Critical Standard of Lincoln's 2nd Inaugural Address and Essay

Critical Standard of Lincoln's 2nd Inaugural Address and - Essay Example With this argument, he was able to make a case for the necessity of having both North and South work to clean up the damage left behind by war. Although the speech is widely recognized as a rhetorical device, it is not always clearly expressed what exactly comprises a rhetorical device. In other words, while experts claim the speech is rhetorical, they don’t define why it is rhetorical – what elements are required in order to classify a speech as rhetorical. Understanding the rhetorical structure of Lincoln’s speech requires first understanding rhetoric. In attempting to understand just what elements should be looked for or understood as a means of identifying rhetoric, it is helpful to examine the field of rhetorical study. One theorist, Lloyd Bitzer, provides a relatively straight-forward answer regarding how to identify rhetoric by suggesting there are three essential components – exigence, audience and a set of constraints. The first component of Bitzer’s theory regarding rhetoric is the concept of exigence. The American Heritage Dictionary defines this term as â€Å"the condition of being in need of immediate assistance; a condition in which something necessary or desirable is required or wanted; a decisive point; something asked for or needed† (â€Å"Exigence†, 2003). In his theory, Bitzer explains that exigence refers to any situation in which there is â€Å"an imperfection marked by urgency; it is a defect, an obstacle, something waiting to be done, a thing which is other than it should be† (Bitzer, 1968: 7). In other words, something is supposed to happen and it doesn’t, creating an urgent need for communication to resolve the issue. On the other hand, this could also refer to a situation in which something has happened that shouldn’t have happened, again creating the necessity for effective

US HISTORY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

US HISTORY - Essay Example The north purchased raw cotton and converted it into finished goods using the cotton grin, leading to disparity between the two. As a result, substantial differences in economic attitudes were realized. Since the period of the revolution, differences emerged between those arguing that the federal government needed to have more control and those arguing for greater states’ rights (Huston 173). The thirteen states formed a rather loose confederation with quite a weak federal government. This weakness enabled the leaders to come together when problems arose and create in secrecy the U.S constitution. Most people felt that this constitution ignored the rights of states to continue being independent. This resulted to the idea of nullification, and when this never worked out they moved towards secession. Growth of the abolition movement was another cause. The northerners become more polarized against slavery in which the southern depended so much on slaves for their cheap labor. Some key events such as the publishing of Harriet Beechers Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin and others held individuals responsible for harboring fugitives even if they were on non-slave states. Following the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, South Carolina issued its declaration of secession and believed that Lincoln was antislavery and favored the interest of the northern people hence living the southerners out (Huston 181). The fight between slave and the non-slave state proponents took center stage, and this was the main reason for this civil war. This led to wars even in the floor of the senate when antislavery discussions were being