Emily Dickinson Success Is Counted Sweetest Analysis

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These artifacts of literature by Lincoln and Dickinson represent writings that share the same time and setting. Both of these artifacts were written at about the same time, and they all have the American civil war as their backdrop. Often, the two pieces are held by readers to be of two different discourses. Most readers have categorized the work or address by Lincoln as rhetoric and that of Emily Dickinson as a poem. The comparison between the two literary pieces can be deduced from the characteristics that define and describe the various categories. In this essay, the main objective is to develop a distinction between the two pieces if any exists. Argument, arrangement, appeal, and other artistic devices will be used in an effort to understand…show more content…
Lincoln in his inaugural speech takes a rhetorical approach that borrows heavily from Socrates. His intention (with the speech) is to influence the audience and leave a lasting impression on their minds. On the other hand, the “Success Is Counted Sweetest” poem by Dickinson offers a different approach altogether (Lincoln 89). She is more direct to her audience and manages to convey her message with conviction. The piece by Abraham Lincoln is a perfect example of what can be described as rhetoric. It constitutes all the four language resources within the rhetoric sphere (Lincoln 56). It is appealing; it encompasses argument, arrangement, and artistic devices altogether. Emily Dickinson’s “Success is Counted Sweet,” on the other hand, lacks the four language resources that are covered in the rhetoric category. The distinctions in terms of the individual literary characteristics found in the two pieces are one major reason that makes Dickinson’s piece rank in the poetry…show more content…
The effect of the civil war is the main idea and issue that Abraham Lincoln aims at addressing. However, he does not attack it directly; he approaches it from an angle appealing to the emotions and feeling of the people (Lincoln 22). He makes his argument in relation to the effects of the civil war and appeals to the people to ensure he attains his goals and objective. After the civil war, Abraham Lincoln faces a nation that is in shambles. The northern and the southern states are divided completely. His aim is to create a common ground that will allow him to push for a compromise between the northern and southern states. In an effort to change the outcome of the nation he is in charge of, rhetoric offers the best strategy that he can use in convincing the American population. The great rhetoric that is in the Lincoln’s literary piece calls the citizens of America to

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