Abraham Lincoln was asked to give a few remarks at a dedication ceremony in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and his brief address resonated through the heartland of America and became one of the most
significant orations in history. This assignment requires you to explore the rich meaning behind the eloquent words of Lincoln and analyze the impact his words made on society and the ideals of
freedom.
Review the links and view the video of The Gettysburg Address below. Read the “Gettysburg Address” multiple times. Make certain that at least one of those readings is done aloud, but only after you
have read and reread the speech silently to get a feel for the cadence, the rhythm, and the rich language choices that Lincoln made in drafting the speech.
After you have read the speech a number of times, slowly deconstruct the speech, looking for these elements:
Elements of immediacy: What words or phrases speak directly to the audience and ask them to become participants in the speech?
Parallelism: What words or phrases were carefully chosen to mimic earlier patterns or echo key phrasings?
Juxtaposition: How does Lincoln attempt to compare the fallen soldiers with the living humans who have attended the dedication ceremony?
After pondering the three aspects noted above, write a response using the following prompt as the topic sentence for your response:
Having read Abraham Lincoln’s famous address, I noticed these characteristics related to his attempts to engage his audience, his careful phrasings at key moments of the speech, and his comparison
between the soldiers who died and the audience members who have assembled to honor the war dead.
https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=36&page=transcript
https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/gettysburg-address
