A Literary Analysis paper, aka Rhetorical Analysis, is a kind of sophisticated writing.
For this task, the author reads another writer’s text and identifies and analyzes the literary devices, emotional appeals, etc. that the first author uses in his or her piece. Examples of literary devices one can identify might be allusions, emotional language, calls to action, sarcasm, irony, humor. etc.
This is President Abraham Lincoln’s October 1863 Proclamation declaring Thanksgiving a national holiday. Note that October 1863 was right in the middle of the US Civil War, and only three months after the bloody turning-point Battle of Gettysburg.
October 3, 1863
By the President of the United States of America.
A Proclamation.
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.
In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.
Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.
No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the Eighty-eighth.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
By the President:
WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State.
source: https://npg.si.edu/blog/abraham-lincoln-proclamation-thanksgiving
Below are two fine Rhetorical Analysis pieces from DreyerCoaching.com writing students. The first is from Ian, an 11th grader, in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Ian creates a crystal clear structure with three main points, and he does not shy away from addressing the dominant religious tones of Lincoln’s text. Note how Ian interweaves many direct quotations from Lincoln into his essay; that adds credibility and clarity.
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Thanksgiving, a holiday about gratitude and rejoicing, has long been celebrated by most Americans on the fourth Thursday of November for more than a century and a half. However, Thanksgiving was in fact not celebrated on the same day throughout the whole nation before Lincoln delivered this proclamation. Lincoln, through using a plethora of rhetorical techniques, builds his authority on his argument that the celebration of Thanksgiving should occur on the same day on every inch of American soil to unite the fragmented nation.
Throughout the whole proclamation, Lincoln expressively alludes to God to bring all the audience, no matter from North or South, under the same cause: religion. In a culture heavily influenced by Christianity, most, if not all, believed in God, and this makes Lincoln’s biblical allusions exceptionally efficacious. Not only does the constant mention of God strengthen the connection between the audience and Lincoln, but it also further establishes a more positive bond between the opponents during such chaotic wartime. These enemies, for once, shared the same belief and work toward God’s way of life. The effects of Lincoln’s clever allusion to the “beneficent Father” do not stop there, however. After uniting the readers, Lincoln continues to describe the fatherly love God has for all people. Just as he stated, despite the war raging over the frontiers, the nation has continued to enlarge its land through conquest, to become wealthier through the abundance of precious metal, and to increase in prosperity, but “no human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.” This brings a sense of guilt onto the audience as they participate in the destruction of the nation, ignoring God’s unconditional love and efforts in bringing peace to the nation.
To further his argument advocating for the celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday on one day nationwide, Lincoln carefully utilizes specific diction to reinforce his point. First of all, he starts his speech by illustrating the ending days of the year with “fruitful fields” and “healthful sky.” By starting this way, he directs his audience toward a positive and cheerful mood. As people are more willing to comply with demands when in a delightful mood, Lincoln ingeniously asserts his argument through uplifting tone and diction. Moreover, this pleasant description of the ending days of the year creates a strong juxtaposition with a time of disorder, of war. As the nation stands amidst an atmosphere of fear and division, a moment of harmony or tranquility becomes increasingly desired by all. He then states that the nation’s prosperity should be “solemnly, reverently, and gratefully” acknowledge as a single, unified voice of all American people. The three words “solemnly,” “reverently,” and “ gratefully” create a strong sense of gratitude and respect, which are the essence of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Last of all, Lincoln directly calls for a change. He invites all American people in every state, in foreign lands, and at sea to adopt the fourth Thursday of November as the day of Thanksgiving, for it is “a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” Going beyond just “inviting” every single American citizen to embrace that date as the official Thanksgiving, Lincoln not only expresses the country’s penitence for its “perverseness and disobedience” to God but also an appreciation for His “tender care” for all of those whom the war impacted: the widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers. By relating these victims of society, Lincoln tugs at his audiences’ heartstrings and exhorts them to put effort into healing these people along with the nation. In his concluding sentence, he earnestly begs for divine interposition to restore the nation and heal the wounds the war had caused. Finally, he connects back to the idea of unity and harmony in which he states that the nation should soon be consistent with the “Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity, and Union.”
