Essay about The Gettysburg Address and American Revival

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.

The historian David Blight says that Lincoln’s message in the Gettysburg Address was to help the people recover from the deficit from the Battle of Gettysburg and the casualties that were caused by it. Lincoln simply wants to rebuild the country.

Although the Pericles’ Funeral Oration and the Gettysburg Address are hundreds of years apart, many have taken note of the similarities between these two memoirs for fallen soldiers of war. A powerful funeral oration from Athenian culture inspired Abraham Lincoln’s address to the Union during the Civil War. Both the Athenians and the Union were in the midst of fighting another power at the time. The value placed on liberty and democracy amongst these two groups was strong. Although citizens were treated differently and the concept of which people were deserving of rights differed, the Gettysburg Address and Pericles’ Funeral Oration similarly ensured their military conquests and sacrifices would be historically significant as it brings great honor and pride to their respective states. Their deaths were not in vain and would further push the ideas of these two respective societies.

For Everett, the Battle of Gettysburg was a parallel to the ancient Battle of Marathon and his moment up on the stage delivering his Address was his “Pericles moment.” The nineteenth century was a time of Greek revival for America, a time when America came to be considered the second Athens. This Greek revival manifested itself in everything from architecture to courses at universities, but perhaps most importantly, in orations at the time. Everett played a significant role in this Greek revival as he was not only a Greek scholar but also a proponent of classicism. With his Gettysburg Address, Everett hoped to

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

Elmore, AE.; Lincoln’s Gettysburg address: Echoes of the Bible and Book of Common Prayer, Southern Illinois University Press, 2009

In the third paragraph, President Lincoln stresses the important point that the words of his speech cannot actually bless or make holy the Battlefield of Gettysburg. Rather, he indicates the bravery of the men, both living and dead, has already made the ground of the battlefield sacred. Again, Lincoln is honoring the actions of all the soldiers, Union and Confederate, and trying to unite the nation instead of dividing it.

The Gettysburg Address was created by President Lincoln and is one of the most important speeches in American history. According to Barr, (2015) the Gettysburg Address was a remarkable endeavor for Lincoln and the president utilized it to his political advantage. Before he arrived at the Gettysburg cemetery to deliver it to the American people, Lincoln composed five different drafts of the Gettysburg Address.(Dirck, 2015) The Gettysburg Address came from a time of uncertainty, war, and change in U.S. history. It was just a time Americans were confused non the less. The old

In Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address,” he uses a combination of forensic, ceremonial, and political oratory within his speech. According to Aristotle, forensic oratory is concerned with the past, with reference to things that have already occurred. Ceremonial oratory is concerned with the present, and make guesses as to what the future holds. Political oratory is concerned with the future, and advises, or advises against something. Lincoln utilizes all three of these methods in his speech, and it really connects with the

The next question I asked Mr. Kise focused on why the victory at Gettysburg was so very pivotal to the Union. In my own analysis of the battle, I did not expect the answer that I received from him. He said that in his “own personal opinion of what makes Gettysburg so important, is Lincoln’s speech four months after the battle” (Kise). He goes on to explain that even though the Union Army won a substantial victory at Gettysburg and helped to turn back the invading Confederate Army, it was when Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address that gave the battle meaning. Lincoln turned the war from “merely holding the Union together, to giving a ‘new birth of freedom’” (Kise).

The Gettysburg address was not so much focused on an issue or debate. When Lincoln started writing this speech, its intention was to be in memory, devotion and honor to those who died, and also to declare the ground as a cemetery. He says “We are met on a great battlefield of that war. 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

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?

Author Abraham Lincoln in his speech “The Gettysburg Address” proposes that the living need to finish the task that the founding fathers stated and the soldiers continued. The author develops this idea by first reminding the people of what the founding fathers did, then he talked about how the soldiers continued what the founding fathers started, and finally he informed the people about what they need to do to finish the task. The author’s purpose is to inspire the living to compare the task that the dead died trying to finish in order to ensure the idea that all men are created equal is not only preached but practiced as well. The author establishes an urgent tone for people who went to see the nation reunite and prosper.

In 1863, the sixteenth President of the United States found himself engulfed by a horrific civil war and in leading his people to victory, Abraham Lincoln found himself in a predicament that required a well thought out motivational presentation. He found that opportunity with the address at Gettysburg. President Lincoln knew his people were dissatisfied with the loss of so many comrades and knew there must be a way he could prove that the lives of so many fallen soldiers, husbands, and sons were worth the efforts to restore the land of the free. The statement made in the Gettysburg Address to the people was a perfect example and in essence the embodiment of perfect communication.

Style Analysis of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address Lu Jia This essay will discuss Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address in terms of its style. According to Dr. Zarefsky, public speakers can achieve style “through language that creates clarity, rhythm, and vividness”1. As we shall see, the Gettysburg Address exemplifies the use of all three stylistic devices to make one of the greatest speeches in history.