Rhetoric in Speech - Essay Example

Rhetoric in Speech Lincoln’s capability to speak with eloquence and force greatly helped him in winning the CivilWar especially his role as a motivator and often an inspiring teacher to all. He largely influenced the troops and the American citizens than any other war event. Lincoln’s ability was immense in changing institutions and revolutionizing various institutions. McPherson explains that, “caution, prudent adherence to tested values; avoidance of rashness, and reliance upon unhurried, peaceable evolution, [then] Lincoln was a conservative” (23).

Lincoln’s influence can be felt throughout the generations and the words he used were quite conservative since he mostly used the words like preserve and union. Lincoln had three major characteristics in his rhetoric including a logical arguer, national leader and an inspirational speaker as explained in this writing. Lincoln talked of what he strongly believed in and said it forcefully while incorporating rhetorical power with friendly adjectives in explaining their force (Robinson Web). Lincoln respected meanings of words, wrote, and spoke with a lot of creativity and consummate skill in logical analysis.

Lincoln put his thought in a profound way with dignity and humour as well as a pungent language with a lot of art of timing. Lincoln understood the art of timing, was a master of balance, and had an ear for rhythm, which came with a lot of effort. He tried out his ideas on individuals before immortalizing them in his state papers and his letters were second to the rhetorical skills he manifested in his formal and informal speeches that allowed him to engage his opponents in a single man dialogue.

He used rhetorical techniques such as repetition and jabbing interrogatory as well as anticipation of a question or objection was common in his speeches. Lincoln was an orator with clear, sincere and natural with no pretence since he spoke what he thought. Lincoln did not bother to impress and he persuaded his listeners mainly with facts and logic that made him obligated to be moral rhetoric to the country. Lincoln used conceptual language, which also served as metaphorical (Romm Web). Generally, he was a master of metaphors and smiles of some life’s common things that he used to strengthen and add vividness as well as clarity to his thoughts and arguments.

Lincoln’s thoughts and ideas moved freely in the language of imagery with no elements of false pride in words but rather several figures of speech, which formed part of the English language. Images used by Lincoln were from the frontier with which he was familiar owing to his naturalness and familiarity. Moreover, Lincoln was a persuader who engaged his opponents through reasoned argument making them to want to agree with him. He mostly employed boisterous mockery, hurtful sarcasm and swift wordplay.

He used stories to pass his information and ridicule helped him as a negative medium of refuting other people’s points his destructive humours served him well while applying logical reasoning, exaggeration and frontier language by refuting spurious logic with logic (Romm Web). Although illiterate, Lincoln he made a name for himself I different fields including politics and law through self-education and won wars using strong speeches which included logic, patriotism, inspiration and plethora of metaphors as well as interesting stories to entice the audience.

Lincoln’s communication sensation is evident in the way he used figurative language particularly the metaphor. He used the metaphors in bringing life to his speeches. In his First Annual Address to Congress, he asserted that, “With rebellion thus sugar-coated, they have been drugging the public mind of their section for more than thirty years” (96). Lincoln’s creativity in the use of rhetoric and metaphor was purely out of his own creativity. He never feared committing a wrong but always believed so much in himself particularly his ability of being creative in persuasion even while negotiating with enemies.

Lincoln represented the level of creativity a man can be without the formal school system, which Ken Robinson argues that kills creativity (McPherson 110). Ken Robinson believes that finding passion changes absolutely everything. Robinson argues that the formal system changes the way an individual thinks which in most cases is out of that person’s creativity (Web). Lincoln’s speech at the Soldier’s National Cemetery in Gettysburg in Pennsylvania where he uses repetition twice and other figurative and symbolic languages are one of the most quoted speeches in history (Romm Web).

In his second inaugural speech, he indicated that the parties involved should stay together as a unity because they did not expect the war or even did not know about the consequences of the war (McPherson 42). He largely inspired people with the speech by encouraging them to finish their work, fix wounds and embrace peace amongst themselves thus making the speech one of the most famous speeches because he focused at the future. Lincoln remains a significant figure because of his ability to instil hope in America particularly when people were facing hardest times when America was split in half due to dissension.

His speeches have always and still influence America especially at the time of turmoil, during civil war, the secessions and during the abolition of slavery hence making him an important figure in the United States. As an orator, he did commendable job due to his capability to incorporate metaphoric and figurative languages and the fact that he was a logical arguer with the skills and knowledge he acquired from the books and poetry. Works Cited McPherson, James M. How Lincoln Won the War with Metaphors.

Fort Wayne, Ind: Louis A. Warren Lincoln Library and Museum, 1985. Print. Robinson, Ken. Do Schools Kill Creativity? The Huffington Post, 7 Dec. 2012. Web. 13 Dec.2013. . Romm, Joe. How to be as persuasive as Abraham Lincoln: Study the figures of speech and Shakespeare. Climate Progress, 12 Feb. 2010. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. .