases to enhance the theme, references to a holy figure, and creates simple, yet structured ideas to achieve his purpose of reuniting the broken nation.

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.

Abraham Lincoln is arguably one of the United States greatest presidents and is well-known for writing one of the most iconic literary pieces in American history, the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is an outstanding 272-word oration, meant to have been a “few appropriate remarks” (Wills), yet it is considered to be one of the greatest speeches ever written, and rightly so. However, Lincoln was not the only one that gave a Gettysburg Address at the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, nor was he “the star of the show” (Emberton). Today, many have forgotten the name of Edward Everett and the importance and value of his Gettysburg Address. Edward Everett was chosen as the main speaker at the ceremony and gave a 2-hour oration, preceding Lincoln’s 2-minute dedicatory remarks, that was highly praised among critics and the audience. Everett’s qualifications, his message within his speech, and his overall purpose have greatly contributed to the value of his Gettysburg Address. Today, it is clear to see that Lincoln’s Address has overshadowed Everett’s Address, but that wasn’t the case in 1863. The question left to answer, should Everett’s Gettysburg Address be considered just as valuable and praiseworthy as Lincoln’s speech?

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

Fighting for what you believed in was a relevant theme in early America, however, fighting was only half the struggle, once you won what happened next was up to the leaders of the new system. In Abraham Lincoln’s speech “ The Second Inaugural Address”, America is nearing the end of the civil war and Lincoln explains what should happen next as their victory approaches. Through the use of rhetorical strategies such as diction, allusion, and syntax the audience connects to Lincoln and his statements while understanding the great future America is capable of.

Rhetorical Devices Used in the Gettysburg Address With a speech so short, the Gettysburg Address is one of the greatest and memorable speech’s in history? Lincoln’s speech consisted of only 276 words and lasted no longer than four minutes. Many rhetorical devices were used in the Gettysburg Address such as, ethos, pathos, and logos. The use of these devices not only, successfully resulted in an emotional response from the audience; But, Lincoln also persuaded his audience to look at the Battle of Gettysburg in a different perspective.

Abraham Lincoln’s “Second Inaugural Address” and Emily Dickinson’s “Success is Counted Sweet,” are two inspirational pieces of art that fall under two different types of discourses. The “Second Inaugural Address,” is a great example and definition of what Rhetoric is. It encompasses all four resources of languages- argument, appeal, arrangement, and artistic devices. “Success is Counted Sweet,” doesn’t cover the four resources of language that apply to rhetoric; therefore, it is categorized as a poem.

An inauguration is a ceremony that marks the commencement of a new term. At this inauguration the President recite his/her inaugural address. Abraham Lincoln during his second Inaugural Address stated his hopes and dreams for America in the upcoming years. To promote the effectiveness of his speech, Lincoln used rhetorical strategies such as formal diction, syntax and Tropes and effects.

In President Lincoln’s second inaugural address, Lincoln gave the nation hope for a life worth living for that was expected to come soon after the Civil War. During the Civil war the North and South were drawn apart. Both sides had different opinions on the war, but because they had no other option they were left to confront it. In his speech Lincoln gave the audience a feeling of hope and reassurance as he uses a confident and poised tone in order to regain the nation's trust and support. However, his use of rhetorical devices is the real prize winners in his speech.

The two artifacts, Abraham Lincoln's "Second Inaugural Address" and Emily Dickinson's "Success is Counted Sweetest" were both written around the time of the Civil War and have been categorized as rhetoric and poetry respectively. A poem is defined according to The American Heritage, Dictionary of English Language as "A verbal composition designed to convey experiences, ideas, or emotions in a vivid and imaginative way, characterized by the use of language chosen for its sound and suggestive power and by the use of literary techniques such as meter, metaphor, and rhyme", while rhetoric cannot be as clearly defined. There has always been an ongoing historical debate as how to define rhetoric, but we can identify its characteristics and functions.

Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address was very different from his first one, making it the most profound political statement in American History. While 1865 was the last year of the Civil War, Lincoln still had to console the public how the reconstruction of a slave free nation would take place moving forward. But the war had been long and arduous, and the lives lost would not be forgotten easily by both sides. So the best way to address then was to keep the speech selfless and expressive in a few sentences.