Questions for Lincoln Movie
- Lincoln said, “The part assigned to me is to raise the flag which, if there be no fault in the machinery, I will do. And, when up, it shall be for the people to keep it up. That's my speech.” When he says, “…it shall be for the people to keep it up,” what does he mean?
- In the scene when Lincoln’s youngest son is laying in front of the fire, he was on top of an important war strategy map – what does this say about Lincoln as a father? What does it say about the son?
- In the movie, while waiting to send a message to General Grant, Lincoln discusses Eudlid. Euclid's first common notion is this: 'Things which are equal to the same thing are equal to each other.' That's a rule of mathematical reasoning. It's true because it works; has done and always will do. In his book...hmm, Euclid says this is 'self-evident.' Do you see? There it is, even in that two- thousand year old book of mechanical law. It is a self-evident truth that thing which are equal to the same thing are equal to each other. We begin with equality. That's the origin, isn't it? That balance, that's...that's fairness, that's justice. Explain this quote in reference to slavery.
- In the film, Lincoln says, “A compass will point you true north. But it won’t show you the swamps between you and there. If you don’t avoid the swamps, what’s the use of knowing true north?” What is the metaphor of ‘North’ – remember the metaphor for the West? And how does this metaphor relate the point Lincoln was making?