Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address Analysis

Words have the power to express abstract ideas or to make one feel an array of emotions. To access the deeper meanings of these words it is imperative to analyze and read between the lines. Even in spite of its brevity, taking only seven minutes to recite, Abraham Lincoln's second Inaugural Address has a large number of deeper meanings that can easily be foreseen. In Ronald C. White Jr.'s novel Lincoln's Greatest Speech the author makes Lincoln's speech more significant by comparing the Second Inaugural Address to some of Lincoln's other well known speeches, analyzing the language Lincoln used, and by relating Lincoln's ideas and writing strategies to aspects of his early life. The meaningfulness of Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address can be identified through the comparisons of this speech to other major speeches made by Lincoln such as his First Inaugural Address or the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln took a different approach towards the Second Inaugural address than he did towards other speeches. Right from the beginning of the speech, Lincoln did not include any of the "creative stylistic flourishes" (46) he began other …show more content…
One cannot read a piece of writing and immediately gain a full understanding of what is being said without analyzing the text. Author, Ronald C. White Jr., of the novel Lincoln's Greatest Speech uses several analytical techniques to give himself and the readers a deeper understanding of Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. White compares Lincoln's Second Inaugural Speech to some of his other speeches in order to show the different approach Lincoln took when writing his Second Inaugural Address. White also analyzes Lincoln's language to show how there is meaning behind Lincoln's simple one syllable words. The final technique White uses is relating Lincoln's personal or early life to the words in his speech, doing so supports and exemplifies why Lincoln included certain words into his