“Four Score and seven years ago” this infamous speech starts out. Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address might be the most patriotic and empowering speeches one might ever find. What is it that makes this speech so inspiring is the countless amount of rhetorical devices it uses. Despite the short length of his speech, Lincoln crams in a number of empowering rhetorical devices including polysyndeton, anaphora, and epistrophe.
The speech opens with a sentence that any average American can recite from heart: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” (sent. 1). In this first sentence Abraham displayed the rhetorical device of asyndeton or, deliberate omission of conjunctions. Asyndeton is shown in the middle of the sentence. Abe uses this rhetorical device to give more meaning and power to the sentence and also to build a climax up to the end of the statement. Another rhetorical device used by Abe is anaphora(repetition of the same word or groups of words at the beginning of successive phrases). Anaphora is used in the phrase, “We can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground” (sent. 7). The words we can not are repeated in succession at the beginning of each phrase showing the anaphora that Lincoln used. He uses this rhetorical device to repetitively pound the idea into the audience his belief that the people cannot honor or disturb the battle ground of Gettysburg because they are unworthy of it. The most powerful rhetorical device used in Abraham Lincoln’s address by far is epistrophe. Epistrophe is a repetition of the same word or group of words at the end of successive phases. Epistrophe is very similar to anaphora yet it leaves a very different impact on the audience. In one of the single most powerful statement known to America, Abe uses epistrophe in the final sentence of the address by saying, “and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” (sent. 10). The sentence alone leaves any American reading it with goosebumps. In the final sentence, Abe shows epistrophe when repeating the words ‘the people’ in successive phrases. Lincoln does this three consecutive times to repetitively show that the people are of high importance and that the people are what make the government run efficiently.
At Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most empowering speeches ever spoken in United States history. It is known as one of the greatest largely due to some of the rhetorical devices that he uses in his speech. Because of the Gettysburg Address, the American people have been reminded that - of the people, by the people, and for the people - anything is possible.
The speech opens with a sentence that any average American can recite from heart: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” (sent. 1). In this first sentence Abraham displayed the rhetorical device of asyndeton or, deliberate omission of conjunctions. Asyndeton is shown in the middle of the sentence. Abe uses this rhetorical device to give more meaning and power to the sentence and also to build a climax up to the end of the statement. Another rhetorical device used by Abe is anaphora(repetition of the same word or groups of words at the beginning of successive phrases). Anaphora is used in the phrase, “We can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground” (sent. 7). The words we can not are repeated in succession at the beginning of each phrase showing the anaphora that Lincoln used. He uses this rhetorical device to repetitively pound the idea into the audience his belief that the people cannot honor or disturb the battle ground of Gettysburg because they are unworthy of it. The most powerful rhetorical device used in Abraham Lincoln’s address by far is epistrophe. Epistrophe is a repetition of the same word or group of words at the end of successive phases. Epistrophe is very similar to anaphora yet it leaves a very different impact on the audience. In one of the single most powerful statement known to America, Abe uses epistrophe in the final sentence of the address by saying, “and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” (sent. 10). The sentence alone leaves any American reading it with goosebumps. In the final sentence, Abe shows epistrophe when repeating the words ‘the people’ in successive phrases. Lincoln does this three consecutive times to repetitively show that the people are of high importance and that the people are what make the government run efficiently.
At Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most empowering speeches ever spoken in United States history. It is known as one of the greatest largely due to some of the rhetorical devices that he uses in his speech. Because of the Gettysburg Address, the American people have been reminded that - of the people, by the people, and for the people - anything is possible.