Gettysburg Address Rhetorical Analysis Essay

There was much blood shed at the battle of Gettysburg during the Civil war; incidentally, tens of thousands of soldiers died, got wounded, or went missing. At the dedication ceremony of the National Cemetery of Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln made a speech that is now one of the “most-memorized piece[s] of oratory in American history” (cite). Through the use of diction, repetition, and syntax, Lincoln intended to remind his audience of the past, unite them as one nation, honor the brave men who fought, and motivate the people of the new nation.
To begin, Lincoln aimed to remind his audience of the past- to give a history lesson. He separated his speech into 3 parts and stated them in chronological order. In the first part, he started with, “Four score and seven years ago”, bringing his audience back in time (Line 1). Lincoln’s diction reminded the audience of their “fathers” intention in creating their nation (line 1). He stated that the new nation was planned in freedom and equality (line 3). Lincoln also aimed to unite his audience as one nation. Instead of saying “North” or “South” Lincoln says “we” and repeats it several times, which emphasizes the idea of equality (cite). …show more content…
He started the third part of his speech using biblical language in order to connect with his audience and keep their attention. He tells them that they cannot “dedicate”, “consecrate”, or “hallow” the ground on which the “brave men” fought (cite). It is the audience’s job to finish the work of the brave soldiers, to bring equality and freedom to their nation. Similarly, Lincoln wanted his audience to progress as a nation. He told them to “take increased devotion to that cause for which [the dead] gave the last full measure of devotion” (line 18). This is him, again, explaining to his audience that their nation needs to consist of equality and

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