Literary Analysis Of President Abraham Lincoln's The Gettysburg Address

On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln gave a speech that, unbeknownst to him, would become one of the most recognized speeches in the history of the United States. The empowering speech was given in the midst of the gruesome Civil War that began between the north and the south over the long-conflicted morality of slavery. Four months after the particularly bloody battle at Gettysburg, Lincoln gave a speech that was only ten sentences and 272 words and was recited within three minutes. Despite being so short, the message of the speech resonated with the people of the Civil War and still is quoted by people today. Through one of the most important speeches of our history, The Gettysburg Address, Lincoln commemorates the dead and wounded
Starting at the beginning of the speech until the end, Lincoln develops a metaphor that draws a connection between life and death and the fate of the country. During the beginning of the speech, Lincoln develops the concept of the birth, stating that “our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty,” ( Lincoln, 1035). Terms such as “conceived” and “brought forth” alludes to the concept of birth, which Lincoln connects to the founding of the United States of America through the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Thus he develops the idea that America was birthed anew through ideals such as
At this point, Lincoln has come to a full circle, going from birth at the beginning, death in the center, and once again mentioning birth. The cycle of life and death is applied to the nation. Although the nation was once strong and anew and now in ruins, the country will once again rise up and be reborn from the ashes. The concepts of liberty that led to the birth of the nation echoes in the term “freedom”, giving into the idea that the similar ideals that led to the birth of the country will continue to strengthen and persevere, allowing the country to be reborn. This drawn-out metaphor appealed to the masses, leading to a sense of empowerment to the people as they realize that peace will come at the end of the