Ethos In Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

In Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, he uses many rhetorical devices to appeal to our ethos, pathos, and logos. Through this he expresses his feeling about the Civil War; the motivation which made it come about and the outcome of the war. At this point the country had been a war for four years and tensions are high; President Lincoln has been reelected into his second term prepared to give a speech that will hopefully bring the nation back together so that they can “bind up the nation’s wounds”. Due to the fact that this is his second address, he felt that this one didn’t need to be as long, but it still had to be powerful. With Lincoln’s use of emotion, logic and respect of authorities, he creates a feeling of national unity and helps to once again unite the North and South. …show more content…
To do this he opens with ”Fellow Countrymen” by doing this he implies that before anything else he considers himself a citizen of the United States and not just its leader. When he does this Lincoln gives the impression of being on equal footing with the listener. After Lincoln does that he uses the phrase “I trust” he does this to say to the reader “ I trust you to be wise and knowledgeable people”. Throughout the speech Lincoln presents himself and his personality to be modest and reasonable, though he occasionally mocks defenders of slavery, but overall stays reserved in his analysis of the south, by saying “but let us judge not, that we be not judged.” In this comment it shows his careful consideration, wisdom, and his religious principles. Although, he does not present himself to be weak, Lincoln prays to end the war but with the North victorious, this shows his strength as a person and his solid