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Abigail Adams Letter To A Son Analysis

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Letter to a Son In 1780, Abigail Adams wrote a letter to her son, the future president of the United States, John Quincy Adams, as he traveled overseas with his father, John Adams, also a future president of the United States. Abigail wrote to advise her son to not take for granted all the opportunities he has in front of him. She convinced her son of this advice by portraying her maternal affection for him with compliments, implying a sense of patriotism in her son, and utilizing a metaphor to help stamp her point. Abigail Adams, in the beginning of the letter, reveals her maternal affection for her son in compliments in attempt to convince him that she wants to help him and not force him to work hard. She opens the letter with “MY DEAR SON” (1), in order to show John that she cares for him and has no intention of insulting him. She then moves to inform him that he is “favored with superior advantages” (1), explaining that he has talents and should utilize them to his best ability. These compliments describe her maternal affection for her son and that she wants the best for him. These also make him feel a sense of guilt for possibly not living up to his highest potential, and will convince him to live up to his highest …show more content…

Adams compares her son, John, to a river, stating that a river “increases its stream the further it flows from its source… improv[ing] [its] qualities as [it] pass[es] along” (1). In relation to her son, she is stating that as he travels, he will create a higher potential for himself as he learns more about how to utilize his talents to help him become a better man and aid for his country. This metaphor helps John to visualize how he can improve himself, and also motivates his more to do just like a river does. Nobody ever looks at a river as weak, they look at rivers as strong and how they are always moving forward with a powerful

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In this 1780 letter, Abigail Adams not only commends John Quincy Adams for making the journey, but she also, through the utilization of rhetorical devices, such as allusions, metaphors, and antitheses, is able to advise her son on said journey. To begin, Abigail Adams enforces an extended metaphor by comparing her son’s travels to a flowing river. She reasons that the further from the source a river flows, the greater the amount of riches that will be acquired. By colliding these two contrasting concepts, Abigail Adams encourages John Quincy Adams through the idea that he’ll be awarded upon completion. If

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507 Words | 3 Pages

Wife of U.S diplomat and mother of future president, Abigail Adams in her letter to her son John Quincy Adams advises him during his journey with his father about the advantages of learning from his experiences. Adams purpose is to encourage her son to set out and learn in order to become a better person. She adopts a nurturing tone to guide her son and give him advice that would be beneficial to him. Adams successfully gets her advice across to her son with the use of remorseful diction, inspiring exemplification, and proud pathos.

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She compares "a judicious traveler" to "a river that increases its stream" the further it runs from the start of the river, or to "certain springs, which running through rich veins of minerals improve their qualities as they pass along". These excerpts show how Adams explains why the more you travel the more experience you have and you'll become more successful. She also uses a metaphor to make a comparison about how "wisdom and penetration are the fruits of experience" and how those "fruits" don't come from laziness. This clarifies how experience leads to wisdom while laziness doesn't. Adams wants her son to work for wisdom and experience.

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In this letter Abigail Adam tells her husband that he should speak more about the rights of women and let their voices be heard. So because of this and womens being able to speak up after this they are able to stand up for themselves and create a more comfortable place for both male and females. Abigail Adams also talks about how he should not allow to have men's superior power or they will create a rebellion against them. Preamble to the Constitution of the United States, 1787 another one of the documents that support the rights of Americans.

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All of these words possess a positive connotation to one’s pride, which can easily be felt after so much focus on the “your”s to John. Through the use of this repetition, Abigail not only opens up her son to new advice, but subtly verifies her old advice of encouraging him to go to France,

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Letter to Her Daughter from the New White House Abigail Adams does not like the new White House because it is unfinished, The City is surrounded by tree’s, and The buildings in the city aren't pleasant. The first reason that Abigail Adams does not like the White House is because it is unfinished. From the text “ There is not a single apartment finished, and all withinside, except the plaster, has been done since Briesler came.” This is my evidence because it shows that she does not like that the apartments and plastering is not done.

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Biological Mother, Abigail Adams in her letter to her son, applies to him some advice which she hopes will make him a better man. Adams purpose is to give advice to her son so that he can become a good man and bring honor to his country. She adopts an uplifting tone in order to get her son to listen to her so he can prepare for whatever comes his way. Abigail begins her letter by explaining that she has given him advice before and he had listened to her

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663 Words | 3 Pages

In January of 1780, Abigail Adams wrote a letter to her son John Quincy Adams while he was traveling abroad with his father, John Adams. Throughout the letter Abigail Adams utilizes the Aristotelian appeal pathos to appeal to her son’s emotions, along with a metaphor and an allusion to explain to him how he can grow up to be successful in life to John Quincy through any hardships he may have faced while traveling overseas. Abigail Adams establishes pathos throughout the letter. An example of this is when she adopts a maternal tone. She uses the words “My son” throughout the letter to personalize her writing.

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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,

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Abigail Adams, wife to John Adams, wrote a letter to him advocating for the implementation of more rights (Document

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515 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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664 Words | 3 Pages

Abigail wrote this letter to her John in January of 1780, so the language used was very different from today's society, and it used many heightened points of diction and more formal language.

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678 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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452 Words | 2 Pages

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.

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432 Words | 2 Pages

In her letter she wants her father to have some compassion and send her some relief, of clothing. In the end of the letter she put your undutiful and disobedient child, meaning she is performing the duties for her family, and she feels because what is happening to her that she is not an obedient child. The historic context of

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