Allusion In Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

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Abraham Lincoln writes his second inaugural speech about the civil war. There were many different opinions going around the country and it was creating a divide. These clash of opinions were also causing lots of unnecessary bloodshed. Using tone, logos, allusion, etc., he is able to make his point easy and clear for the citizens to understand without having a lengthy speech to try and persuade their opinions. His point being that both sides are to blame and that they should end the war and start reconstructing the country back into what it was.

Throughout the beginning to Lincoln uses logic and creates a serious tone for the speech. He says there is “less occasion for and extended address,” and that there is “little that is new that could be presented.” When Lincoln says this, he is talking about the issue of slavery. He is saying that everyone has already covered this issue and tried persuading them over it, so there is no need for him to do that. The logic he used is executed very well and makes sense since at this point in the war people are …show more content…
He states that everyone “reads the same Bible and prays to the same God.” By saying this, he notes that between all of this conflict of differences there is still one thing that unites everyone. On the contrary, he also is saying that he can’t stand on a side that asks God to go against the other. For some of the citizens, this is probably what really hit home to them and made them realize that something needed to be done. This is probably the exact reaction Lincoln wanted from them when using pathos from something that most people of that time were passionate about.

Through many rhetorical devices, Lincoln was able to drive his point across and make it clear that this is a war that could have been avoided if both sides could have agreed on something or at least prevented it. Good news is that one month after this speech was given, the Civil War
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