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Does Mother Know Best Mantra In My Dear Son By Abigail Adams

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Does mother really know best? Of course many women think so as seeing that is repeated like a hymn, mostly by women, to give their children trust that anything they say is right and the best thing to do. For example, Abigail Adams conveys that “mother knows best” mantra in her letter to her son John Quincy Adams. John Quincy Adams, who is on a voyage with his father at sea, receives a letter from his mother. In the letter she is convincing her son to go after all the opportunities he will be provided with. She was unaware that her own son was going to be the President at the time, so without her encouragement and advice to go after all opportunities he would have never become President. This shows us that annoying repetition of “mother knows best”, is true. …show more content…

She starts the letter with “My Dear Son” because she doesn’t want to sound like she his scolding him, but rather guiding him to the right decision. She sets a maternal tone throughout the letter, advising and convincing him to embrace all opportunities. Even though she is conveying a maternal tone, she also uses her role as a parent to, in a way, dictate him to accept all the opportunities that come his way. She appeals at his emotional side by saying in lines 3-7 “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”, when she says that she conveys an emotional tone, and she blames herself for urging him to go with his father on his voyage, which appeals to her son in an emotional way, this is the use of

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Abigail Adams writes to her son, John Quincy Adams, informing him of lessons to learn from and experiences to cherish. She implements metaphorical language, contrasting connotative word choices and structurally repetitive phrases into her letter to evoke an encouraging attitude toward John Quincy Adams during his trip with his father in order to express her hopes for a safe voyage. Mrs. Adams mentions an author telling her about how John was the “judicious traveller” running through a stream going “through rich veins of mineral” (Adams 3). She highlights his strengths by comparing him to nature, portraying him as the stream that gathers minerals, in which the minerals represent John improving his character through tribulations, opportunities, mistakes, and learning experiences.

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She then says that all he has to do is give his “attention, diligence and steady nature” because it’s is “expected” that he succeeds. He has “superior advantages “ because his father is there with him really just painting him a picture that nothing is against him. She then says he's as smart as Cicero then says ‘habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties”. Not only is she instilling self-esteem in her son but proving her point by comparing him to a “genius” and telling him that difficulties are expected but it will only make him smarter. She then reminds him what his country has faced by mentioning “war, tyranny”, calling him to arms as well as setting a patriotic tone.

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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).

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