Many are given advice, but only the wise profit from it. In hopes that her son was wise, Abigail Adams wrote a letter to her son, John Quincy Adams. In the letter Abigail Adams effectively used allusions and metaphors to persuade her son, John Quincy Adams, to follow her advice to travel. The allusion to Cicero present in, “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? The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties” alludes to Cicero’s writing about the tyranny of Catiline, Verres, and Mark Anthony. Adams used this allusion in an attempt to provide Cicero’s writing about the tyranny of Catiline, Verres, and Mark Anthony as a precedent event to show that if past historical figures formed vigorous minds from contending with difficulties, then her son can also form a vigorous mind from dealing with the great difficulties of the American …show more content…
The metaphor present in, “War, tyranny, and desolation are the scourges of the Almighty, and ought no doubt to be deprecated” compares war, tyranny, and desolation to the scourges of the Almighty. The simile elicits the common sense idea that war, tyranny, and desolation and the scourges of the Almighty are both unwanted and horrendous. Abigail Adams uses this metaphor in an attempt to persuade her son to follow her advice to travel because it is a tremendous opportunity. The simile Abigail Adams used effectively persuaded her son to take the tremendous opportunity to travel because the similar sense of unwelcomeness and horridity that comes from war, tyranny, and desolation and the scourges of the Almighty demonstrates the importance of ending war, tyranny, and desolation. In order for war, tyranny, and desolation to end John Quincy Adams needed to travel and witness these