Why is "A Nation Divided" in this headline instead of "A Divided Nation"?

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I wonder why "A Nation Divided" is in this headline instead of "A Divided Nation". To me, from how I am taught, isn't an adjective supposed to go before the noun? I am not a native speaker.


It's an allusion to a very famous speech by Abraham Lincoln, which included the line:

A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free.

As you see, in Lincoln's speech divided is accompanied by a following complement, against itself. A modifier which itself has a following modifier or complement cannot be placed in front of the head noun, but must be placed after it.


The adjective preceding the noun is a general rule of English; however, it is not the only location. It is possible to emphasize (some) adjectives by placing the after the noun. Example: "A tiger, large and menacing, crept through the jungle." The alternate sentence, "A large and menacing tiger crept through the jungle," doesn't emphasize the qualities of being large or menacing.


Those two headlines give me different expectations for what the content will be about.

A Nation Divided I expect to tell me about the process leading to the division, but not necessarily what the end result will look like.

A Divided Nation I expect to tell me about the state of this divided nation, but not necessarily how it got there.

It is of course possible that the content will cover both the process and the end result, since they are obviously related, in which case I would find either headline to be suitable.