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Abraham Lincoln’s speech is probably one of the most famous talks in American history because it was short and powerful. This 272-words long oration was delivered in 1863, amid the Civil War, near Gettysburg’s battlefield (Frederick, 2018, p. 100). President Lincoln was an exceptional storyteller with a unique sense of humor (David, 2020). Thus, his charisma in writing this speech was not surprising because he realized the importance of emotional connection with soldiers to raise their fighting spirit (David, 2020). Writing is a complex and mysterious process because it should not only catch the audience’s attention with beautiful wording, but it must be appropriate to the specific context (Barton, 2013). Every word Lincoln used conveyed a particular meaning because he knew that his talk should be short, not to overwhelm the tired and scared army but to inspire people.
The nouns and adjectives used in this oration had a special meaning applicable to the battlefield. For example, the word “proposition” means the Declaration of Independence in this context. The speech states that “our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” (Lincoln, 1863, p. 1). It is always critical to state the main points of writing or speech at the beginning to catch the audience’s attention (Hacker & Sommers, 2020). Indeed, Lincoln opened his talk by referring to the most essential document in U.S. history and highlighting the cause for which the soldiers were fighting. In this case, the word “consecrate” means to sanctify a place. Similarly, the “hallowed” ground indicates a site honored as holy. Lincoln tried to say that people who died on this battlefield for a higher purpose made this ground sacred with their blood, and hence those who remained could only finish their work to honor them.
Although Lincoln could deliver a longer speech, he decided to make it short but effective because he realized that soldiers were exhausted and needed a quick inspiration rather than a lengthy report. He delivered this 2-minute oration during the ceremony of honoring those who died on the battlefield at Gettysburg (Lincoln, 1863). It seemed that the president’s main goal was to remind people what historically happened on this ground. Furthermore, he wanted to honor those who gave their lives for a more significant cause and tell that the only task for everyone who survived was to finish this war for universal equality (Smith, 2019). However, unlike Frederic Douglass’s writings, Gettysburg Address could be perceived as an idiom to convince the nation that all the sacrifices are not meaningless. Even though many of Lincoln’s and Douglass’s writings were against racism and slavery, this particular speech had a distinct purpose of motivating the North to continue this fight rather than discuss racial discrimination.
In summary, President Lincoln’s speech at Gettysburg became one of the symbols of the American nation that had to go through the dark chapter in its history known as slavery. It was a brief oration that intended to raise the spirit of the citizens who came to honor those who lost their lives during the battle at Gettysburg. Lincoln certainly could deliver a longer speech that the audience would listen to and remember. Still, he decided only to highlight the work of the Founding Fathers and the contribution of those who died during the Civil War to convince people that they were on the right track.
References
Barton, M. D. (2013). Rhetoric and composition: A guide for the college writer [eBook]. Wikibooks.
David, A. (2020). Examining the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln. Enslow Publishing, LLC.
Frederick, J. (2018). The ultimate guide to the Gettysburg Address by David Hirsch and Dan Van Haften.Gettysburg Magazine, 58, 100.
Hacker, D. & Sommers, N. (2020). A writer’s reference (10th ed.). Macmillan.
Lincoln, A. (1863). The Gettysburg Address. Web.
Smith, J. (2019). Lincoln’s miniature Bible: Performing sacred history in the Gettysburg Address. Brno Studies in English, 45(1), 171-189.
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