The Battle of Gettysburg had ended months earlier, yet, a nation’s fractured unity laid in the mounds of 7,500 rotting corpses and soil stained with the blood of 23,000 casualties. Perhaps, mid Civil War, Lincoln knew that the future of his country, if not the sanctity of freedom, was pressed against his speech. The Gettysburg Address, brief as it was, did nothing short of accomplishing his aims. The Gettysburg Address was effective in that it used rhetorical devices, such as modes of persuasion, to lead Americans to persevere and end the war, it used language that facilitated Lincoln’s authoritative, yet empathizing, tone that created a united and purposeful atmosphere, and it implemented sentence structures that directly shared Lincoln’s beliefs and indirectly wove in viewpoints to affect his audience to persist for their nation.
Lincoln’s use of pathos in the Gettysburg Address was especially potent two years into the Civil War, with the entire nation weary, in grief over the countless losses of their people. The president twisted fervent dolor into hope, encouraging the audience to continue the battle so the men who had died would not have died in vain, while also invoking confidence in America’s survival ability. By calling the continuation of the war “the great task” that was first carried out by “brave men, living and dead, who struggled”, the audience now feels the weight of responsibility, feeling pride and indebtedness.
On the other hand, ethos is already in his speech before the first word was written. As president, Lincoln already has situated ethos, as well as an already previously established respected image of kindness and consideration. Lincoln builds upon his reputation with the humility of “we”, connecting him to the audience and closing the distance a customary politician would have with them. Furthermore, he uses literary devices, such as allusion, to exude his determination for the country. At the start of his speech, he alludes back to the signing of the Declaration of Independence by saying “four score and seven years ago”, stressing the importance of reunification of the country, so the work their forefathers would not be for nothing. These rhetorical devices, as well as many more sprinkled throughout the speech, effectively conveyed the address’ purpose to finish the war and unite once again.
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Lincoln’s selective word choice lends, to an otherwise downcast audience, newfound strength derived from the ideals of unity and freedom. His final statement that America has a “government of the people, by the people, for the people” reflects Constitutional principles that “All men are created equal”. With word choices such as “liberty” and “freedom”, he evokes patriotism. By doing this, both the Confederate and the Union feel solidarity and one single identity as America. Other words, like “consecrated”, “holy”, and “hallow” are divine terms honoring the dead soldiers who lost their lives for their country, further persuading people to make their deaths matter by unifying the country. This all shows tones of responsibility, sorrow, and assurance, helping the audience to adopt the same values and move forward.
The formatting of the Gettysburg address was intentionally written to remind the audience of their nation’s past and future, instead of getting caught up in the present. The syntax progreses from lengthy and candid, to rough and illustrative, before ending at a rousing conclusion. To begin with, Lincoln uses a protracted sentence with cadences at the close of each clause. The verbosity reflects the composition of the country and proceedings of war itself, while the intonation gives a sense of recurrent tenacity and advancement. These choices accent the rising immensity of what is to follow. Midway through the text, the work is distinguished by a long-short-long series joined by complex parallels, resembling the march-fight-march movement of the war.
The writing is tactical yet, incongruously also alleviated by the tune of the parallel structure. Lastly, the sentences are linked by dashes, allowing Lincoln’s constant elaboration to reassure the people that continuing the war is a noble cause, reminding them of the needs of the country. Therefore, the syntax follows a circular path; grammatical structure tries the start and end together just as the speech ties together the past and future of America. Additionally, the format of the orate also foregrounds reunification, such as the repetition of the term “nation”. Lincoln chose to repeat this word five times to remind the audience that they were a nation, not a Union and a Confederacy. Through and through, Lincoln strives to keep America whole, as a nation can only exist so long its people are unified.
I chose the Gettysburg Address because of the praise is still receives today, by political figures, literature professors, and Americans alike. It earns this commendation for revitalizing classic American ideals of justice, liberty, and freedom amid a war that almost tore the country in half. According to former Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett, “President Lincoln sought to heal a nation’s wounds by defining what a nation should be.” This address did such that, sweeping the exhausted nation in the power to keep moving forward. The Gettysburg Address was effective in that it used rhetorical devices, such as modes of persuasion, to lead Americans to persevere and end the war, it used language that facilitated Lincoln’s authoritative, yet empathizing, tone that created a united and purposeful atmosphere, and it implemented sentence structures that directly shared Lincoln’s beliefs and indirectly wove in viewpoints to affect his audience to persist for their nation.
