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Gettysburg Address Analysis Essay

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Gettysburg Address Analysis Essay
Yurchenko, Anton
Period 1
Due 11/19/13
Gettysburg Address Analysis

The Gettysburg Address, by Abraham Lincoln has a straightforward meaning, but also a deep, intricate design that conveys the thoughts of our past president. Given on November 19, 1863, this speech was a response to the American Civil War, and was given at the National Cemetery of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, which was on of the bloodiest and conclusive battles of the war. There were five known copies of the speech, each slightly different from the other, all of which conveyed the same purpose. The Gettysburg Address was written to address the problems of the current and future nation and dedication to equality and the sacrifices made during the war that should be contributed to the nation’s success, not demise. The purpose of the speech is for Lincoln to convey his idea of our nation, to circle the ideas of our founding fathers and for the fallen to not have died in vain. In the text, Lincoln says: “It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us-that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last measure of devotion-that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.” The quote translated into a simpler tense encircles the following sentence. It is for us, the living, to dedicate our efforts to finish the task of those who died in their last efforts, to make sure that they did not die for no reason. What he is trying to convey is both the topic of conserving the original idea of equality and to honor those who have died in battle. The last part of the quote directly supports the claim of honoring the ones who have died in an attempt to hold the sense that they have not died in vain. This is supported through the phrases, “…from these honored dead we take increased devotion…they gave [their] last measure of devotion…these dead shall not have died in vain”. The idea of conserving the “proposition

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