1a. Lincoln refers to an event "Four score and seven years ago." To what date and event is he referring?
2a. Why does Lincoln say that, in a larger sense, he cannot consecrate the cemetery? Who has consecrated it better than he or the audience can?
3a. To what cause does Lincoln ask that his listeners dedicate themselves?
4a. Lincoln uses the word "dedicate" six times in the course of this brief speech. Look up the word and decide which of its meanings Lincoln intended.
5a. Lincoln said, "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here." However, this speech has been repeated for over one hundred years, and many students have memorized it. Why do you think this speech has touched Americans so deeply since 1863? Assess what makes The Gettysburg Address such a memorable speech.
1b. Why does Lincoln begin by referring to the principles of the founders of the United States? What emotions does he hope to evoke in his listeners?
2b. What was "the last full measure of devotion" that the soldiers demonstrated?
3b. Under what circumstances would the dead have died in vain? What can the listeners do to ensure that the deaths were not futile?
4b. Summarize the most important message that Lincoln is trying to make.
5b. When the anonymous writer of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and Lincoln thought about the audience for their writing, they may have wanted to evoke similar emotions. What emotions do you think each author was hoping to inspire?
Parallelism. Review the definition for parallelism in the Handbook of Literary Terms. Lincoln uses parallelism extensively in the final sentence of the selection. For example, he repeats the modifier and noun in the series of prepositional phrases "of the people, by the people, for the people" in his description of democratic government. Make a chart listing the three examples of parallelism that begin with that, and paraphrase each one. The first example has been done for you.
6a. Example of Parallelism
Antithesis. Review the definition of antithesis in the Handbook of Literary Terms. What other examples of antithesis did you find in Lincoln's speech?
1. Write an 1864 prediction for the United States based on Lincoln's stated and implied hopes for the country. For your audience, imagine the same group of people who assembled to hear The Gettysburg Address.
2. Write a monument inscription to accompany a monument dedicated to unknown, fallen soldiers at the Gettysburg National Cemetery.
3. Imagine that it is November 19, 1863, and that you are a Confederate spy in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Write a report intended for Confederate leaders, about the speech that Lincoln has just given.
Achieving Parallelism. Read the Language Arts Survey 3.38, "Achieving Parallelism." Then rewrite each of the following sentences below using parallel structure.
1. Our ancestors brought forth a new nation conceived in liberty and it was also being dedicated to the principle of equality for all people.
2. It is fitting and proper to dedicate the cemetery and setting aside a portion of it to the fallen soldiers.
3. The brave men who were fighting and died here consecrated the ground better than we can.
4. The world does not note nor will it remember what we say here.
5. We must resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain and to dedicate ourselves to the preservation of the nation.
Using a Thesaurus.Rewrite The Gettysburg Address in everyday language. Use a thesaurus to find appropriate synonyms as you translate the main ideas of the speech into the language of today. You may want to read the Language Arts Survey 5.22, "Using a Thesaurus."
Researching the Gettysburg Campaign. With two or three classmates, research an aspect of the Gettysburg campaign. You might choose from these topics: "Battle Preparations," "Pickett's Charge," "Cavalry Strategy," "Criticism of Lee and Meade," and "Turning Point of the War." Take notes as you do your research.
Researching the Gettysburg Campaign:
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