How Does Lincoln Use Literary Devices In The Gettysburg Address

In this passage, Abraham Lincoln uses the literary device of contrasting imagery to express the higher, spiritual implications of the war. Through his magnificent oratory talent, Lincoln distinguishes a path for the nation by employing the images of life and death. The phrase, “It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us,” describes an incomplete duty, once held by the soldiers of Gettysburg now passed on to those in attendance (93). To illuminate this transfer of responsibility within the phrase, Lincoln emphasizes the exact location of the audience using the word “here.” In doing so, Lincoln reveals a bridge, the field of Gettysburg, which joins his audience to the brave soldiers who gave their lives. When