Abraham Lincoln, a man known for his honesty and optimism towards the future of the United States of America during the turmoil of the Civil War. A man devoted to his divided country and its suffering people. A man grounded in his Christian faith. This man, the sixteenth president of the United States of America, spoke with precision and elegance. Lincoln presented many speeches during his life, and even after his assassination scholars explore his writings. During Lincoln’s presidency, he overcame obstacles such as the division of the states, while exposed to the publics’ ridicule. One example of the horrors of state division occurred in Gettysburg, between the Confederates and the Union armies in the year 1865. After the retreat of the armies,
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A common technique found in both address is parallelism, the use of words in similar patterns or phrases. In the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln connected two words “conceived” and “dedicated” in two sentences close in proximity. The close proximity places an emphasis on the two words, which directly related back to his overall metaphor of life in the address given. Also a type of parallelism called tricolon appeared in his speeches as well. A tricolon is the same as a parallelism, but it occurs in a sequence of three. An example of this in the Second Inaugural Address is, “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right . . .” (Lincoln, 1865). This technique produces a beat while speaking. This beat like parallelism drawls attention and emphasis to what is said. Aside from the rhythm tricolons and parallelism aids in creating, Lincoln also incorporates aphorisms into his address. Aphorism comes with a witty behavior, and includes a truth or opinion. One way Lincoln used this device was in his Second Inaugural Address, when he says “ . . . one of them would make war rather the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather then let perish.” The connection between “make war” and “accept war” allows a quick and concise opinion (Second Inaugural Address, Lincoln, 1865). Lincoln incorporated these literary techniques because similar to all of his addresses he demonstrates a quick and effective
A common technique found in both address is parallelism, the use of words in similar patterns or phrases. In the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln connected two words “conceived” and “dedicated” in two sentences close in proximity. The close proximity places an emphasis on the two words, which directly related back to his overall metaphor of life in the address given. Also a type of parallelism called tricolon appeared in his speeches as well. A tricolon is the same as a parallelism, but it occurs in a sequence of three. An example of this in the Second Inaugural Address is, “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right . . .” (Lincoln, 1865). This technique produces a beat while speaking. This beat like parallelism drawls attention and emphasis to what is said. Aside from the rhythm tricolons and parallelism aids in creating, Lincoln also incorporates aphorisms into his address. Aphorism comes with a witty behavior, and includes a truth or opinion. One way Lincoln used this device was in his Second Inaugural Address, when he says “ . . . one of them would make war rather the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather then let perish.” The connection between “make war” and “accept war” allows a quick and concise opinion (Second Inaugural Address, Lincoln, 1865). Lincoln incorporated these literary techniques because similar to all of his addresses he demonstrates a quick and effective