Abraham Lincoln, 1863

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

• US president (1860-1865)• Leading U.S.A through the Civil War• Preserving the Union•Ending slavery

• a symbol of American dream / opportunity (his journey from a Kentucky log cabin to the White House)

Lincoln who had once described military glory as “that attractive rainbow that rises in showers of blood – that serpent’s eye that charms to destroy” became a great war leader only because it was necessary to preserve the Union.

“With malice toward none, with charity for all … let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations.”

Consecration of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 19, 1863

To dedicate the soldiers killed there at the July 1–3, 1863, Battle of Gettysburg where the Union armies defeated those of the Confederacy

Bring forth: produce, give birth to, bring into being, bear, yield (offspring, fruit, flowers, natural products, effects, results)

Dedicate: vt. 1) devote (to the Deity or to a sacred person or purpose) with solemn rites以庄严的仪式将… 奉献 /供奉 /纪念（给上帝、圣徒、神圣的目的等）； 2) give or devote (oneself, time, effort, etc) to (a noble cause or purpose)将（自己、时间、精力等）奉献给（崇高的事业或目的）； 3 ） open formally to the public; inaugurate, make public（为建筑物、公共机构等）举行落成仪式

Consecrate: 1) set apart as sacred; to officially make or declare holy 使……圣化，把……视为神圣 ; 2) devote or dedicate to some purpose, implying devotion to some cherished principle or pursuit奉献

Hallow: make holy, sanctify, purify; consecrate, dedicate; honor … as holy, regard or treat with reverence or awe; keep … holy 使……成为神圣，尊崇

Perish: (of a person) to die, esp. in an accident or by being killed, or (of a thing) to be destroyed卒，丧生，被摧毁，毁灭，消亡

1. What words does Lincoln use to describe the United States in the opening sentence?

2. For what reason, according to Lincoln, are he and those in the audience gathered together?

3. According to Lincoln, who has already consecrated the Gettysburg battlefield?

4. In Lincoln’s opinion, to what should “the living” dedicate themselves?

5. How does Lincoln describe the government of the United States?

1. How is the nation being tested?2. What are the “unfinished work” and

the “great task remaining before us”?3. Which political document serves as the

foundation of Lincoln’s address? 4. What is the implication of the words

“the nation shall have a new birth of freedom”?

5. What does the final description of the US government mean?

1. What was Lincoln’s purpose in presenting the Gettysburg address?

2. What is Lincoln’s tone in his speech? How does that tone support his message?

3. The speech is often quoted. What, in your opinion, makes it so memorable and inspiring?

1. Parallelism2. Antithesis3. Repetition4. Allusion5. Conciseness

1. Definition: the use of a series of words, phrases, or sentences that have similar grammatical form.

2. Effect / Purpose: - helps words flow together - calls attention to important ideas - unifies different ideas in a composition3. Identify the parallelism used in the

speech and explain how it ties together ideas in the speech.

1. “of the people, by the people, for the people”(para.3)

2. “we can not … we can not … we can not…”(para.3)

3. “It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work… It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us …”(para.3)

4. “- that … - that … - that …”

1. The dead and living soldiers vs. the living people who have not fought on the battlefield

2. The new nation conceived in Liberty 87 years ago vs. the new birth of freedom