Rhetorical Analysis Of Gettysburg Address

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The Civil War – a bloody, ruthless American war – was fought over the course of five years. To worsen the affair, rather than fighting some far off, foreign enemy, they were fighting their fellow countrymen- their brothers. Across that five year span, over six hundred thousand Americans were killed (American Civil War). One of the deadliest, unforgettable battles of the war was the Battle of Gettysburg. This memorable battle surprisingly lasted a mere three days, and after the battle the president, Abraham Lincoln, delivered a speech that reflected the battle. His speech, just like the battle, was immensely memorable and carried with it a massive impact, yet it only lasted two minutes and consists of three short paragraphs. Addressing his fellow Americans with the speech, Lincoln calls for them to keep pushing forward. …show more content…

The repetition of the word “we” enforces that, though the nation is currently divided, they are still American on both sides. This reminds the audience of the ultimate goal of the war- to reunify the United States. The costly war persisted for three years at that point and was becoming very tiring, but they couldn’t quit or give up no matter the cost. With persistence, the war would soon be over and the country would reunite. The second purpose of the repetition of “we” is so Lincoln cannot appear as someone on a higher level than the audience. He wants to show that he is part of the American people to show he can be trusted and they should listen to him. He is experiencing the same pain and struggle faced by everyone else. And once more it draws back to the statement from the first paragraph in which he states how all men are created

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