“The Gettysburg Address”

Selection Vocabulary:

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As we preview the vocabulary, use the following symbols to let me know how well you already know the vocabulary word.

I know it and can use it.

I don’t know it .

I’ve heard it, but I can’t really explain it.

endure (in·ꞌdur ; ꞌen-dyur)

endure (in·ꞌdur ; ꞌen-dyur)

Part of speech: verb

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Definition: to suffer through; to undergo a hardship without giving in; to remain firm during misfortune

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Example: African-Americans had to endure years of hardship and torture as slaves in this country prior to the Civil War.

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Ask: What is the worst pain you have ever had to endure?

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Which is harder to endure—physical or emotional pain? Why?

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What is something you hope you never have to endure?

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nobly (ꞌno·blē)

Part of speech: adverb

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Definition: with outstanding character, ideals, or morals

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Example: Rebekah behaved nobly when she admitted to unknowingly breaking a rule even though it would cost her a spot on the cheerleading squad her senior year.

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Ask: Have you ever acted nobly? What did you do and why was it noble?

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Is a person motivated by greed acting nobly?

What does motivate a person acting nobly?

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nobly (ꞌno·blē)

resolve (ri·ꞌzälv)

resolve (ri·ꞌzälv)

Part of speech: verb

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Definition: to decide firmly to do something; to declare your intention

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Example: After finding a roach running around in my pantry, I resolved to clean my kitchen on a daily basis.

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Ask: Have you ever resolved to do something? (Think about a New Year’s Resolution… Resolution is a related word!)

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Fill in the blank: “Next year I resolve to ________________.”

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Related Word: resolution (like a New Year’s resolution)

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perish (ꞌper·ish)

perish (ꞌper·ish)

Part of speech: verb

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Definition: to die; to be destroyed; to cease to exist

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Example: Many soldiers will perish during a war.

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Ask: Normally, would a paper cut cause you to perish?

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Can a nation perish? How?

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dedicate (ꞌde·di·kāt)

dedicate (ꞌde·di·kāt)

Part of speech: verb

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Definition: to set apart as sacred; to set apart to a definite purpose or use

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Example: I went to a national park where 300 acres of land was dedicated as a wildlife preserve; its only purpose was to serve as a home for the wild animals living there.

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Ask: What do you think the government should dedicate land for?

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consecrate (ꞌkän·sə·krāt)

consecrate (ꞌkän·sə·krāt)

Part of speech: verb

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Definition: to declare sacred

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Example: A cemetery is considered consecrated ground.

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Ask: Would it be appropriate to consecrate an ice-cream store? Why?

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Would it be appropriate to consecrate a battleground? Why?

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Word Roots and Affixes

dic/(dict)

“Dic” or “dict” are roots meaning say or speak.

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Examples:

dictator (a ruler who says what will happen in his/her country without any input);

predict (to say ahead of time what you think will happen);

verdict (the decision spoken by the jury)

Word Roots and Affixes

sacr/secr/sanc

“Sacr,” “secr,” and “sanc” mean sacred.

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Examples:

sanctuary (a sacred room for worship);

consecreate (to declare sacred)

“The Gettysburg Address”

Parallelism

Parallelism

• Parallelism:
• the use of a series of words, phrases, clauses, or sentences that have similar grammatical structure.

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Parallelism helps to emphasize the thoughts of the speaker or writer and draw attention to important points.

Parallelism

• Example:

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Larissa can earn extra money by mowing the lawn, cleaning the living room, and babysitting her brother.

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versus

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• Nonexample:

Larissa can earn extra money by mowing the lawn, and the living room needs to be cleaned plus she can babysit.

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Parallelism

• Example:

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Sunny skies, cool temperatures, and good friends make a wonderful autumn afternoon at the ballpark.

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versus

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• Nonexample:

Sunny skies, temperatures that are cool, and good friends make a wonderful autumn afternoon at the ballpark.

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Parallelism

• Parallelism can be very powerful because it directs the reader’s attention to the words the writer wants the reader to hear.

