Victory Spirit
William Safire and James Wood are two different people, with different ideas, different views, but do have similar writing styles. In William Safire’s “A Spirit Reborn” he talks about the Gettysburg Address in comparison to 9/11 and he also analyzes the Gettysburg Address in more depth and has a specific purpose for writing his article. On the other hand in James Wood’s “Victory Speech” he talks about how President Obama flowed through different things, Wood also analyzes certain details of Obama’s speech, and offers some critique.
“Now, as then, a national spirit rose from the ashes of destruction” (Safire 41). The Gettysburg Address was given after a horrible incident, with very tragic losses. By going through these destructive events, our nation becomes stronger, and more bonded together. After 9/11, the Gettysburg Address was reborn to bring us remembrance, togetherness and encouragement through tough times. In his essay, Safire states that 9/11 was “the worst bloodbath on our territory since Antietam Creek” (41). By bringing back past events such as the battle of Antietam, Safire probably strikes a lot of strong emotion from his readers by using it in comparison to 9/11. To reuse a speech such as the Gettysburg Address at a time such as after 9/11 was unlikely to be thought of, since they were two different events, 138 years apart.
In Safire’s article in the New York Times, he analyzes the Gettysburg Address in more detail. He talks about how “you will hear the word dedicate five times” (Safire 42), and what each one of them stand for. For example, he says the first two refer to “the nation’s dedication to two ideals mentioned in the Declaration of Independence… ‘Liberty’… ‘that all men are created equal” (Safire 42). The third is pointed towards a certain blessing of the location of the battle of Gettysburg, and the fourth and fifth dedications are directed back to the thoughts of liberty and that all men are created equal, for which the deceased men of
“Now, as then, a national spirit rose from the ashes of destruction” (Safire 41). The Gettysburg Address was given after a horrible incident, with very tragic losses. By going through these destructive events, our nation becomes stronger, and more bonded together. After 9/11, the Gettysburg Address was reborn to bring us remembrance, togetherness and encouragement through tough times. In his essay, Safire states that 9/11 was “the worst bloodbath on our territory since Antietam Creek” (41). By bringing back past events such as the battle of Antietam, Safire probably strikes a lot of strong emotion from his readers by using it in comparison to 9/11. To reuse a speech such as the Gettysburg Address at a time such as after 9/11 was unlikely to be thought of, since they were two different events, 138 years apart.
In Safire’s article in the New York Times, he analyzes the Gettysburg Address in more detail. He talks about how “you will hear the word dedicate five times” (Safire 42), and what each one of them stand for. For example, he says the first two refer to “the nation’s dedication to two ideals mentioned in the Declaration of Independence… ‘Liberty’… ‘that all men are created equal” (Safire 42). The third is pointed towards a certain blessing of the location of the battle of Gettysburg, and the fourth and fifth dedications are directed back to the thoughts of liberty and that all men are created equal, for which the deceased men of
Cited: Safire, William “A Spirit Reborn,” “The Norton Field Guide to Writing.”: With Readings Ed. Richard Bullock, Maureen Daily Goggin, New York: Norton, 2009. 41-43. Print. Wood, James “Victory Speech, “The Norton Field Guide to Writing.”: With Readings Ed. Richard Bullock, Maureen Daily Goggin, New York: Norton, 2009. 610-612. Print.