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.

Jamaica Kincaid's "On Seeing England for the First Time"

Of the four pieces we read in Writing and Place I thought that Jamaica Kincaid's "On Seeing England for the First Time" used thick description most effectively. Kincaid used thick description so well that after I finished reading her story I felt that there would be no need for me to take an English history class! The way she described England was so detailed and very patriotic, that it gave me the goosebumps after only reading the first paragraph. "This is England"-and she said it with authority, seriousness, and adoration, and we all sat up". She is telling us how great the old England was and how much everyone adored the country. She tells us how much history and tradition the country had, that it made me wish that i was apart of something so great.
Unfortunately, the thick description turns south after she visits for the second time. Now, all grown up she takes a good look at the "real" England and realizes that it's not at all what it use to be. Everything has changed for the worse and the way she desbribes England now makes you never want to go there. The people, the food, the culture, everything is groteske to her now."I said, my husband and I hate princes, my husband would never wear anything that had a prince's anything on it." He hatred towards England is so bad that she is very rude to everyone. The prince is a very well-respected man in England and her saying that she hates him is the icing on the cake telling the audience how badly she dislikes the country. Kincaid really took me for a loop while reading this story because at first she speaks so highly of England and by the end of it she is saying things like," It was not at that moment that I wished every sentence, everything I knew, that began with England would end with " and then it all died."

Why group work fails or succeeds- Roskelly

I think group work succeeds. I know many many people would love to disagree, but overall group work is a great method of bringing people and their ideas together. I agree with the statement two heads are better than one and this could not be a better time to use that sang. By bringing a small group of classmates together and letting them all express their opinions and thoughts is a great way to come out with one great result. Now of course there are the few straggler groups or stragglers in a good group, but nothings truly perfect. When Roskelly said all writers need to hear their own voices, and it is only possible to hear them through others voices, I was sold right then and there on why group work succeeds. I read that statement and then thought about my past group work experiences and remembered when I would say my opinion and right after someone else would say something, then another would express how they felt, and right then and there the group took off. It didn't matter if we all agreed what one had to say, it mattered that we were expressing our selves and overall working as a group.

Eng 111 Anne Lamott's Bird By Bird

After reading Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, I read the first few paragraphs and felt great about myself. The reason I felt so great was because right away I took a great deal to heart knowing that I was absolutely agreeing with her perspective on writing. In our first assignment we were asked, " How does one become a good writer"? Anne Lamott could not have explained it any better in her first paragraph when saying start with a shitty first draft. I feel like practice makes perfect. No matter if it's a sport, acting, teaching,working, and last but not least, writing. Writing is something that no one is truly good at on their first try and it is very frustrating because it takes so much hard work and effort. When Anne said in the first paragraph that no writers sit down and feel like a million bucks because they know that it is just not simply true. The are being real and knowing that this first draft that the whip out of no where and nothing but rambling and random thoughts is going to be simply shitty. The upside to this very shitty first draft is one, the writer knows that the second one is going to be better and two, they could come out with something that they never thought would come out thinking "rationally". Anne couldn't be more correct in my mind because she is being 100% honest and it seems like in this day and age one doesn't see much of that. I am very glad to have read this article because with the year just starting it is good to have a little reminder in your head that is saying, if you give it some time and effort it will all come together in the end.

Eng 111 Blog Responce

1) Good writing is something that is very easy and comfortable to read. Also, good writing flows very smoothly.

2) One becomes a good writer by lots and lots of practice. Like everything else, many difficult things take much practice, time, and effort and that includes writing for sure.

3) Why is writing so technical and difficult to master?

4) The two most difficult things for me as a writer are coming up with a dead on thesis and the second one is sometimes I go way off the topic or point I am trying to conclude. The easiest thing for me as a writer is being creative and being able to tell a personal story.