Abraham was the sixteenth President of the United States of America, and being so, he lived during the Realism Literary time period. Two of his more famous speeches are "The Gettysburg Address" and "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865." These speeches are prime examples of realism, in both structure and topic.
"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan--to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations" (Lincoln, 339). This is a statement made by Abraham Lincoln in his "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865." In this little section, the characteristics are obvious. First off, Lincoln is talking about the state of the country and how to fix it; this is realism, because the topic is a real occurrence in history and deals with the country and government. The second reason that this work fits into the realism category is that, in structure, Lincoln presents it using facts and emotion. He tells what is going on in the country--fact. Then he says what must be done to change the present state of things to make the new nation a stronger and better nation. As he states this, Abraham Lincoln uses much emotion, showing that he truly cares what is going on in the country and about the United States of America itself.
This speech is apparent in general topic and structure that is part of the realism literary period. However, if one looks specifically into the subcategories of realism, one can see that the speech is a perfect fit. One of these categories is the American Dream, which is definitely tied into this category. When Abraham Lincoln gave this speech, the Civil War was coming to a close, and the nation was in pieces because of it. Land was destroyed, families were broken, and approximately two and a half million people had died. The spirit of America was crushed. Because of this, the American Dream at the time was to regain the previous economical status and to truly be free. African Americans wanted freedom, complete freedom. American citizens wanted freedom from sectional prejudice--North and South. The nation needed to be reunited, and it was the dream of all Americans to see it reunited. In Abraham Lincoln's speech, "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865," Lincoln told what was wrong and how to fix it, how to fix the American Dream and make it come true, a characteristic of realism.
Along the same lines, the hero of realism is usually someone that the reader can relate to. It is not a Superman or Batman. It is the grocery store owner or the common hard working citizen. In Lincoln's speech, he brings together everyone, for everyone needs to be a part of the reconstruction in order for the nation to be stitched back together, for the American Dream to become a reality. The hero in this speech is the people themselves, for it is the people who can make this happen. Using this common hero as the main character as the hero of the story is a definite characteristic of realism.
In Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address," the same structure and topics apply, and they equally show the characteristics of realism. Overall, Abraham Lincoln's speeches showed apparent characteristics of realism, adding more to the Realism Literary Period.
Works Cited
Lincoln, Abraham. from "Second Inaugural Address." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 339.
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