Gettysburg Address Rhetoric

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“The Gettysburg Address” – Freedom and Dedication
After the victory of American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States, freed the slaves of Confederacy and delivered the Gettysburg Address in 1865. Lincoln not only communicated effectively the text of the Gettysburg Address to his audience but also stated his speech’s purpose was to dedicate a section of land to honor the dead on the battle of Gettysburg. He also wanted to encourage people to remain their fight to the raging civil war. Thus, the text of the Gettysburg Address could be interpreted by the following main points.
Either in the first sentence or first paragraph, the author of this speech imparted to people how a new nation as the United State was
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Abraham Lincoln used the technique of a triple: “we can not dedicate – we can not consecrate –we can not hollow” to add power to his words. Using this technique, Lincoln made his speech memorable. “The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract”. This sentence showed us the solemn respect for people who fought, and appreciated their actions by using an alliteration “poor power”. “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here”. Abraham made a double contrast between “remember” and “forget” and “say” and “did” to emphasize something larger that it will not have the United States but also the world that will never forget. “It is for us the living…It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task…should not perish from the earth”. Two final sentences liked as a demand to action and a resolution to complete “the finished work”. Again, Lincoln used a double contrast: “the living” and “the honored dead”, “these dead shall not have died in vain” and “this nation…shall have a new birth of freedom”. Lincoln wanted to tell his audiences that the dead must be dedicated “the unfinished work” and “the great task remaining before us”. He ended his speech with a powerful triple “of the people, by the people, for the people” which has been famous throughout the