Many people regard parenting as the most demanding profession in the world because parents need to strike a decisive balance between the demonstration of love and the reiteration of principles when instructing their children. In her letter to her son, John Quincy Adams, Abigail Adams skillfully maintains this delicate balance, advising her son to accompany his father and brother to France. By considering her son’s perspective and then offering her own opinions, employing exemplification and contrast to substantiate her arguments, and showing a loving and trusting attitude toward her son. Abigail Adams reveals why a journey to France can benefit John Quincy Adams in the long run. Starting her letter by giving proper considerations to her son’s …show more content…
In her rhetoric, Adams points to three reasons that her son should accompany his father and brother to France— that John Quincy Adams is familiar with French, that such voyage can increase his personal experience, and that his father can serve as a model for him. Elaborating on her second point, Adams emphasizes that “great necessities call out great virtues” (37). She admits that her son may enjoy “leisure” (36) by not going to France; however, too much leisure will only make his qualities as a “hero and… statesman” (41) “dormant” (40). While acknowledging the possible downside of the trip, she confidently posits that the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. Progressing from her argument that such voyage improves her son’s personal character, Adams further suggests that it can also make him a more responsible future leader who can benefit the society. As John Adams has “taken a large and active share” (52-53) in liberating the American society from the British authority, Adams hopes her son to employ his experience …show more content…
Just as the stream becomes wider “the further it flows from its source” (18), Adams longs to see her son become wiser and more beneficial to the society as he grows up. When positing that a trip to France will increase her son’s experience, which brings “wisdom and penetration” (35), Adams also draws on historical example. Arguing that Cicero would not have shone so “distinguished an orator if he not been roused, kindled, and inflamed by the tyranny of Catiline, Verres, and Mark Antony” (31-34), Adams implies that the calamities he views in life will only make him stronger and wiser, so he should not hesitate to confront difficulties. Building on this example, she sets up a contrast between a dormant man in “retirement” (36) and a hero in harsh times, suggesting her son follow the lifestyle of the latter. Along with her reasoning, Adams shows a loving and trusting attitude toward her son that appeals to his emotions. Acknowledging that her son has “readily submitted to [her] advice” (9), Adams praises her son for his consideration of her opinion. When she states that difficult
In the opening chapters they talk about how Woodrow Wilson took a cruise and when he traveled to Yorktown sites, and how he went unrecognized by the variety of local people
In writing A Voyage Long and Strange, Tony Horwitz’s goal is clear, to educate others on early America and debunk ignorant myths. Horwitz’s reason for wanting to achieve this goal is because of his own ignorance that he sees while at Plymouth Rock. “Expensively educated at a private school and university- a history major, no less!-I’d matriculated to middle age with a third grader’s grasp of early America.” Horwitz is disappointed in his own lack of knowledge of his home country, especially with his background history and decides not only to research America’s true beginnings, but to also follow the path of those who originally yearned to discover America.
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.
She uses this rhetorical strategy to connect with her son and show affection. Throughout her letter Adams says "My son". She states this multiple times to clarify that this letter is not to scold him but to guide and inform him. By Adams continually emphasizing support for her son,
In life difficulties may arise, but an “instructive eye” of a “tender parent” is a push needed in everyone’s life. Abigail Adams believed, when she wrote a letter to her son, that difficulties are needed to succeed. She offers a motherly hand to her son to not repent his voyage to France and continue down the path he is going. She uses forms of rhetoric like pathos, metaphors, and allusions to give her son a much needed push in his quest to success.
Every mother wants what the best for her child, even if that child may not believe so. In her letter to her son, John Quincy Adams, Abigail Adams addresses him during his travels in France and defends the rationale of her previous advice while providing her new advice, and partly demands, on the subjects of honor and duty. Abigail Adams uses emotional appeals in the form of personal repetition, flattering metaphors, and prideful personification in order to advise and persuade her son in his personal growth and appeal to his personal qualities, such as pride of honesty and knowledge, to spur his ambitions and actions. To start off the letter, after greeting him and explaining the occasion of her writing, Abigail uses personal repetition with the word “your,” before qualities and events with a positive connotation to appeal to John’s pride and leave him open to listen to more of her her advice, as she already successfully advised him in his trip to France. In only the second sentence of the letter, Abigail already throws in that her advice is, to John, “for your own benefit,” (5) later she speaks of, once again to John, “your knowledge,” (11) and finally, “your understanding,” (14).
