Rhetorical Devices In Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

President Abraham Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address in a completely different way than the country had expected. The citizens of the United States were prepared to hear his views on politics, abolishing slavery and overall states’ rights. Instead of confirming the predictions, President Lincoln shared his thoughts on the Civil War and how our country would be changed from it, along with how he wanted to improve the country throughout his presidency. Lincoln captured the ears of his people through rhetorical devices such as allusion, inclusive diction and consequential foreshadowing. At the time that Lincoln was elected president (for the second time), the country’s views among religion were more in unison than they are today. Most people looked to God in times of need, prayed before every meal, and believed that God had created each and every one of them. Lincoln himself believed “that the Almighty has his own purpose” for everything including the Civil War. Lincoln alludes to God and the religion of Christianity throughout his whole entire speech, allowing him to share a common belief and tie into his people’s current situation. Yet Lincoln knew …show more content…
Lincoln recognizes that with this division and his visions of the country uniting, he must stop all the blame and finger-pointing that would take place. The president uses his inclusive diction to address the country as a whole rather than a half that wants to “make war” and a half that wants to “accept war.” Lincoln strays from the terms North and South as well as terms that enhance the division of the country. “Both halves read the same Bible and pray to the same God,” (43) so why let the unimportant pull the two apart further when the most important thing can pull the two together? He addresses the whole country as much as possible rather than attending or exposing one side or the