Rhetorical Analysis: The Gettysburg Address Link

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/gettysburgaddress.htm

Rhetorical Analysis: The Gettysburg Address

On Thursday November 19th, 1863 one of the most famous speeches was given in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address four and half months after the Battle of Gettysburg, which was one of the most famous and bloodiest battles that occurred during the America Civil War.  In this speech, president Lincoln redefines the purpose of why the Union were fighting the Confederates.  Lincoln at the time was not very liked by both the North and the South because amount of causalities, so he thought that by giving this speech it would boost his ratings and the morale of the Union people. The short but powerful speech is so famous because of Lincoln's great rhetorical skills and the ways he explains how he is conserving the old ways of the Union and bringing them into the new America. 

The first key term that caught my eye was kairos. At this point in time in American history, the United States is falling apart. The war is for the most part over and both the Union and Confederate lives are in shambles. If Lincoln had not given this speech who knows where the country would be today. The Gettysburg Address was given at the perfect time to boost up the confidence of the people and give them a sense of security that everything was taking a turn for the best. Lincoln talks about in the first paragraph of this short but powerful speech that when this nation was first created by the four fathers all men were created equal. The reason for the American Revolutionary War was because the colonists had felt that they were treated like slaves by the British. After the colonists had defeated the British, they wanted to create a country that was based off of equality, not inequality. So 87 years later, the basis of how this country is supposed to be ran is said to be contradicted, which started the bloodiest war in American history. 

In the second paragraph, Lincoln talks about how the American people should now take gratitude towards those who have died for this country. He wants all to be put aside so we can pay our respects to those brave men who risked their lives for a caused they believed in. The use of diction stands out here because in this sad and tough time in American history, Lincoln is trying to but all issues aside and say that there is a bigger picture here. The bigger picture is that look at what this war has done to this great country. Men of the same country, but different beliefs died on the battlefield and now need to be given a proper goodbye. " We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that a nation might live". Those words right there are very deep and need to be taken very seriously. The effectiveness of those words show the audience a clear picture of what the country needs to do to get out of the whole their in and to start off on the right foot.

The final paragraph of the Gettysburg Address truly sums up the beliefs and ground-stone of the United States of America. Lincoln uses Anaphora by repeating the word "we" talking about the country now as a whole instead of two halves. " We cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground". This appeals to the pathos of his audience by telling them that this country is now one. There is now Union or Confederates anymore, this is the United States of America. Lincoln goes on to talk about how the soldiers who died on the battlefield will never be forgotten. Some may not remember what they said, but they will always know what they did.  He says that, " It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us". The American people now need to move on from this point and finish what those who have died started. The president ends his speech with an epistrophe by saying, " that government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from this earth".  This goes back to his first paragraph by saying that we are all free, we are all equal, and we are all looked upon as one. This famous speech, which at the time was not looked at in such a uplifting way, turned out to be what the American people needed to get their lives back together and start a new life.

" The Church Uptown" by Ian McGuinness

" The Church Uptown" is a very well written and descriptive piece of writing. He started out with a very effective technique to teach us a history lesson of the church and how it came about. He went into great detail to describe the importance of the church and how much it meants to the parishioners." St. Mary's is a place that has not only withstood its trials of time, but has also provided the people of Oxford the opportunity to withstand their own trials of life and faith." Ian is saying that uptown is based around the church. The church meant so much to the people of Oxford that its location, being in the center of town, shows how important it is. He then tells his audience about how the location of the church now is almost like an oxymoron because now it is surrounded by nothing but bars and food. This sacred place of worship is right next to a place where college students drink, dance and sin, how ironic. Now, Ian thinks of it as a bad thing, but I think its perfect because after you sin, what would be better than to walk right next door and repent! But his last sentence really put everything into perspective, "Her lights are always on and her doors are always open." He is saying that no matter what, everyone is always welcome no matter who you are or what you have done, which is a very effective technique to use when concluding his piece.