Abigail Adams Manipulation In Letters To John Quincy Adams

Picture sending your child on a voyage and putting them through challenges they do not desire undergoing. How would you cope knowing you put your son through this pain while showing him that what you are doing is in his best interest? In 1780, Abigail Adams-mother to John Quincy Adams and wife to John Adams- wrote a letter to her son to enlighten him as to why he should be grateful for the tribulations of this voyage to France, and all the benefits that will come from this opportunity. She attempts to manipulate John Quincy Adams by appealing to his emotions; she references how fortunate he is to have her guidance while he cannot trust his own, and she uses metaphors to convey that these struggles constitute character growth. Abigail Adams

Abigail Adams accentuates that her knowledge of this subject is greater than his by saying, “If I had thought your reluctance arose from proper deliberation, or that you were capable of judging what was most for your own benefit, I should not have urged you to accompany your father and brother when you appeared so averse to the voyage.” This makes him feel a sense of stupidity and realize how appreciative he should be that his mother is looking over him, since he is not qualified to. This manipulation works in Abigail Adams’ favor because she appeals to these emotions to warp his perceptions of his own thoughts, this makes him trust her ideals more than his own. She questions his adversity and brings up that it may not be of the right intention, this proves her unbiased view is

Abigail Adams’ comparison of a judicious traveler to a river helps to enlighten John Quincy Adams on how the struggles one may go through helps to shape them into a better person in the future: “Some author, that I have met with, compares a judicious traveller to a river, that increases its stream the further it flows from its source; or to certain springs, which, running through rich veins of minerals, improve their qualities as they pass along.” This metaphor compares the process of water purification to the growth of a human in the real world. To help John Quincy Adams understand her point in sending him on this voyage, she makes it apparent how tribulations can open doors for prosperity. She continues to use this method to convey another point by saying, “All history will convince you of this, and that wisdom and penetration are the fruit of experience, not the lessons of retirement and leisure.” The connection drawn by comparing the health benefits of fruit to the welfares of wisdom and penetration back the idea that going on this trip allows him to gain knowledge, as well as experiences, that are salutary. Abigail Adams wants to make it evident that this opportunity is the best for his future well-being. John Quincy Adams grasping this concept will create opportunities for his mother to prove her point and offer her expertise pertaining to the