Emily Dickinson and Abraham Lincoln’s Views on the American Civil War

Wars, beyond a victory or a winner, bring sacrifices, death, pain, crying, orphans, and mothers who lose their children and remain disconsolate. Unfortunately, for a war to end, there must be a winner (I say this because I do not believe that after so much pain, a victory can be enjoyed). At the end of the American Civil War, as in any other war, there was a winning side (in this case, the North), but there was also. As a result, that bitter taste of pain and human loss.

There are many ways to express feelings or to support or not be a part of when such a disgrace is involved. At the end of the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln and Emily Dickinson expressed their sentiments about the climactic war in different ways.

A couple of months before the end of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln, who was assassinated shortly thereafter, was inaugurated for the second time as President of the United States. Lincoln was a well-known lawyer, politician, and the sixteenth president of the United States. Despite his lack of experience in politics, his intelligence and abilities in rhetoric led him to become one of the most important presidents of the United States and one of the most influential in the history of this country. During his term, the US economy improved considerably, and he abolished slavery, among other memorable actions that contributed to the strengthening of the country. According to The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (n.d.), Lincoln became a martyr and almost a saint after his death. His words and deeds lived after him and will be revered as long as there is the United States.

Among his most memorable works in the oratory is his Second Inaugural Address. This speech was and is currently considered one of his most humble and convincing works (American National Biography, 2017). Containing a lot of phrases that have been through the years considered the most memorable in the history of American politics. In this speech, he does not celebrate the victory of the North or lament the defeat of the South; in this speech, he uses rhetoric to identify himself with both parties and thus get them to listen without having to identify with either side.

In the speech, he appeals to the common sense of the citizens, referring to the pain of the losses that both the winning side and the losing side should feel. It refers to the bible and to God. It uses the phrase men wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces, Genesis 3:19 to emphasize slavery as a disgrace, as something unfair. Lincoln sought a way to reach people’s hearts through rhetoric, and he intelligently invited listeners from both sides (North and South) to listen to his point of view and to analyze their bad deeds, which would not be approved by God. He, in a very intelligent way, appealed to the pain of his audience, referring to the loved ones who lost their lives. He used poetic elements so that his words reach the audience and be accepted. He does not celebrate with his speech the victory of the North and less his reelection. He used his speech to get closer to the people, to raise awareness of the damage caused by war, and to emphasize his disagreement with slavery, showing the people how God did not support the war or slavery.

On the other hand, we have the poem Success Is Counted Sweetest by Emily Dickinson. Dickinson is a very recognized and passionate American poet who, unfortunately, did not enjoy recognition in life. It was not until years after his death that his work was totally discovered and published. Of almost two thousand poems written throughout his life, little more than a dozen were published when she was alive, being these modified by editors according to the time (Emily Dickinson’s Life, n.d.). At present, his work is highly recognized, being very popular in the middle. According to Emily Dickinson, Poetry Foundation (n.d.), She is one of America’s greatest and most original poets of all time. The existing definitions of poetry and the poet’s work.

Her poem Success Is Counted Sweetest’ was written as Second Inaugural Address by Abraham Lincoln in reference to the Second World War. In this poem, she emphasizes victory as a sweet nectar; for her, after an arduous agony, after losses and misfortunes, victory can be tasted better. She, in a different way (but for me looking for the same thing), writes this poem waiting for the audience to become aware of the sacrifice of the war; she metaphorically celebrates a victory that for her meant defeat, but through her poem, she channels her disappointment, emphasizing the victory of the North.

I believe that each work belongs to a different literary category, although both seek to express the same, the pain for the damages accused by the war. Lincoln’s speech is more like a rhetoric embellishing his speech so that he can convey his disapproval of war without offending anyone and, at the same time, transmits the pain he is feeling for human losses. Dickinson goes through his verses, but in a more aggressive, more direct also seeks that the reader finds among its lines the pain she feels for life lost and through victory makes allusion to defeat, in this case (different from Lincoln’s words) if she refers to victory and defeat.

However, I believe that both use arguments, appeals, arrangements, and artistic devices in their works. Through the literary analysis, we can see that both use arguments to support their ideas, appeal to rhetoric, and metaphor to involve the audience and make them understand their ideas better. They also use literary arrangements and devices so that the audience will be delighted with what they are expressing and thus gain their approval.

The two authors seek, in different ways, the understanding of the audience. Through different literary resources, they express their ideas and feelings and seek to catch the listener. I think these are two excellent works that seek to denounce the pain of war; whatever the beliefs of each party (North or South), the purpose is to express the damage that war causes and the suffering it leaves behind.

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