In his Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln does an excellent job of expressing a lot of information about saving the country. He also highlights why those who died fought during his speech. Pericles talks more about the type of union the Athenians need to win the battle. Lincoln strives to resolve the issues between the two sides while Pericles wishes to win the war and not be stressed by issues relating to the enemy. The two addresses have certain similarities that make them meaningful to a current reader, as discussed in this essay. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay During the speeches, both speakers show their intense pride in their political parties. They both tend to say that no other political party is above theirs. Pericles isolated Athens from the rest of Hellas from a constitutional and even military point of view. Along the same lines, President Lincoln spoke of a “new nation,” a sign that it was very different from the rest of the world. During their speeches, they both contrast actions and words. They all agree that the deeds of those who have already died cannot be remembered with mere meaningless words. An exaggeration of the deeds of those who have died is evident in the speeches of Lincoln and Pericles, where the genre of description of the dead is one of emphasis. They praise all the dead for dying while on a mission to give a better life to individuals and even secure the nation (Holmes, 1901). Both speakers encourage their audiences to struggle to largely contain individual grief and to work hard at unfinished tasks. There is a sense of similarity in the pronouns the two use during their speeches. They use the first person plural instead of the singular to show that it is everyone's role to fight for the nation. Both speakers also take advantage of the founders as the basis of their legitimacy. For example, Pericles notes the ancestors as the founders of the city of Athens and the fathers as the defenders of Persia. On the other hand, President Lincoln begins his remark by mentioning the founding fathers who worked on the declaration (Pinsker, 2001). The respective speeches of Pericles and Lincoln are quite meaningful to a present-day reader because they contain life values ​​and skills that should be used by the speakers in daily activities. By evoking the founders as the basis of legitimacy, the reader can understand how important it is to preserve the traditional virtue inherited from one's ancestors. Both speakers appreciate the efforts of the early fathers in enabling the country to reach its current state. The speeches of both speakers are very essential in creating a sense of respect for the dead among readers who may not be aware of society's beliefs regarding the dead. They greatly appreciate the efforts of the dead and remain steadfast in condemning anyone who would criticize the work done by those who have passed away. The judicious use of the literary elements of a speech by Lincoln and Pericles is a motivation for today's readers to improve their language skills in preparation for any public speech. Current readers learn that language skills learned in the classroom are applicable in the real world situation, as is the case in speeches. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get custom essay.