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Definition
- Critical of what is generally accepted or respected; satirical
Synonyms
- aweless, cheeky, contemptuous, derisive, impertinent, impudent, mocking, profane, rude,
Antonyms
- religious, respectful, reverent
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"He was thin, wiry, sinewy, raw-boned;
standing, he leaned forward- was what may be called stoop-shouldered, inclining to the consumptive by build." Herndon described
Lincoln's face from the long association of viewing his associate in their law offices in Springfield. "His head ran backwards,
his forhead rising as it ran back at a low angle. His hair was dark, almost black, and lay floating where his fingers or the
winds left it, piled up and random." And again, "His ears were large, and ran out almost at right angles from his head, caused
partly by heavy hats and partly by nature.""
-Lincoln's Greatest Speech: The Second
Inaugural by Ronald C. White Jr. pg. 56
Ronald White illustrates Lincoln's physical features
through Herndon's description of his fellow associate, Lincoln. His description of Lincoln is not only rude but also disrespectful.
It criticizes Lincoln's appearance and does not contribute to his presidential campaign. Everyone believed that the president
should be beautiful, but Lincoln broke the norm and showed everyone that he was a great president even though he was not the
normal beautiful president you would expect. This passage explains an irreverent tone because it shows how little respect
even his own associates had towards Lincoln.
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