Parallelism. Parallelism is a rhetorical technique in which a writer emphasizes the equal value or weight of two or more ideas by expressing them in the same grammatical form. As you read, look for examples of parallelism in The Gettysburg Address.
Antithesis. Antithesis is a rhetorical technique in which words, phrases, or ideas are strongly contrasted, often by means of a repetition of grammatical structure. Here is an example of antithesis in The Gettysburg Address: “as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live.” As you read, look for other examples of antithesis in Lincoln’s speech.
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On November 19, 1863, Lincoln delivered his famous address at the dedication of the national cemetery at Gettysburg. Gettysburg had been the site of one of the bloodiest battles in the Civil War; in July 1863, Union and Confederate troops fought for a grueling three days on the usually peaceful farmlands of Pennsylvania. Many historians feel that this battle signified the turning point of the Civil War. However, at the time that Lincoln gave his speech, the war was still unfinished.
In light of the bitterness of the conflict, one of the most remarkable aspects of The Gettysburg Address is its avoidance of angry or inflammatory rhetoric that would incite listeners to further hostility against the enemy. Instead, the speech focuses on the sacrifice of the participants in the battle and the need for rededication to the principles of the nation’s founders. There was a sharp contrast between this simple three-paragraph speech and the two-hour address by well-known orator Edward Everett that preceded it. In fact, Lincoln’s speech was considered unimportant at the time of its delivery. The version of The Gettysburg Address that you are about to read was edited by Lincoln after he gave the speech.
| The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln
On being asked to replace a general: “It is best not to swap horses while crossing the river.”
On charity toward one’s enemies: “Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?”
On deception: “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all of the time.”
On government: “No man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent.”
On perseonal apparance: “The Lord prefers common-looking people. That is the reason He makes so many of them.”
On slavery: “I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere should be free.”
On voting: “The ballot is stronger than the bullet.”
To Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of the popular antislavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin: “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war!”
On a book: “People who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like.”
On slavery: “In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free,—honorable alike in what we give and what we preserve.”
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If you were the leader of a group that needed encouragement, what would you say to inspire your followers to continue their struggle?
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