Realism in Lincoln's "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865" and "The Gettysburg Address"

Throughout his entire life, Abraham Lincoln exhibited great leadership, humility, and fairness (Barzun). However, without noticing it, he was an excellent example of a character in the literary period of Realism. Since this genre truly began during the Civil War, it comes as no surprise really that Lincoln played a large role in it because he also played a large role in the Civil War itself. But Realism is certainly not defined by this bloody war, it is a literary movement in which authors attempt to speak the truth in simple dialect and plain English ; it is almost a wake up call through literature in most cases (Barney). Lincoln is accustomed to this seemingly gloomy period in literature because he felt the full effect of the war on its people and on the nation as a whole. He portrays these Realism specifically in his two most famous speeches, his "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865" and the "Gettysburg Address." In both speeches, he generally talks about the same topic; the turmoil of the country due to the Civil War and what needs to happen to avoid much further damage. His Realism characteristics were very helpful in both of these because the people simply wanted to hear the facts, and his rationale gave them what they wanted. He targeted mainly the middle class, or "common man," which also describes Realism well because his words were for the whole country to hear.

During Lincoln's Second Inaugural Speech, he mainly focuses on the hardships endured my many people of the country, slavery (Lincoln, "Second" 339). And with this topic, he ties in religion and human nature. Basically, he states that God may give the people the opportunity to heal the wounds inflicted unto the country, but it is a matter of the people choosing to solve the problems. This relates to the peoples' nature because they must decide between essentially what is right and wrong. This is existential in Realism because he makes the social action and status at that time his main focus (Barney). This same ideal is also seen in "The Gettysburg Address," but this time he speaks more of the Civil War itself and the changes that need to occur (Lincoln, "The Gettysburg" 402).

Lincoln's writing style and strategy in which he delivers his speech are also characteristic of Realism. He speaks in a very matter of fact way which reaches all people, and he gets down to the facts as well (Barney). For instance, in "The Gettysburg Address," his speech is quite short in length, but it is one of the most powerful speeches ever given (Lincoln, "The Gettysburg" 402). If one were to actually hear Lincoln deliver these speeches, it would seem as though he has an almost monotonous tone, but this just demonstrates the Realism traits even more so (Barzun).

Lincoln's speeches, "Second Inaugural Speech, March 4, 1865" and "The Gettysburg Address," both exhibit many characteristics of the literary movement of Realism in which the author or speaker relays the information in a direct, yet powerful manner (Barney). Lincoln's correlation to this literary period seems obvious because he flourished right when this period began, during the Civil War. Also, his speeches seem to contain many characteristics of Realism, as they were necessary in delivering these important speeches.

Barney, Brett, and Lisa Paddock, eds. "realism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: The Age of Romanticism and Realism, 1816–1895, vol. 2, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL0738&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 9, 2011).

Barzun, Jacques. "Lincoln the Literary Genius." The Saturday Evening Post, Vol. 231, No. 33 (14 February 1959): 30, 62–4. In Bloom, Harold, ed. Enslavement and Emancipation, Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea Publishing House, 2010. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BLTEAE011&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 9, 2011).

Lincoln, Abraham. "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865." American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 339. Print.

Lincoln, Abraham. "The Gettysburg Address." American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 402. Print.