The fascinating thing about Leff and Mohrmann article is the matter surrounding Lincoln’s ethos. Ethos refers to an individual’s level of credibility or ethics. Abraham Lincoln was known for his role in fighting against slavery and championing for African-American freedom (Leff & Mohrmann, 1860). Therefore, in the reality, the speech was personal persuasive writing, besides claims that it was not. Lincoln was struggling to establish credibility in the Republican Party since he was not a dominant contender against Seward and Douglas. Taking a sharp look at Leff and Mohrman’s articles, this discusses some of the key aspects of Lincoln’s speech presentation at the Great Hall of Cooper Union.
At the initial stages of his speech, Lincoln (played by Sam Waterston) is calm and collected. He presents his initial sentiments in a slow and strategic manner. He starts his speech by relaying out the history of the country and thereof discusses the founding fathers of the nation and the various ideologies and opinions on matters slavery. This is a very crucial aspect of the speech that he uses on his introductory part because it portrays him as a credible candidate. He goes ahead to discuss the signing of the constitution, taking a deep analysis of each of the 39 people who took part in it. He discusses how some of these personalities played key roles in the signing of laws that prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory (Leff & Mohrmann, 1860). This shows his grasp of historical events and the constitution affirming his belief in the traditional values it holds.
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For most of the parts of the speech, it is clearly notable that he presents his sentiments in a very logical manner point after point, and he does not express emotional feelings towards his issue of his discussion. His outstanding choice of words and the way he delivers his speech is a great plus as it portrays him not to be authoritative on his beliefs and with a sense of leadership. This he illustrates mostly towards the end when he urges the Republicans to take a neutral stand on the issue of slavery in the south, a critical statement that shows his non-extremist values toward his beliefs. These significant aspects of his speech organization and delivery thereby rendered him a favorite of many voters. He proved himself as electable and having the ethos of someone capable of the presidency.
His choice of topic was quite remarkable. He settled for a subject which he was quite vast with and was relevant, considering the prevailing circumstances at that time. He had a broad range of issues to address regarding the topic. For instance, he presented counter arguments to his opponent concerning the matter and also made a platform for him to air his views and beliefs (Leff & Mohrmann, 1860).
A large percentage of the audience had probably given a small mark for the “Westerner” but to their surprise, it was contrary to their expectations. The mode of delivery, the choice of topic and his general reactions in the speech caught the audience by great surprise. The speech presented him as knowledgeable, informed, wise and also as a great thinker.
Reference
Leff, M. C. & Mohrmann, G. P. (1860). Lincoln at Cooper Union: A Rhetorical Analysis of the Text. Neo-Classical Criticism .
