Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, a speech delivered on March 4th, 1865, addressed the hostilities among a divided nation. In this speech Lincoln demanded that both the North and the South to put aside the divided conflict and reconcile in order to heal the wound of the divided nation. This speech did not honor the North for their victory of the Civil War, nor did it blame the South for causing the war due to their views on slavery; which was believed to be the cause of the nation’s bloodiest war: the Civil War. In his speech, Lincoln used various types of rhetorical devices, including: pathos, biblical allusions, logos and parallelism to convey hi to convey his message.
Lincoln used pathos to offer a framework for reconciliation …show more content…
He claimed that neither party expected for the war to endure. Both parties also looked for the most feasible ways to win the war. They prayed to the same God and read the same bible; both sides using God’s aids against the other. These are all Christian values that people from both the North and the south had in common. He found it really strange that these men would use God’s assistance in destroying each other’s presence. “Woe unto the world because of offences.” He stated that God, the almighty has his own purpose; the prayers of the northerners and southerners were not answered because of their offences against God. Most people knew that slavery was somewhat the cause of the Civil War; American slavery is one of these offences that Lincoln mentioned in his speech. His will was to end slavery in the states which is why he engaged both the North and the South in this bloody war as a revenge. He religiously justified the North’s triumph against the South by saying “He now wills to remove, thus wiping away the need for bitterness and retribution, as God’s will has been done” (Abraham Second Inaugural Address). The will that has been removed refers to the abolition of slavery in the …show more content…
His use of rhetorical devices such as, pathos, biblical allusions, and parallelism helped convey his message to try to unite a split nation. The speech was not find blame, but to give a perception to the Civil War. His diction in the speech helped foreshadow his plan for a newly built and united America. The rhetorical devices used allowed Lincoln to call out to the nation to take care of those who were hurt by this war; healing the nation’s wounds. This speech was a sermon about forgiveness and Lincoln’s desire for lasting