Jacob Acey
9-26-13
Hour: 3
Cruz
P (Purpose): To cite information from a biography that shows that a subject- Harriet Tubman or
Abraham Lincoln - Exemplifies a character trait in an extraordinary way
A (Audience): Teacher
S (Subject) A character trait exemplified in an extraordinary way
S (Structure) Five paragraph informational character analysis essay
Lincoln's Courage
Lincoln: A Photo-biography (Freedman 1987), illustrates the life of Abraham Lincoln who
was the 16th President of the United States in the mid 1800s. In the year 1865, he was killed by
John Wilkes Booth, who disagreed with Lincoln's work to free the slaves. Despite Lincoln's
knowledge of the threat of assassination, he stayed courageous. He never let the threats deter him
from doing what he knew was right. He remained courageous until his untimely death.
Lincoln's courage is shown first when he says "I made up my mind long ago that if someone
wants to kill me, they will do it" (771). This exhibits great courage, because rather than show
fear in the face of death, he stayed calm. He doesn’t care about trying to protect himself. Some
would see that as giving up, but I see it as bravery and courage. Like he said, if someone wanted
to kill him, they would do it. No amount of safety percussions could help, while keeping Lincoln
happy and comfortable.
When Lincoln His courage is exhibited again when he said, "If I wore a shirt of mail, and
kept myself surrounded by a bodyguard it would all be the same" (771).This exhibits courage
very similarly, due to a lack of fear in the face of mortality, a terrifying reality to most. I’d like
to make it clear- he doesn’t WANT to die. He just doesn’t try to delay it.
Lastly, his courage is shown when he says, "there are 1000 ways to kill a man if it is desired
that he should be killed” (771). This last excerpt exhibits, once again, courage when dealing with
death, because he embraces his inevitability. It’s probably going to happen, and he knows it,
meaning he has resigned himself to the fact, which requires a lot of courage.
Clearly, Lincoln is a courageous individual. Lincoln has come to terms with the fact that he
will probably die, but he is not afraid. He acknowledges that even if he went out of his way to
protect himself, death would find him, yet still he is not afraid. He knows if someone wants to
kill him then that person will find a way to do so. Still, he does not let this interfere with his
presidency. Lincoln’s courage impacted the nation greatly, as it is still remembered today, and is
an inspiration to many.