Allusion in House Divided Speech

The phrase “a living dog is better than a dead lion” is drawn from Ecclesiastes 9:4. It refers to the idea that even if a lion is grander than a dog in life, death makes all things equal. Combining allusion and metaphor, Lincoln suggests that even if Douglas were a mighty “lion” of a politician, his attachment to popular sovereignty and the Democratic party would make him an unlikely ally to the anti-slavery cause. The Republicans hoped that Douglas’s estrangement from Buchanan over the Lecompton Constitution might bring him to their side. However, Lincoln asserts that the “caged and toothless” Douglas has no intention nor means of aiding the Republicans since he claims to have no stake in their chief issue: halting the expansion of slavery.

This phrase, which gives the speech its title, is an allusion to verses found in the biblical books of Luke, Mark, and Matthew. By situating his argument in a biblical framework, Lincoln gains moral authority and appeals to the religiosity of his audience. In the phrase’s biblical context, Jesus Christ highlights the foolishness of his detractors, who claim that he exorcised a demon using satanic power. He logically points out that if satanic power could be used to expel demons, Satan’s influence would quickly decline. Lincoln uses this phrase in a similar context, reminding his audience that the prolonged political divide over slavery will continue to weaken the nation.