Rhetorical devices

Abraham Lincoln’s “A House Divided” speech is constructed using a series of rhetorical devices, which we will outline and discuss her…

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Allusions and direct references

An allusion is an indirect reference to people, events, or literature that the speaker finds relevant to achieving his intention. The most important allusion from the speech is “ ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand.’ (l. 11) which is a quotation from the Bible attributed to Jesus Christ. The allusion is used by Lincoln as a metaphor for the division in the US (and inside the Republican Party and the government) over the issue of slavery. The speaker uses this allusion as a prediction to argue that for the union of the American states to survive, one side needs to win: either free…

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Imagery, metaphors, and similes

The speaker creates various mental images for the audience (imagery) that make his arguments more appealing and dynamic, such as when he constructs the timber workmen analogy (ll. 220-238).

Another important example of imagery is constructed with the help of similes and metaphorical language, as the speaker describes how the meaning of popular sovereignty has been twisted to the point that it no longer has value: “Under the Dred Scott decision, ‘squatter s…

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Enumeration and repetition

Enumeration means listing points and arguments and can be used to give structure to a speech. In “A House Divided”, the speaker argues for his view by listing a series of events. The enumeration is marked by the speaker mentioning “the first point gained” (l. 41), “the second point gained” (ll. 95-96), and “the third point gained” (l. 150). Lincoln then returns to the three listed points in another enumeration that summarizes his main conclusion (ll. 153-184).

In general, repetition helps speakers make their message or arguments more memorable or draw attention to key points. Fo…