One month before the end of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln had surprised his audience with a short speech on the effects of the Civil War and his future as President. In his speech, President Lincoln used rhetorical devices to achieve his purpose. The President used descriptions of the Civil War, comparisons of the two sides of the Civil War, and allusions to God to achieve his purpose. President Lincoln describes how the Civil War was birthed from opposing opinions. In the text, it says, “Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the order would accept war rather let it perish, and the war came.” Lincoln is saying this to give the audience an idea of why this war came.
