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The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Words
written by Ronald C. White Jr.
Studio : Random House Trade Paperbacks
by Random House Trade Paperbacks
Release Date : 2006-01-10
Publisher : Random House Trade Paperbacks
Released : 2006-01-10
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9780812970463
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 9 reviews)
List Price : $15.95
Our Price : $9.34
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Product Description |
“White takes us back to when great men believed in the power of words to change the world. . . . This book . . . is a treasure to read, a spur to thinking, a small volume with fascinating history.”–The Denver Post
In The Eloquent President, historian Ronald C. White, Jr., examines Abraham Lincoln’s astonishing oratory and explores his growth as a leader, a communicator, and a man of deepening spiritual conviction. Examining a different speech, address, or public letter in each chapter, White tracks the evolution of Lincoln’s rhetoric from the measured tones of the First Inaugural to the immortal poetry of the Gettysburg Address. As he weighs the biblical cadences and vigorous parallel structures that make Lincoln’s rhetoric soar, White identifies a passionate religious strain that most historians have overlooked. It is White’s contention that, as president, Lincoln not only grew into an inspiring leader and determined commander in chief, but also embarked on a spiritual odyssey that led to a profound understanding of the relationship between human action and divine will. With grace and insight, White captures the essence of the four most critical years of Lincoln’s life and makes his great words live for our time in all their power and beauty. |
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Thank you Mr. White (AND President Lincoln) |
What a package: you see His picture, you know you will read His words (judged correctly "eloquent"), you review His chronology. . .and you can't not finish this book.(And the biggest prize is the end-matter, the over 100 pages of appendices and notes.)
I'm thankful--to a good extent--for Mr. White's tour. Without him, I would know less of the background of the speeches, less of the Civil War, less of the politics of the time. And he lets Lincoln star.
I tired only of Mr. White's repetition. It seemed he used the same putty to tie Lincoln's speeches together. But that might be too harsh: anything linking Lincoln to Lincoln will suffer. (But it seemed to suffer in the same ways: Yes, the divine meditation was for Lincoln's eyes only. . .for his eyes only. . .for his eyes only. Yes, Lincoln used parallel structures. . .parallel structures. . .parallel structures. Yes, the word count was minute with heavy use of one-syllable words. . .count. . .minute. . .syllables.)
Thank you, overall, for presenting the greatness of this man, the wisdom of his words, the nobility of his leadership to today's world. May we be wise enough to understand and think and feel him presently. |
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How can you not be inspired by this book and the man |
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I first read this book at a coffee house and found it not just a great piece of art, but, a large insight to a Great American and his love for his country and his faith. As a chaplain and a student of human communication, I believe Mr. Lincoln's words can help all of us remember what the United States is all about. If you are not moved by the speeches, then you cannot hear and feel the words. And if you cannot hear and feel what is being expressed in those words. Then you need to not only check your faith in this country. You need to see if you are truly in touch with God our Father through his son Jesus. |
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With Malice Toward None |
This was really well done, and certainly can be appreciated not just by admirers of Lincoln, but readers interested in the process of writing and speaking - especially for the purpose of winning an argument.
Some earlier posts are correct in noting that the book is superior to some other efforts that focused on single speeches, such as Garry Willis' book on the Gettysburg Address and Lincoln at Cooper Union. I haven't read White's Lincoln's Greatest Speech.
However, my feeling is the book could have taken an even longer view. That is pick up Lincoln as a speaker at a much earlier point in his life and follow him from his days as a country lawyer to the Second Inaugural Address. As it is, starting at a point in his life when Lincoln was already an accomplished speaker, we see him go from very good to great.
Also, while I thought the Mr. White's argument that the Bible was a strong influence on Lincoln's speaking style has merit, it also often seemed forced. I would have taken Lincoln's comments that both sides were praying to the same God as the view of a religous skeptic, for example.
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Lincoln the Eloquent President |
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Wonderful analysis of this remarkable and sensitive wordsmith and President |
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An excellent look at Lincoln's developing eloquence |
In this book, White expands the focus from his previous work on Lincoln's Second Inaugural ("Lincoln's Greatest Speech" published in 2002). White looks at the progression of Lincoln's thought and the increasing greatness and eloquence of his speeches and public letters during his presidency that leads to that final and considered by many to be his greatest major speech.
In the process of examining these speeches, White looks at them each individually, but also looks at their relationship to one another as "a string of pearls" (a term he uses more than once in the book). White uses this visual description of the speeches stating that while each pearl is beautiful in its own way and can be examined separately, they also come together and one pearl connects to others in the string that can best be understood by comparing them to each other and examining the ways they are connected. In many of the speeches, White demonstrates that Lincoln leaves the audience with thoughts and ideas that his mind is still wrestling with that are picked up again in a later speech and developed more fully as his thoughts on those subjects have matured over time.
White has also done an excellent job in selecting the best and most memorable speeches and public letters from Lincoln's presidency. He begins with Lincoln's farewell remarks at Springfield on February, 11, 1861 and includes remarks from his journey to Washington. Also included are both of Lincoln's Inaugural Addresses, his reply to Horace Greeley's "Prayer of Twenty Millions," the 1862 Message to Congress, Conkling Letter, and Gettysburg Address. As I read each chapter on each of the speeches, I got a sense of the growth of Lincoln and the development of his thought until it reached its twin climaxes of the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural. |
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