Absence of Malice: A Narrative Criticism of Lincoln's Inaugural Addresses

• In Event: Scholar to Scholar II
  In Paper Session: Abraham Lincoln’s Bicentennial: Enduring Legacy for America

Abstract

The power of definition and “the marshaling of public support is a distinctively rhetorical power available to the President” (Windt, 1987, p. 2). Inaugural addresses represent a president’s attempt to establish meaning. This paper implements narrative criticism to explore Lincoln's use of conflict management strategies during his Inaugural addresses. We assess to what extent the audience’s sentiments influenced the rhetorical choices Lincoln made as he struggled for the preservation of the Union.

Authors

• Kaylene Barbe, Oklahoma Baptist Univ

• Vickie Shamp Ellis, Oklahoma Baptist Univ