Ms. Todd
English 1(semester 2)
July 18, 2014
Analyzing Seminal Texts
President Abraham Lincoln’s, “Address delivered at the Dedication of the Cemetery at Gettysburg” and Pericles “Funeral oration”, speakers acknowledge the deceased as well as there honor. Although there’s a significant length difference in both speeches, “Address Delivered at the Cemetery at Gettysburg” and "Pericles funeral oration" Pericles expresses to his audience on ways to cope with the pain from those sacrificed on the battle-field. While Lincoln focuses on the ways we should live up to, recommending to those still living that they should cease the opportunity they have and take it upon themselves to accomplish the unfinished work of those who’s last breath was taken for the sake of their country. Both Pericles and Lincoln both show their knowledge of rhetorical devices using it to convey their overall message to their audience.
Lincoln starts off his speech with our Founders, "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent." Lincoln is very poetic and delicate. Here he uses rhetorical devices such as antithesis, repetition, and alliteration to shed massive appeal to the audience. Later Lincoln focuses on talking to the weary eyed people on there duty as a family, ‘It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced." Lincoln uses repetition, "we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground." Along with alliteration, he states, “poor powers”, he uses antithesis when contrasting two opposites, life and death, "The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.” Lincoln influences American citizens to live up to the deceased unfinished work. That there death was not in vain but of extreme importance, brimming with honor and glory, “It is