Rhetorical Analysis Of Letters By Abigail Adams

In Abigail Adams letter to her son(1780) John Quincy Adams who later became president, she concedes in a remorseful yet unapologetic tone that she would not have urged him to go this trip again if it was not in his benefit. Adams didn’t think his “reluctance” was thought out well, she sends him knowing he didn’t want to go and the that there was the untold danger he could face because she knows how important it is for him to go on this voyage. Adams uses logos and foreshadowing to advise her son that his trip was not in vain. Abigail Adams has an overall motherly tone where she starts her intro with a hint of remorse because she sent her son on a trip which he did not want to go to and there’s a possibility of encountering “enemies or dangers of the sea”. She is writing this letter while her son is on the trip knowing he’ll read this when he arrives,

The meaning behind a mother’s advice to her children should be taken to heart. Despite John Quincy Adams’ young age, Abigail Adams presents him didactic advice to assist him in his future endeavors. Abigail Adams employs various rhetorical devices to support and expound on her advice; she tells John Quincy Adams to not waste the advantages he was doled in life and mentions how wisdom lies in experience thought the implementation of personification, extended metaphor, maternalistic diction, and allusion. Abigail Adams advice focused on John Quincy Adams applying himself and emphasized how he must take advantage of the privileges he has received.

Mrs. Adams pushes her son to be hard-working young man by choosing to focus on his benevolent side and giving kudos for being a good son. In the first part of the letter, Mrs. Adams begins to guide her son about going on the voyage and not being afraid of the dangers out at sea. Moreover, she starts to express how he was nimble enough to take her advice and join his father on the trip to France; in order to improve his intelligence and finally be able to use his advanced language skills. When Mrs. Adams alludes to how dexterous John Q. Adams is, bolsters her purpose in trying to advance her son to a more advantageous life than the one he already boasts. She conjointly reminds him of she would like him to attain: “. . .

Abigail Adams wrote this letter to her son John Quincy Adams to motivate him to be strive to best he can possibly be. She makes it clear to him that he is very fortunate and should build off of who he already is, “As you increase in in years, you will find your understanding opening and daily improving.” At the same time she advises him to make wise decisions without directly stating it. In the beginning of her letter she is repentful for sending her son on the voyage that he was so defiant against.

Abigail Adams’ Use of Rhetorical Devices Abigail Adams uses all three appeals, ethos, pathos and logos, in her letter to her son. The most used appeals in Adams’ letter are ethos, the ethical appeal, and pathos, the emotional appeal. Abigail also makes the rhetorical choices to set the tone of her letter and use figurative language to bring her words to life. She uses these appeals and makes these rhetorical choices to show she is well informed and to strike emotion in her audience, her son, while setting the mood of the letter and illuminating the importance of her writing.

oving mother, and wife of former President John Adams, Abigail Adams writes a letter to her son during his trip to France. The purpose she conveyed to her son consists of urging him to take advantage of the trip so he can deepen his learning of the language and culture. She utilizes a troubled tone to encourage the proper and beneficial actions of her son, John Quincy Adams. Adams begins her letter to John Quincy by displaying her concerns with his activities and schemes, for she wishes he will use the voyage to his learning advantage. Adams applies an ad hominem by arguing to her son that if “[he] were capable of judging what was most for [his] own benefit, [she] should not have urged [him] to accompany...the voyage” (line 5-7), which places a direct argument on John and his effective decision making.

In Abigail Adams letter to her son John Quincy Adams, she describes to her son the importance of experience that will appear during his time abroad with his father John Adams and brother. Throughout the letter Adams advises and defends her advice with the use of pathos and comparisons. By using the phrases "my son" and comparisons to a "judicious river," she tells of her faith in the possibilities of what he can accomplish. Within the first few lines of Adams' letter to her son, she exhibits careful and precise motherly advice.

In a letter to her son, Abigail Adams shares her advice for him while traveling abroad. The letter encourages John Quincy Adams to make the most of this experience as evidenced by her appealing to her son as his mother and her reference to heroes of past and present. In this letter Adams appeals to “my son” as “his affectionate mother” so that he might value her advice and encouragement. Adams wants her son to value her advice so that her message of making the most of your trip will not fall upon deaf ears.

Mrs. Adams uses allusions to assist her point that “a genius would wish to live.” She cites Cicero, Catiline, Verres, and Mark Antony, all powerful leaders of the past that would not have been successful as they were if it was not for the rough times ahead of them. This allusion also gives Quincy Adams the anticipation of a bright and fortunate future. Being compared to these all-powerful leaders helps lessen Quincy Adams incompetence and any doubt that she might be having as is time to run for office approaches. Abigail Adams also wrote the letter in first person.

In a paragraph of her letter, Adams uses words like "advantages", "attention", "diligence" and "steady application. " Her use of strong, motivational and empowering diction will help her son realize how important the qualities of a honorable man are. Later in her letter, Adams alludes to the once great leader, Cicero. She writes, "Would Cicero have shone so distinguished an orator if he had not been roused, kindled, and inflamed by the tyranny of Catiline, Verres, and Mark Anthony?" She writes this to help her son recognize the struggles of becoming a strong leader, and the extensive outcome working hard can bring.

Abigail Adams in her letter to her son John Adams, who was traveling with his father who is a diplomat, wrote to him to encourage him to build up his character and take advantage of the opportunities and experiences he encounters. Adams purpose is to boost his character and to encourage him to become a better man. She adopts a very caring tone as a mother to John Adams. Adams uses many rhetorical strategies such as credibility establishment, emotional appeal, historical allusions and some figurative language.

Letters to John Adams writing prompt: Write a response in which you analyze the rhetoric that Abigail Adams uses to support the opinions she expresses in these letters. Recall that rhetoric is the art of using language to influence others it can include appeals to logic, emotions and mortality. It might also include rhetorical devices such as analogies to strengthen an argument. Remember to use evidence from the text to support your response. In Letters to John Adams, Abigail uses rhetoric to help persuade the user to her points, one of the many examples is in paragraph 8 where she states “I desire you would remember the ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.”

She uses allusion to invoke a sense of purpose in her son completing his journey and gaining the knowledge he needs in order to grow. When Abigail Adams suggest that her son was fortunate enough to witness "who have made glorious defense of their invades liberties. " She uses Americas history into becoming an independent country to show hardship that will come but the outcome from it is even better. Next example she used is, "Would Cicero have shone so distinguished an orator if had not been roused, kindled, and inflamed by the tyranny of Catiline, Verres, and Mark Antony." Adams proposes that adversity will come in life, but it will make him a great leader.

It also creates a memorable statement, because they are positive words which have positive impacts of the reader. In the opposite sense, another triad in line 31 says “...roused, kindled and inflamed…” which has more of a rhythm to the sentence, which makes the reader of the letter more intriguing and powerful. Parallel triads have the effect of making sense more more appealing to the ear, and to create a dramatic effect, enhancing the mood. Adam's strengthens her message to her son John Quincy Adams by using many instances of figurative language such as diction allusions and parallelism.

Abigail employs strategies of emotionally charged words and phrases that only a mother can say to her son. In her letter she opens the letter with the phrase, “MY DEAR SON”. This phrase is notable because of the effects that it is intended to give to the audience, her son John Quincy Adams, she is setting a mood and tone of a loving and compassionate mother. She is using the position of her authority as his mother to push him her love for him is why she knows this trip is great thing for him.