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Response Paper: The Gettysburg Address

“Lincoln’s Address at Gettysburg is quite literally one of America’s definitive documents. Construct a pentad based on Lincoln’s view of Gettysburg in his address & explain how it works.”

Pentad:

SCENE: dismal battlefield where soldiers have died
AGENCY: sadness over the dead, compassion, empathy
AGENT: confident and persistent president
ACT: reassuring speech
PURPOSE: to reassure the people that there will be unity once again

The “Gettysburg Address” was given in Gettysburg for a reason. Having the speech delivered at the Soldiers National Cemetery made the people witness firsthand the effects of the Civil War. Soldiers, who were sons and fathers, had died for the cause they fought for.

This scene of the dismal battlefield where real people, real soldiers, had died made an opening for the use of an agency comprised of sadness, compassion, and empathy. These agencies were used during the speech to draw on the emotions of the nation.

They brought to light the fact that no matter what side a citizen supported; the whole nation remained made up of humans.

The speech itself was given by a President Lincoln who exuded confidence and persistence in his words. Several times in the address, in different ways, he mentioned that the United States would endure through the war, implying that it would be united once again. He stated the nation would have a “new birth of freedom”. These words gave people hope and comfort in the time of war.

Hence, the Gettysburg Address served as a reassuring speech to the nation. Its purpose was to provide the people with a sense of confidence in the idea that the nation would be reunited peacefully once again.