Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” was presented in 1863 while Pericles’ “Funeral Oration” was given in 431 BCE. The former was written to close a ceremony dedicating the old battlefield to the fallen soldiers while the latter was presented in a public funeral tradition to honor the dead. Pericles’ Funeral Oration and Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address compare and contrast in terms of historical context, themes, and rhetorical features. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and Pericles’ Funeral Oration did share a variety of similar historical contexts, despite the large time frame separating the speeches. Each speech was given after a battle to honor the dead. Lincoln’s speech was presented after the bloody battle of Gettysburg while Pericles’
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Pericles was a general at the time and had the one of the biggest roles in the ceremony. Lincoln, on the other hand, was told that his role would be a short one. Despite being the President, his only job was to close the ceremony while the featured speaker, former US Senator Edward Everett, had a speech that averaged around two hours. When comparing Lincoln’s speech to Everett’s, which was sixty times longer, he stated, “I wish that I could flatter myself that I had come as near to the central idea of the occasion in two hours as you did in two minutes.” (Everett). Pericles and Lincoln both also gave their speeches at different times after the battles they were honoring. Lincoln gave his speech four and a half months after the battle of Gettysburg while Pericles gave his speech one year into the Peloponnesian War. When these speeches occurred, the Civil War was well underway while the Peloponnesian War was just …show more content…
In each speech, they used inclusive language to better connect themselves to the audience. Doing this allows the audience to feel as if they are emotionally attached to the speaker. The pair also, unintentionally, used their role in society to make the audience feel as if they should believe and listen to them. Lincoln was the President at the time, making him one of the highest ranking people in the United States. Pericles was also in a position of high rank, being a governor during the war, meaning his “power depended on the will of The People” (Lindenberger) . Both of these jobs gave them a credibility that is hard to find anywhere else. Besides their jobs, Pericles and Lincoln were very well educated on the topics they were discussing, allowing the audience to further solidify their trust in both
Pericles was a general at the time and had the one of the biggest roles in the ceremony. Lincoln, on the other hand, was told that his role would be a short one. Despite being the President, his only job was to close the ceremony while the featured speaker, former US Senator Edward Everett, had a speech that averaged around two hours. When comparing Lincoln’s speech to Everett’s, which was sixty times longer, he stated, “I wish that I could flatter myself that I had come as near to the central idea of the occasion in two hours as you did in two minutes.” (Everett). Pericles and Lincoln both also gave their speeches at different times after the battles they were honoring. Lincoln gave his speech four and a half months after the battle of Gettysburg while Pericles gave his speech one year into the Peloponnesian War. When these speeches occurred, the Civil War was well underway while the Peloponnesian War was just …show more content…
In each speech, they used inclusive language to better connect themselves to the audience. Doing this allows the audience to feel as if they are emotionally attached to the speaker. The pair also, unintentionally, used their role in society to make the audience feel as if they should believe and listen to them. Lincoln was the President at the time, making him one of the highest ranking people in the United States. Pericles was also in a position of high rank, being a governor during the war, meaning his “power depended on the will of The People” (Lindenberger) . Both of these jobs gave them a credibility that is hard to find anywhere else. Besides their jobs, Pericles and Lincoln were very well educated on the topics they were discussing, allowing the audience to further solidify their trust in both