Forms of appeal

In the short but impressive Gettysburg address, Abraham Lincoln mostly relies on ethos to convey his views, but he also includes a few instances of logos and pathos.

To make th…

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Logos

The speaker appeals to the audience’s reason when he states facts or uses a logical line of argument. For example, the speaker suggests that commemorating the dead soldiers is a logical course of action, in light of their sacrifice: “We have come to dedica…

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Ethos

Abraham Lincoln constructs ethos in his speech by making himself, the American soldiers, and people appear caring, skilled, or knowledgeable.

For example, the speaker appeals to the authority of American founding documents to support his views and to make himself appear knowledgeable: “Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the pr…

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Pathos

The speaker appeals to the audience’s emotions whenever he talks about soldiers who have sacrificed their lives to the cause of the war. In these cases, Lincoln inspires feelings like sorrow, pride, courage, and resilience.

For example, when he mentions “The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have hallowed it, far above our poor power to add or detract.”(ll. 11-13), he su…