9/30/10: Did I say somewhere that I liked writing? That it was fun? That I enjoyed it? I change those sentiments; this is hard work! I have a speech before me, The Gettysburg Address that brought me to tears when I first read it. I see how he uses personification to bring our nation to life—as if it has a life of its own, a life worth saving. I can see how President Lincoln appeals to his audience’s sense of loyalty and dedication to this great country and to those who died preserving it. I see how he formed his words in such a manner as to re-kindle in them a spirit of Patriotism and re-dedication to the war effort. I can see how every sentence counted; there were no wasted words. (Notice how I changed the period to a semi-colon to link those two statements together?) I recognize his humility and reverence in honoring the men who died—and even humility in his not recognizing just how remarkable his speech is. He felt no greatness in himself for the position he held. By this time, he was a man tired and beaten down from fighting for a cause he believed in, a cause he had always believed in—had been reared believing in. And there were those who opposed him in fighting for that cause any longer. They were tired of the war. Not one of them had been spared the pain of personally knowing death and/or injury in family or friend from this war.
Knowing, having been moved to feel all the above, how do I put it in proper form to say what I want to say? How do I find the words to do it justice?
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