Abagail Adams wrote a letter to her son, John Adams, who is traveling abroad with his father. Abigail Adams, who was a women back then during the Revolutionary War, didn’t have much political rights. Adams was huge in politics and so was her son, second president of the United States. Adam's uses rhetorical devices to advice her son that he is the only person that can control his future and he must know how to pull through difficulty when it's being tested. To advice her son about this, she uses many rhetorical strategies.
Abigail Adams in the letter to her son, John Quincy Adams, suggests that he be brave and a great man. Adams supports her suggestion to John by explaining what he should do and that he should be strong, mentally, on the trip. The authors purpose is to encourage the son to be a strong man in order to last on the trip, do honor to their country, and become a great man in the future. The author writes in an inspirational tone for her son John Quincy Adams. She incorporates many different literary techniques in order to get the mood and tone across to her son.
Throughout the letter Adams uses phrases like “my son” or “the son of your father.” Her purpose through this is to display to her son that he has nothing but support from both of his parents as he grows into the man he chooses to be. She explains that he is very fortunate to have “superior advantages,” meaning the wealth of their family, yet he should never stray from the morals that were taught to him from “a tender parent.” Adams concludes her letter with “…do honor to your country, and render your parents supremely happy, particularly your ever affectionate mother, A.A.” In this final sentence she includes everything that she expects from her son as he travels, learns, and becomes a
In this letter, Abigail Adams writes to her son John Quincy Adams who is abroad with his father. Later, John Quincy Adams, will be noted as a United States diplomat and president. In this letter, Abigail Adams addresses her son, offering him advice for the future. She asserts the pride she has in her son and all that he has accomplished. She encourages him to grow and expand his horizons of knowledge.
Abigail Adams Letter In 1780 Abigail Adams writes a letter to her son, John Quincy Adams. When Abigail writes this letter, John is on his second voyage, with his father, to France, America’s ally. When Abigail writes this letter she is trying to prove that going on this voyage will have great positive effects on his life. She is effective in proving her point because she uses Ethos, Logos, Pathos, and other rhetorical strategies convey her message and meaning to him.
The newly established land of America was attempting to break away from the mother country, England, to become the independent land that we know as the United States. The letter by Abigail Adam was written to her beloved son whom was traveling abroad with his father. Throughout the letter, Adams uses inspiring diction, allusions to historical figures, and well timed metaphors to encourage her son to be resilient and not shy away from any challenges that may face him. In the letter, Adams compares her son to other great leaders using allusions and metaphors.
At the beginning, he implicitly puts her request down. Near the end, however, he blames the helplessness created by the request as the reason for the denial. He first tells her that she does not fully comprehend the impact of her request. She “should have considered what she was asking.” By doing this, he establishes his position clearly, one that meant her son would not get patronage because of the impossibility of the task.
In 1780, eight years before the creation of the Constitution, Abigail Adams writes to her son John Quincy Adams, using many different rhetorical devices to advise him throughout his voyage across seas. As a mother, Adams’s concerns and prospects for the future are expressed to her son, who is growing old enough to begin to apply his own intelligence to the world. Mothers have always shared a similarity that is rooted in their compassion and tendencies to protect their children, and Adams is no different. Adams encourages her son through a series of rhetorical techniques. First, she displays her absolute love for him, using the phrase “my dear son” throughout the letter to continually show him that she is not scolding him; rather, she is trying to exhibit to him how much he means to her.
Many people and or things were effected during the American Revolution. This is the time Abigail Adams wrote a letter to her son who is going on a trip with his father. In this letter she gives her son some advice like making mistakes in life to making your own path. Adams provides examples to help illustrate these ideas better.