Rhetorical Analysis Of The Gettysburg Address

Abraham Lincoln uses anaphora, antithesis, and allusion in his speech, "The Gettysburg Address", to motivate and inspire fellow Americans to finish the almost-completed task that the soldiers fought for , equality.
In the third paragraph, President Lincoln declares, "we can not dedicate-we can not consecrate-we can not hallow-this ground." Abraham is referring to the field in which the Battle of Gettysburg was fought. He believes that the Americans should dedicate the field to the soldiers, that we should make it sacred. Lincoln, then, corrects himself by saying that we cannot make the ground holy or sacred, for the soldiers have hallowed it more than we ever could. He uses this anaphora to emphasize to his comgregation that it is not possible
for the living to hallow the ground. By emphasizing that the dead soldiers "have consecrated [the field], far above our poor power," he is glorrifying the soldiers' courage to fight for equality. If a soldier's will to fight for the country's value can make such an impact, the average citizen can make a difference too.
Abraham Lincoln also uses antithesis in his speech several times. Lincoln states, "the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here..." Lincoln is implying that the future generations will not care for what they discuss, which is ironic as well, but that the fight and struggle that the soldiers went through should be long remembered. Lincoln itilizes this antithesis to create a balance between those who speak for their beliefs, to those who fight for theirs. He also lends a greater insight and reminds the audience that the future will be affected by their actions, and if they do not fight for their beliefs, equality, then they will fail the task that the dead have "thus far so nobly advanced."