Monday, March 16, 2020

Man of Copper

by Maddie Berkson, Tenth Grade

Ah, Kentucky-the birthplace of finger-licking-good fried chicken...and President Abraham Lincoln. From his birth in the frontier to two poor parents, Lincoln had to be a strategic fighter in order to climb the social ladder and become the revered president that people know him as today. Like any good president should be, Lincoln was persistent. Lincoln had essentially no formal teachers. Lincoln had to teach himself from what he could gather from his surroundings much like other famous presidents that were mostly self-educated such as George Washington or Andrew Jackson.

Although Lincoln states in his handbill regarding infidelity that he is “not a member of any church,” his parents attended a church that was strongly opposed to slavery. Having grown up in this environment, Lincoln followed in the same line of thinking, which is evident throughout his career. Slavery is a common theme in Lincoln’s speeches. It is almost as if he cannot stop talking about the subject because its very existence irritates him to his core. With so much hatred towards the institution, he pushed for the addition of the 13th amendment to the Constitution, but that still wasn’t enough. Lincoln, as expressed in his “Last Public Address”, wanted the blacks to have the right of suffrage as well.  As he mentions in his “Columbus, Ohio Speech” they too are included in the Declaration of Independence and therefore are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, as well as living, laughing, and loving.

Despite some things that he said earlier in his presidency, it is clear that he wanted the blacks to be at least politically equal in due time. Others may accuse Lincoln of being a hypocrite and stupidly call him “Liar Lincoln '' as if they are still wearing pull-ups. However, Abe knew that if he broadcasted his true opinion during that day and age, he would have lost all of his necessary supporters to get rid of slavery in the first place. The man was assassinated four days after the first time he mentioned giving the blacks some political power for crying out loud!

Yes, lying is wrong, even if you aren’t a proclaimed Christian, and maybe, “honest Abe” isn’t the best nickname for him. But, is being strategic the same as being evil when you are determined to do/are doing good things? You wouldn’t call Superman evil when he disguises himself as Clark Kent to maintain public appearances but then saves civilians. Lincoln preserved and took down his metaphorical Lex Luthor to establish the 13th amendment in the Constitution, which laid a foundation for future civil rights activists such as Martin Luther King Jr.

Every president should be logical and strategic especially in times of war. They are given an extremely important position in the United States, and if they laid all of their cards flat on the table, our country would have fallen to shreds (like me whenever I lose my agenda or Kathryn finds a white hair on my head). Citizens of America can look to Lincoln and learn how to persevere for the better of the country and how to put other people’s needs before your own life. As the great poet/author, William Shakespeare, writes, “to do a great right do a little wrong.”P.S. This is a very exaggerated version of my actual opinion of Abraham Lincoln for the intended purpose of humor and conciseness. When conversing with me on a daily basis, it is recommended that you take most things I say with a gallon of salt. Also, for those unaware, the title of the paper is a play on words because Superman is also known as the man of steel.
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Friday, March 13, 2020

Lincoln Encomium

by Elijah Pointer, Grade 12

Abraham Lincoln, elected 16th president of the United States and disputably hailed as the Great Emancipator, may or may not have been truly worthy of that laudation he received, but that will be of little significance in this essay. Instead, I’m here to say that he sure could speak goodly.

As a child, Lincoln grew up dirt poor on the frontier. Both of his parents were illiterate, but that did not stop him from teaching himself to read. It is because of this that I believe his rhetorical abilities are so unique; he developed his own elevated style of speaking, combining gravity with wit. With nearly every speech, Lincoln captivates his audience. The educated are amazed at the sheer grandeur of his words, and even the not-so-educated, such as myself, are still mesmerized, yet perhaps unintentionally so, for I am often left staring at the same sentence for several seconds because I failed to understand it the first time.

Instead of channeling this talent into causing mischief and strife, Lincoln used his speaking abilities to slowly gain political prominence to the point where he became the president of the United States, where above all else, he sought to preserve the Union. Regardless of whether he had the right to enact certain things during the Civil War, — he basically started out as a farm boy and then became president, so cut him some slack — he tried to do what he thought was best and use his words for the sake of attaining peace. This is very much unlike the prophet Balaam, who attempted to use his gift of speech to cause discord and curse Israel so the king of Moab could conquer them in battle; it should be no surprise to hear that he was foiled in his maledictive machinations.

Like Lincoln, may we be wary of what we say and use our words to build others up and seek peace rather than furthering strife. “The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the mouth of the upright delivers them. The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous will stand.” Proverbs 12:6-7
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