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Paraphrasing

Making sense of it all…

Paraphrasing

• A text like “The Gettysburg Address” is very difficult, dense text. The vocabulary is very formal, and while people of the 1860s certainly understood what Lincoln was saying, today’s English is much more casual.
• To truly understand a dense text like this one, you need to paraphrase small chunks at a time.

Paraphrasing

• We will start together with the first paragraph. Notice how we will work with only a few words at a time.

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• Please write the new paraphrase on your copy as we work together.

Paraphrasing

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• Four score and seven years ago

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Eighty-seven years ago

Paraphrasing

Eighty-seven years ago

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…our fathers brought forth on this continent

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the leaders in the American colonies formed

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Paraphrasing

Eighty-seven years ago the leaders in the American colonies formed

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…a new nation, conceived in Liberty,

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a new country based on freedom

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Paraphrasing

Eighty-seven years ago the leaders in the American colonies formed a new country based on freedom

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…and dedicated to the proposition

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and dedicated to the idea

Paraphrasing

Eighty-seven years ago the leaders in the American colonies formed a new country based on freedom and dedicated to the idea

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…that all men are created equal.

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that all people are born equal.

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Paraphrasing

Eighty-seven years ago the leaders in the American colonies formed a new country based on freedom and dedicated to the idea that all people are born equal.

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Paraphrasing

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Now we are engaged in a great civil war,

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Now we are fighting a war between ourselves,

Paraphrasing

Now we are fighting a war between ourselves,

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…testing whether that nation, or any nation

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trying to see whether this country or any other

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Paraphrasing

Now we are fighting a war between ourselves, trying to see whether this country or any other

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…so conceived and so dedicated,

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with these beliefs of freedom and equality for all,

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Paraphrasing

Now we are fighting a war between ourselves, trying to see whether this country or any other with these beliefs of freedom and equality for all,

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…can long endure.

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can survive.

Paraphrasing

Now we are fighting a war between ourselves, trying to see whether this country or any other with these beliefs of freedom and equality for all, can survive.

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Paraphrasing

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• We are met on a great battlefield of that war.

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Today we are meeting on one of the battlefields of this war.

Paraphrasing

Today we are meeting on one of the battlefields of this war.

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…We have come to dedicate a portion of that field,

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We have come to set a section of this field apart

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Paraphrasing

Today we are meeting on one of the battlefields of this war. We have come to set a section of this field apart

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…as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives

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as a sacred graveyard for the many soldiers who died here

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Paraphrasing

Today we are meeting on one of the battlefields of this war. We have come to set a section of this field apart as a sacred graveyard for the many soldiers who died here in an attempt to save this nation.

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Paraphrasing

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…It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

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This is absolutely the right thing to do.

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The Paraphrase

Eighty-seven years ago the leaders in the American colonies formed a new country based on freedom and dedicated to the idea that all people are born equal. Today we are meeting on one of the battlefields of this war. We have come to set a section of this field apart as a sacred graveyard for the many soldiers who died here in an attempt to save this nation. This is absolutely the right thing to do.

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With your partner, continue the activity on your own.

Parallelism �in “The Gettysburg Address”

Parallelism

• Read the speech one more time.
• As you listen, underline any examples of parallelism that you hear.

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• What examples did you find?
• What is the effect of the parallelism on the reader?
• Why do you think Lincoln used this structure in his speech? What was he trying to draw attention to?

“The Gettysburg Address”�Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking Discussion

• What does it mean to endure something?

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• Lincoln says that they are “engaged in a great civil war,” testing to see whether the nation can endure. What kinds of things must a nation endure?

Critical Thinking Discussion

• Why might Lincoln have used the word endure instead of saying “continue” or “last”? How does this specific word add to the meaning?

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Critical Thinking Discussion

One of the most famous lines comes in the 2^nd half of the speech: “We can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground.”

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• Why are the words dedicate, consecrate, and hallow so powerful? What do thiese words suggest about this place?
• Why would this place be so special?

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Critical Thinking Discussion

Toward the end of the speech, Lincoln talks about the work which the dead an injured so “nobly” advanced.

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• How can war be noble?

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