Lincoln Movie - Rhetorical Analysis
I chose the scene between chairman of the House Ways and Means committee and President Lincoln the scene starts at about 58 minutes into the movie. Republican Stevens will have the floor in the next debate Lincoln is trying to persuade Thaddeus Stevens to treat the situation with a more docile tone. The scene takes place down stairs from the Shindig reception in the kitchen. Chairman Stevens has just been chewed out by Mrs. Molly Lincoln. Just to provide some context for the scene of choice, the previous scene sets out where Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln are greeting people at the reception. Mr. Lincoln hates the gloves that Mrs. Lincoln has him wearing. Mrs. Lincoln is approached by Chairman Stevens, Ashley, Bluff and Sumner. Mrs. Lincoln makes a joke where she asks Chairman Stevens not to conduct another investigation into her household accounts. Chairman Stevens says that her household accounts are interesting but he will have no need to investigate them as long as she gives him none. Mrs. Lincoln seems to be waiting for this moment. She explains that she had to spend a fortune in order to make the White House livable. When she and Mr. Lincoln arrived the place was seriously unkempt, and she spent the necessary money fixing it up, because Chairman Stevens along with the entire of capital left it unkempt because of their own bias’ towards the election of the president, and figured that they would feel right at home living in “squalor.” When her older son alerts her that a multitude of people are waiting to meet them, she notes how she is detaining the people. For the people love her husband and will not love Chairman Stevens.
Mrs. Lincoln, “Oh, I'm detaining you, and more important, the people behind you! How the people love my husband, they flock to see him, by their thousands on public days! They will never love you the way they love him. How difficult it must be for you to know that. And yet how important to remember it.”
We go downstairs to the kitchen by way of the Black Footman taking dishes away and we see the President sitting next to a table and Chairman Stevens walking around it. The music from the party is still playing suggesting that they party is still going and the two have stolen away to talk.
Mrs. Lincoln, “Oh, I'm detaining you, and more important, the people behind you! How the people love my husband, they flock to see him, by their thousands on public days! They will never love you the way they love him. How difficult it must be for you to know that. And yet how important to remember it.”
We go downstairs to the kitchen by way of the Black Footman taking dishes away and we see the President sitting next to a table and Chairman Stevens walking around it. The music from the party is still playing suggesting that they party is still going and the two have stolen away to talk.
LINCOLN - Since we have the floor next in the debate, I thought I'd suggest you might...temper your contributions so as not to frighten our conservative friends?
THADDEUS STEVENS - Ashley insists you're ensuring approval by dispensing patronage to otherwise undeserving Democrats.
LINCOLN - I can't ensure a single damn thing if you scare the whole House with talk of land appropriations and revolutionary tribunals and punitive thisses and thats -
THADDEUS STEVENS - When the war ends, I intend to push for full equality, the Negro vote
and much more. Congress shall mandate the seizure of every foot of rebel land and every dollar of their property. We'll use their confiscated wealth to establish hundreds of thousands of free Negro farmers, and at their side soldiers armed to occupy and transform the heritage of traitors.
and much more. Congress shall mandate the seizure of every foot of rebel land and every dollar of their property. We'll use their confiscated wealth to establish hundreds of thousands of free Negro farmers, and at their side soldiers armed to occupy and transform the heritage of traitors.
STEVENS Con't - We'll build up a land down there of free men and free women and free children and freedom.
STEVENS Con't - The nation needs to know that we have such plans.
LINCOLN - That's the untempered version of reconstruction. It's not... It's not exactly what I intend, but we shall oppose one another in the course of time.
LINCOLN Con't - Now we're working together, and I'm asking you -
THADDEUS STEVENS - For patience, I expect.
LINCOLN - When the people disagree, bringing them together requires going slow till they're ready to make up
THADDEUS STEVENS - Ah, sh*t on the people and what they want and what they're ready for! I don't give a goddamn about the people and what they want! This is the face of someone who has fought long and hard for the good of the people without caring much for any of `em. And I look a lot worse without the wig.
STEVENS Con't - The people elected me! To represent them! To lead them! And I lead! You ought to try it!
LINCOLN - I admire your zeal, Mr. Stevens, and I have tried to profit from the example of it. But if I'd listened to you,
LINCOLN Con't - But if I'd listened to you,
LINCOLN Con't - I'd've declared every slave free the minute the first shell struck Fort Sumter; then the border states would've gone over to the confederacy, the war would've been lost and the Union along with it,
LINCOLN Con't - and instead of abolishing slavery, as we hope to do, in two weeks, we'd be watching helpless as infants as it spread from the American South into South America. Stevens glares at him, then smiles.
THADDEUS STEVENS - Oh, how you have longed to say that to me
STEVENS Con't - You claim you trust them - but you know what the people are.
STEVENS Con't - You know that the inner compass that should direct the soul toward justice has ossified in white men and women, north and south, unto utter uselessness through tolerating the evil of slavery.