In a time when the United States is fractured and turbulent, Lincoln seeks a way to reunify all the Americans: standardizing the date of Thanksgiving. Through the use of biblical allusions, eloquent diction, and direct call to action, he effectively delivers his argument about the importance of sharing gratitude in the same moment and fostering harmony among all.
This second Literary Analysis essay is by Katie, also an 11th grader in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Katie also creates a crystal clear paper with three main points, excellent word choice, and smooth transitions.
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Thanksgiving has always been a time for thankfulness, celebration of harvest, and the gathering of friends and family, starting from the earliest Pilgrims that landed on Plymouth Bay in the 1600s. In addition to being a time of harvest and gathering, it is also known to be a time of unity and peace, starting from President Abraham Lincoln’s Proclamation on Thanksgiving, which was penned in 1863, during the American Civil War. In this proclamation, President Lincoln advocates for unity and peace for the fragmented United States through the use of allusion, evocative diction, and the addressing of the people.
In the first couple of lines, Lincoln makes an allusion to God, asking the American citizens to remember from where their “fruitful fields and healthful skies” have been supplied. Lincoln stresses that even during this time of endless violence and fragmentation of the American people, these blessings — harvests and skies — can always be counted on to “penetrate and soften the heart” of anyone. By making this biblical allusion to a higher power, President Lincoln beseeches the American people to remember what they are celebrating during this time, in addition to the thanking of God for the providing to them of these things. In later lines, Lincoln also makes further allusions to God, including the stressing of again, “these gracious gifts of the Most High God,” in the steady population growth, and the “augmented strength and vigor” that the US has enjoyed. With these lines as well as the allusions to God, he calls for the American people to not forget the good things that have come despite this war (increased strength and vigor), and provides things that citizens can be grateful for, hopefully trying to unify the nation under these ideals.
In addition to allusions, Lincoln also uses evocative diction in hopes of unifying the fragmented United States. In the very first sentence, he calls the fields and skies of the United States “fruitful” and “healthful,” evoking a sense of pride and gratitude for the things that they have even amidst the horrific war that is going on right now. These two gifts are also gifts that every American citizen is able to appreciate, whether Northern or Southern, and by the acknowledgement that all American citizens can be thankful for the same things during this time, hopefully reconciles some of the differences that they are having — after all, they are standing under the same healthful skies. In the middle of his proclamation, Lincoln also stresses the fact that “the laws have been respected and obeyed…harmony has prevailed in every aspect except in the theatre of military conflict. By using words such as “prevailed,” “respected,” and “obeyed,” Lincoln emphasizes what the U.S. can do, even during times of conflict, and hopefully, these collective accomplishments will allow the U.S. to heal and unify under common efforts that have continued harmony, peace, and others.
Finally, Lincoln addresses his citizens in the last couple lines of his Proclamation. “I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States and those that are at sea…[in] foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise…” By inviting his citizens and people to celebrate the last Thursday of November with him collectively, he is not only establishing a common goal, but also unifying the American people on the same day to do the same things, and having a closer connection to them. When all Americans, including those overseas, those at sea, and President, people are more likely to feel unified under the same cause. In addition, this was also the first time that the US had celebrated Thanksgiving all on the same day and further added to the sense of unity that Lincoln tried to achieve. Lincoln also suggests what his citizens should do is to“[offer] up the ascriptions justly to Him…for blessing…commend to His tender care”, further using the address of his citizens to unify the United States. When everyone is doing the same, people are more likely to feel unified and whole, and would likely abate some of the tensions caused by the Civil War.
In conclusion, Lincoln hopes to unify the United States and bring peace and stability through the use of allusions, evocative diction, and the addressing of citizens. In this horrific time of the Civil War and high tensions, Licoln hopes to bring “peace, harmony, [and] tranquility [to] the Union,” preventing further crises.
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