Personification

= Personification: the act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas = = Examples from the text: = = 1) " That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from this earth. = =** 2) ** "**Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation,** conceived in Liberty **, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."**=

=﻿The following examples from the text contain the literary device personification. In the first example, "Shall have a new birth of freedom" refers back to giving human like qualities to an abstract idea. The GettysBurg Adress talks about America having a birth of freedom. The United States is not a human that can give birth, the actual meaning of the statement means to start over and treat everyone equally.= =﻿The second example, "Cocieved in Liberty" again refers back to talking about America with human like characteristics. The text's true meaning is, saying America was once a nation which all men were created equal and everybody had the chance at life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The word "concieved" is a refrence meaning "born". The united states was born a nation of freedom and equality.=

=The use of personification in the text impacts the importance of the speech. The united states was once a nation of equality and now, Abraham Lincoln wishes to restore it's freedom. Personification is a pursasive tool used throughout the speech to inspire the people of America and bring back hope.=

Questions: 1)Would this speech be just as good without the use of personification? Why or why not?

2)Does the use of personification impact the speech in a positive or negative way? Why or why not?