Exploring the Text

1. What does Abraham Lincoln refer to in the first sentence? Explain the effect of this reference.

   Chapter 13 - The Gettysburg Address - Exploring the Text: What does Abraham Lincoln refer to in the first sentence? Explain the effect of this reference.
2. How would you describe the tone of this speech?

   Chapter 13 - The Gettysburg Address - Exploring the Text: How would you describe the tone of this speech?
3. When Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address, the audience was quite surprised by how short it was: a mere 272 words. Do you think it should have been longer? Why or why not? Notice what he does not mention; for instance, there is no mention of the enemy. Discuss the rhetorical effect of such brevity.

   Chapter 13 - The Gettysburg Address - Exploring the Text: When Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address, the audience was quite surprised by how short it was: a mere 272 words. Do you think it should have been longer? Why or why not? Notice what he does not mention; for instance, there is no mention of the enemy. Discuss the rhetorical effect of such brevity.
4. Indicate examples of repeated diction. What is the purpose and effect of these repetitions?

   Chapter 13 - The Gettysburg Address - Exploring the Text: Indicate examples of repeated diction. What is the purpose and effect of these repetitions?
5. Identify examples of diction that relate to life and to death. What is the effect of such language?

   Chapter 13 - The Gettysburg Address - Exploring the Text: Identify examples of diction that relate to life and to death. What is the effect of such language?
6. Indicate as many examples of parallel structures, juxtapositions, and antitheses that you can find. Explain their effect.

   Chapter 13 - The Gettysburg Address - Exploring the Text: Indicate as many examples of parallel structures, juxtapositions, and antitheses that you can find. Explain their effect.
7. Note the rhetorical shift indicated by “But . . .” in sentence 6. What is its purpose and effect?

   Chapter 13 - The Gettysburg Address - Exploring the Text: Note the rhetorical shift indicated by “But . . .” in sentence 6. What is its purpose and effect?
8. What is the “great task remaining before us” that Lincoln mentions in sentence 10?

   Chapter 13 - The Gettysburg Address - Exploring the Text: What is the “great task remaining before us” that Lincoln mentions in sentence 10?
9. In such a short speech, the final sentence is notable for its length (eighty-two words, roughly 30 percent of the total) and complexity. How do the style and rhetoric of the final sentence contribute to the speech as a whole?

   Chapter 13 - The Gettysburg Address - Exploring the Text: In such a short speech, the final sentence is notable for its length (eighty-two words, roughly 30 percent of the total) and complexity. How do the style and rhetoric of the final sentence contribute to the speech as a whole?
10. Considering the importance of the speech, note how ironic it is that Lincoln said, “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here” (sentence 8). Why do you think this speech has endured?

    Chapter 13 - The Gettysburg Address - Exploring the Text: Considering the importance of the speech, note how ironic it is that Lincoln said, “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here” (sentence 8). Why do you think this speech has endured?
11. The historian Gary Wills titled his historical and rhetorical analysis of the Gettysburg Address Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America (1992). That title, and the book as a whole, makes a mighty strong claim about the speech. Do you think that it is a reasonable claim? Drawing on your knowledge of U.S. history, discuss the extent to which Wills’s title accurately characterizes the importance of the speech.

    Chapter 13 - The Gettysburg Address - Exploring the Text: The historian Gary Wills titled his historical and rhetorical analysis of the Gettysburg Address Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America (1992). That title, and the book as a whole, makes a mighty strong claim about the speech. Do you think that it is a reasonable claim? Drawing on your knowledge of U.S. history, discuss the extent to which Wills’s title accurately characterizes the importance of the speech.
12. Read “The Gettysburg PowerPoint Presentation” by Peter Norvig. What is the object of Norvig’s satire? Do you find it effective? Refer to Lincoln’s speech as well as your own experience with PowerPoint demonstrations to support your answer.

    Chapter 13 - The Gettysburg Address - Exploring the Text: Read “The Gettysburg PowerPoint Presentation” by Peter Norvig. What is the object of Norvig’s satire? Do you find it effective? Refer to Lincoln’s speech as well as your own experience with PowerPoint demonstrations to support your answer.