Out of Many, One: Rhetoric in The Gettysburg Address and "O Captain! My Captain!"

Read this excerpt from Lincoln's "The Gettysburg Address." But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate - we cannot consecrate - we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. Which line from Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!" appeals to the audience's emotions in a similar way?

My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;

Read this line from "O Captain! My Captain!". The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won; What does "the prize we sought is won" refer to?

The North has won the Civil War.

Read these lines from "O Captain! My Captain!". O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells; Rise up - for you the flag is flung - for you the bugle trills; For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths - for you the shores a-crowding; For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning; What is the speaker referring to in these lines?

The people of the country are celebrating Lincoln's victory.

Read Lincoln's statement from "The Gettysburg Address." The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. Which point is Lincoln trying to make?

The progress made by the soldiers has more impact than words.

Which statement best describes the significance of comparing Lincoln's death to the death of a captain on his ship in "O Captain! My Captain!"?

When a ship captain dies, it is a tragedy, because he is the leader of the boat, just as Lincoln was the leader of the country.

Which extended metaphor does Whitman use throughout "O Captain! My Captain!?"

Whitman compares Lincoln to a ship captain

Read Lincoln's statement from "The Gettysburg Address." Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation: conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. In this excerpt, Lincoln uses brevity to make an emotional impact

by making a clear point that the country was founded upon equality for all.

Read Lincoln's statement from "The Gettysburg Address." But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate - we cannot consecrate - we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. In this excerpt, Lincoln uses brevity to create a dramatic impact

by repeating how people cannot make the land as sacred as the soldiers have.

Read Lincoln's statement from "The Gettysburg Address." It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. Which impact is Lincoln most likely hoping to achieve with the above statement?

for people to continue the unfinished work of the soldiers

Read these excerpts. Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address." It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!". Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells! But I, with mournful tread, Walk the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead. Which rhetorical appeal do both excerpts use?

pathos: the use of emotional appeals to affect the audience's feelings