An Analysis of the Gettysburg Address based on the following prompt-

In the last paragraph of “The Gettysburg Address,” Abraham Lincoln shifts the focus of his speech away from what he says is its purpose at the end of the second paragraph. Initially, the battlefield at Gettysburg is dedicated to the memory of the soldiers that fought and died for a nation created on the tenets of liberty, democracy, and equality. The fourth sentence of the last paragraph creates a transition that juxtaposes the memory of the dead with the work that lies ahead for the living in rebuilding the nation in freedom. The audience assembled at Gettysburg was comprised of everyday people like you and I that Lincoln challenged to join together and dedicate their efforts to maintaining democracy.

The word dedicate is a refrain that President Lincoln uses throughout the speech, which takes on varying connotations and culminates into a new meaning by the end. In the first paragraph, the word first appears in connection with the Declaration of Independence when our forefathers created a nation devoted to liberty and equality of man. The word dedicate in this instance closely resembles commit.  Next, dedicate is used in the second paragraph alongside Lincoln’s mention that the nation, which was founded upon the abovementioned ideals of liberty and equality,  is engaged in civil war and being tested to see if it can last. Dedicate, in this sense, means determine, as the nation is determined to the cause of man’s equality. Also in the second paragraph, Lincoln declares that the people gathered at Gettysburg are there to dedicate part of the battlefield to those that gave their lives in service of the nation. Dedicate most closely means to honor here because the portion of land is being dedicated to the memory of the fallen soldiers in honor of their memory.

In the third paragraph, Lincoln uses dedicate three more times. He states in the first sentence that, “we cannot dedicate—we cannot consecrate—we cannot hallow this ground.” Dedicate is synonymous with consecrate or bless here, as the battlefield has been marked as sacred because of its designation as the final resting place for soldiers that fought and died in the Civil War. Lincoln said in the fourth sentence of the last paragraph, “It is for the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.”  Dedicate in this context means for the living to remember the past and devote their efforts to mending the broken pieces of the nation. Rather is a transitional word Lincoln used to convey a course of action instead of what was proposed in the previous paragraph.

Instead of merely honoring the dead and consecrating the ground at Gettysburg, the people assembled that represent the people of the nation must take action. Dedicate was previously used in the second paragraph in connection with dedicating the hallowed ground to the soldiers that fought for freedom, and the meaning of the word changes in the third paragraph when it is the people themselves that must dedicate their efforts to the great task of maintaining liberty for all men. Sacrifices must be made to foster democracy in the nation. If the people of the nation do not heed Lincoln’s call, then the soldiers that fought for freedom will have died in vain. In essence, the president speaks of life coming from death, and the belief that the dead can nourish our spirits. Lincoln understood the importance of the future well-being of the nation at stake and that is why he emphasized this call to action.
Lincoln was mistaken when he said, “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here...” The Gettysburg address is one of the most memorable oratories in American history for its simple eloquence. Its words are no less relevant today than when they were spoken in 1863. We are still called upon by Lincoln to fulfill our duty to preserve freedom and uphold the principles of self-government. Speeches are often made to rouse people into action. The shift that Lincoln creates by design in the last paragraph in his speech is one that transitions from words to actions.

-by Chris Moye