Gettysburg Address By: Abraham Lincoln AP Language and Composition Rhetorical Analysis Practice #3

Clip from Saving Lincoln

Recipe for Success Claim: WHAT did the speaker do? Warrant: HOW did the speaker do it? Impact: WHY did the speaker do it?

Main Claim/Thesis Statement “…of the people, by the people, and for the people…” Lincoln’s last line of the Gettysburg Address, “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” is a call to action that appeals to democracy.

Claim/Warrant /Impact #1 “…of the people, by the people, and for the people…” Lincoln concludes his speech with the rhythm of parallel structure in order to help his audience remember what the United States was founded on and what the union can become again.

Claim/Warrant /Impact #2 “…of the people, by the people, and for the people…” Additionally, Lincoln creates this parallelism through epistrophe, a repetition at the end of successive clauses. Repetition is an effective rhetorical tool as it elevates the need for “the people” to react and respond favorably to his plea to dedicate themselves to this “great task”.

Claim/Warrant /Impact #3 “…of the people, by the people, and for the people…” In an effort to be concise, asyndeton is also used to show the imminent need for action, as Lincoln deliberately omits conjunctions in this series of clauses.

End Claim/Warrant /Impact “…of the people, by the people, and for the people…” Lincoln ends his speech with a call to action, appealing to and inspiring his audience through the aesthetics of parallelism, repetition of epistrophe, and timing of asyndeton.

Create a SOAPSTone for the Speech S= Speaker O= Occasion A = Audience P= Purpose S= Subject T= Tone

SOAPSTone Practice Each group will focus on one specific element of SOAPSTone. Compose 2-3 claim/warrant/impact sentences for your element as it pertains to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Create a visual of the paragraph for the class and be ready to present in 15 minutes.