Rhetorical Analysis Of Abraham Lincoln's The Gettysburg Address

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The Gettysburg address delivered on November 19, 1863 by Abraham Lincoln was a dedication speech to the brave men and women who fought in the Gettysburg battle. After three revisions, and hours of work, one of the most influential presidents in history delivered an articulately written speech. A speech that has gone down in history as an eloquent example of the rhetorical devices. The execution of the rhetorical triangle, by the President, created a connection amongst the audience and the speaker. The President of the United States of America, whom led America through a brutal Civil War only to emerge the nation as a united and free land, delivered The Gettysburg Address. President Abraham Lincoln was a pronounced speaker. Abraham Lincoln …show more content…
He uses many literary devices of which a few are anaphora, rhythmic syntax structure, consonance, and parallelism. In the first paragraph there are many repeating sounds, such as the S and F sounds. This creates consonance and a rhythmic syntax to the address that makes it appealing to the audience’s ear. The anaphora, in which he repeats we all throughout the whole address replaces the “I” or “they”, uniting both and connecting the President to the people, adding an affable humility to his persona. However, the President also uses ritzy diction, such as in paragraph two’s last sentence when he uses “altogether” instead of the less formal synonyms such as “entirely” or “totally”. Consequently, adding formality to his humble …show more content…
In the address antithesis is used to exemplify the soldier’s courage. In paragraph two Lincoln states that even though he is there to dedicate the cemetary to the soldiers, he can’t. He can’t because he soldiers have already taken it. Through their bravery, at the price of their lives they have consecrated the ground, and they will never be forgotten. The parallelism drawn between the facts that Lincoln is there to dedicate land that already belongs, shines a light on the logic behind making Gettysburg a final resting place for the

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