ipl-logo

Abigail Adams My Dear Son Summary

529 Words3 Pages

In seventeen eighty, Abigail Adams (1744–1818) had wrote to her son John Quincy Adams, when he was traveling with his father and an United States diplomat overseas. Oblivious that her son would later become president of the United States. Though she tried to convince her son of travel and hard work. Adams utilizes historic allusions, flattery, patriotic callbacks, and the importance of perfecting a natural talent by trying to obtain it for oneself.

Adams wishes to inspire her son to to be hardworking by appealing to his affections for her. She even begins the letter with “my dear son” to set the tone of how she is not trying to belittle him, but help to steer him forward. She furthermore establishes that her main concern is his safety, fascinating …show more content…

Next in line twenty seven , it is implied that her son has an great mind like Cicero, and hinting at his writings about the “ tyranny of Catiline, Verres, and Marc Anthony.” The complement intends to butter him up, while the historical allusion is supposed give examples to help prove her point that “habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties” which is in lines thirty two to thirty four. Other recent strains she mentions involved the american revolution from Great Britain and the birth of an nation. She shows an sense of patriotism by listing “war, tyranny, and desolation” ( in line forty one) and experience to the country. She rallied her son to manage his life by helping the country from the “scourges of the almighty” (line forty two). By showing God’s name she escalates the reason for her son to change himself so that he can change the future of their nation. She ends the letter with an strong tone by expressing her hope that he will become more hard working not only for the country, but for his family especially his

Show More
Related
364 Words | 2 Pages

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.

Read More
582 Words | 3 Pages

In her letter to her son, John Quincey Adams, Abigail Adams uses picturesque diction, a supportive tone, and allusions to encourage John Quincey Adams to persevere through his current journey and the ones to come, even when he does not want to. The first noticeable technique that Abigail Adams uses is picturesque diction that develops through her elaborate descriptions of the trials of life. In her letter, she describes the struggles in life as if she was referring to people on a battlefield, flourishing her words with imagery therefore, Abigail Adams portrays her purpose by painting a picture in John Quincey Adams’ head about the victories of justice, wisdom and fortitude. Furthermore, this diction helps her develop symbolism, creating an image of a brave citizen, an ideal that most young men strive for, achieving her purpose to encourage John Quincey Adams to persevere through his strenuous life journey.

Read More
452 Words | 2 Pages

Throughout the letter, Adams constructs several comparisons between her son and great men as a way of persuading her son to be the best he can be and make his country proud. Adams emphasizes her son 's advantages, pointing out that he has been "favored with superior advantages under the instructive eye of a tender parent," presumably speaking of her husband, a future United States president. She wants her son 's progression on this voyage to "bear some proportion to [his] advantages," meaning he should mirror the determination of his father in regards to personal challenges. Adams also compares her son to Cicero, a great man who she argues would

Read More
699 Words | 3 Pages

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 a mother, her reference to heroes of the past and present, as well as her source of credibility. In this letter Adams appeals to her son as his mother so that he will value her advice and encouragement. She uses the phrase "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" (Line 3-8).

Read More
812 Words | 4 Pages

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).

Read More
604 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
705 Words | 3 Pages

He begins the article stating that his mother ‘is not surprised that her children are well-off.” This may possibly be hinting at the fact that he and his siblings are doing well prosperity-wise likely due to hard work. He immediately sets the tone for the passage with this statement that draws back to the passage’s theme of the American dream of material success. He then describes an experience in which his mother “stands waving toward no one in particular.” It can be inferred that the particular event being described is the departure of his siblings - possibly back to work.

Read More
906 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
393 Words | 2 Pages

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,

Read More
1055 Words | 5 Pages

“Ben, make sure you play Take My Hand, Precious Lord in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty.” The last words Martin Luther King ever said before he died to a tragic ending of his life. Martin’s assassination was unjustified because he was a man who stood up for justice , equality, and nonviolence. However, many felt that his ability to bring words and ideas to life, to inspire people, and to wake people up were very dangerous in a system built with manipulation and deceptions.

Read More
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.

Read More
495 Words | 2 Pages

Throughout the letter, Adams compares her son to many different people and elements, from past and present, in order to illustrate who, she wants her son to be. First, she parallels “a judicious traveler to a river,” which is Adam’s way of advising her son to take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity he has been given. The farther that Adams travels from home the more he will expand his horizons in order to collect “rich veins of minerals,” meaning knowledge, companionship, and wealth. Later in the letter, Adams also uses a historical event in order to compel her son to do good. She proposes, “Would Cicero have

Read More
664 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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

Read More

More about Abigail Adams My Dear Son Summary

Related Topics

Open Document