STEVENS Con't - White people cannot bear the thought of sharing this country's infinite abundance with Negroes.
Lincoln reaches over to Stevens and gives his shoulder a vigorous shake. Stevens endures this.
LINCOLN - A compass, I learnt when I was surveying, it'll - it'll point you True North from where you're standing, but it's got no advice about the swamps and deserts and chasms that you'll encounter along the way.
LINCOLN Con't - If in pursuit of your destination you plunge ahead, heedless of obstacles, and achieve nothing more than to sink in a swamp, what's the use of knowing True North?
Short synopsis
This scene goes from a colorful gala to a darkened dimly lit kitchen. The kitchen is often where meals or means of nourishment is prepared. A lot of work goes on in the kitchen, washing, cutting, cooking, baking, concocting of things to be brought to the dining area for a meal among people. People often share a sense of bonding and sharing during a meal, but they never see the kitchen and the preparation that it takes to bring that together. I think the director deliberately uses the kitchen to show how the basis and foundation for the radical support is being prepared. Also, during the discourse between Lincoln and Stevens, is in a dimly lit room. If you notice, you never see Lincoln’s full face, always half of his face is hidden, his eyes are hidden, you mostly see his silhouette, and hear his voice and calm demeanor. On the other hand, Stevens’ body, and face are visible whenever he is talking within the scene. I think the director uses this in order to show how Steven’s walks around with all of his cards visible to the opponents and people. Mostly the people cannot handle this. Lincoln in this scene again is half visible, I think the director uses this to show how Lincoln, is not forthright with all of this plans and intentions. He know’s the people cannot handle everything that he wants to do forthright, he has to go slowly “;till they’re ready to make up.”
In actual American history, Reconstruction did not help Black people because it intensified the hatred towards Black people. This happened because the rights of the White people were ignored, rights such as property ownership. The point was to free people and freeing them brought up questions such as how do you help them to go about assimilating? In terms of violating the rights of white people post 13th Amendment, a lot of Black people were elected to congress, how could that have been allowed? Could it have been possible that White people must have been stopped from voting.
In this scene, Thaddeus’ argument is that the people have elected him but they don’t have a moral compass. Also, since they elected him, he has to make decisions and rule using his own moral compass for the people. Lincoln tries to convince Thaddeus that he needs the people to believe that the slaves need to be freed as a war measure. Lincoln knows that if the people think they are trying to free the slaves as a moral issue, they will not be so gung ho about freeing the slaves. Also, Lincoln is under the gun because they have to use this short window to free the slaves before it closes. Lastly, Lincoln realizes that if they go all gung ho about stripping the south of its land and wealth acquired through slavery the Conservatives, then the people are definitely going to vote against the 13th Amendment.
This scene goes from a colorful gala to a darkened dimly lit kitchen. The kitchen is often where meals or means of nourishment is prepared. A lot of work goes on in the kitchen, washing, cutting, cooking, baking, concocting of things to be brought to the dining area for a meal among people. People often share a sense of bonding and sharing during a meal, but they never see the kitchen and the preparation that it takes to bring that together. I think the director deliberately uses the kitchen to show how the basis and foundation for the radical support is being prepared. Also, during the discourse between Lincoln and Stevens, is in a dimly lit room. If you notice, you never see Lincoln’s full face, always half of his face is hidden, his eyes are hidden, you mostly see his silhouette, and hear his voice and calm demeanor. On the other hand, Stevens’ body, and face are visible whenever he is talking within the scene. I think the director uses this in order to show how Steven’s walks around with all of his cards visible to the opponents and people. Mostly the people cannot handle this. Lincoln in this scene again is half visible, I think the director uses this to show how Lincoln, is not forthright with all of this plans and intentions. He know’s the people cannot handle everything that he wants to do forthright, he has to go slowly “;till they’re ready to make up.”
In actual American history, Reconstruction did not help Black people because it intensified the hatred towards Black people. This happened because the rights of the White people were ignored, rights such as property ownership. The point was to free people and freeing them brought up questions such as how do you help them to go about assimilating? In terms of violating the rights of white people post 13th Amendment, a lot of Black people were elected to congress, how could that have been allowed? Could it have been possible that White people must have been stopped from voting.
In this scene, Thaddeus’ argument is that the people have elected him but they don’t have a moral compass. Also, since they elected him, he has to make decisions and rule using his own moral compass for the people. Lincoln tries to convince Thaddeus that he needs the people to believe that the slaves need to be freed as a war measure. Lincoln knows that if the people think they are trying to free the slaves as a moral issue, they will not be so gung ho about freeing the slaves. Also, Lincoln is under the gun because they have to use this short window to free the slaves before it closes. Lastly, Lincoln realizes that if they go all gung ho about stripping the south of its land and wealth acquired through slavery the Conservatives, then the people are definitely going to vote against the 13th Amendment.