Lincoln Uses Parallel Structure To

Coming into his second term as president, Lincoln had to write his second inaugural address knowing that he had to face southerners that are not willing to accept their loss against the union. In “Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address” Lincoln built his main purpose to stay strong and unify the nation using various rhetorical strategies such as parallel structure, biblical references, and rhetorical questions.

Lincoln uses the rhetorical strategy of parallel structure various times throughout his address. Lincoln states that “all dreaded it–all sought to avert it” this is an example of parallel structure because it’s trying to say the same thing.

That a civil war was so fearful that all were trying to avoid a war. Another example of parallel structure lincoln used in his speech is “both read the same bible, and pray to the same god”. This is talking about two different figures who read the same bible and pray to that same god in the bible.

Another example of parallel structure in the speech is when Lincoln said “but let us judge not that we be not judged.” This means that we should not be judged so that we don’t get judged. In “Lincoln’s Second Inaugural address” Lincoln uses parallel structure to build his main point to stay strong and unify the nation.

Second Inaugural Address Annotated

Lincoln also uses rhetorical questions to build his main point in his second inaugural address. The one big rhetorical question he asks is “If we shall suppose that American Slavery is one of those offences which, in the province of god, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, he now wills to remove, and that he gives to both north and south, this terrible war, as the woe due to those by whom the offence came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living god always ascribe to him?” This question keeps referring to “He” and he is god and its questioning why would god pu…