Last speech…. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address Read the background on “The Gettysburg Address” on p. 520 of your textbook and the actual speech itself on.

Last speech…

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address

•Read the background on “The Gettysburg Address” on p. 520 of your textbook and the actual speech itself on p. 522.

•Discuss purpose and uses of rhetoric.•Then, some controversy….

The day after …

We pass over the silly remarks of the President. For the credit of the nation we are willing that the veil of oblivion shall be dropped over them and that they shall be no more repeated or thought of.

• Printed in the Pennsylvania Patriot and Union newspapers

(CNN) 2013 -- In what might be one of the oldest corrections in the history of journalism, the editorial board of a Pennsylvania newspaper has retracted its predecessor's famous panning of President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address as "silly remarks."--Retraction

Seven score and ten years ago, the forefathers of this media institution brought forth to its audience a judgment so flawed, so tainted by hubris, so lacking in the perspective history would bring, that it cannot remain unaddressed in our archives.

Back then, the editors of the Patriot & Union newspaper - an ancestor of today's Harrisburg paper - thought so little of Lincoln's "silly remarks" that they hoped "the veil of oblivion shall be dropped over them, and that they shall be no more reposted or thought of.

While mildly received on its delivery, the November 19, 1863, speech marking the consecration of the national cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, has gone on to become one of the most famous pieces of writing in the American canon -- inscribed on monuments, taught to schoolchildren and frequently surfacing in cultural references.

Filmmaker Ken Burns recently urged all Americans to learn and recite the speech, calling the address "some of the most important words ever spoken."

The world will little note nor long remember our condemnation of this speech-- but we must do as conscience demands. In the editorial about President Abraham Lincoln's speech delivered Nov. 19, 1863, in Gettysburg, the Patriot & Union failed to recognize its momentous importance, timeless eloquence, and lasting significance. The Patriot-News regrets the error.

Gettysburg Address

•Why do you think this speech was not appreciated in its time? Consider audience, purpose, rhetorical strategies, etc., and how they relate to context.

Gettysburg Address and SNL

•What is said in the SNL skit about why the speech was not appreciated? Do you agree or disagree?

Political ParodiesMocking Politics

First…

•What is a parody? What examples of parody are you familiar with?

Instructions

•As we watch each political parody, pay careful attention to who and what is being mocked, and whether it is being done in a positive or negative manner.

•Then, answer the questions that follow in your notebook, and we will discuss!

Clip 1: “Crush on Obama”

“Crush on Obama”▫What do you think about political figures

being objectified/romanticized in this way?▫When this went viral, it was credited with

bringing younger voters to the polls, but what does it say about democratic participation that the girl in the video didn’t even vote?

Clip 2: Sarah Palin/Hilary Clinton SNL

Palin vs. Clinton•Why did Saturday Night Live juxtapose

these two political figures?•What point was SNL making about gender

and politics?•SNL is known for being influential with

politics (i.e., most people remember Tina Fey vs. the real Sarah Palin; most people quote SNL vs. real Palin quotes), but why is this potentially problematic?

Clip 3: Romney/Obama Epic Rap Battle

Obama vs. Romney• What characteristics about the candidates and

their stand on issues are being parodied? • Is it acceptable for parodies to take shots at

politicians’ personal lives?• Parodying politics and politicians has been around

for years (think of political cartoons), but with it being easily accessible (and viral) now, how has politics changed?

• Knowing there is the potential to be parodied, do you think this could change how candidates speak and persuade their audiences? Why/why not?