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The Figurative Language In Abigail Adam's Letter To Her Son

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John Quincy Adams might as well be sailing his ship in the ocean of Pathos his mother sends to him while he’s headed to France. Abigail Adam’s letter to her son is chock full of emotional persuasion to convince him of his greatest human potential possible. Her motherly love shines through within a concerned tone in the figurative language and syntax she has written. She essentially draws in her son by reiterating any confidence he has within himself by assuring his skills by her judgement. She repeatedly praises him by comparing him to the likes of higher powers. Notably on line 30 when she puts him in the place of Cicero in the supposed same situation as him. She plans to inflate his ego using an allusion to make him believe because Cicero had the same values and support instilled into him, that his results will be of the same success. He is also emulated to be like a river mentioned by an author Abigail Adams had met. This metaphor explains his knowledge be ever growing as it “flows from the source;or to certain springs,w hich, running though rich veins of …show more content…

These terms appeal to John’s sense of superiority. She wants her son to feel as though he is better than others, for him to gain the confidence he needs to “do honor to [his] country”. Through nationalism and patriotism, also, she stimulates her son into benefiting their country. She both wants to see her country succeed and her son to become powerful, thus benefiting her. Her son gaining great power and success will transfer onto her. Her motives are not entirely selfish. She does truly want her son to succeed, based up on the again pathos closing to her letter by using the words “pleasing hopes” (line 58). Abigail Adam’s is merely a mother just wishing her son well and giving her support for him to reach his greatest

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Adams uses an abundance rhetorical devices in her letter to her son. The strong diction illustrates what challenges must be faced to become a hero. This tells John Quincy Adams that it will not be easy, but it is worth it. The analogies compare a traveler to a river and wisdom (or fruit) to experience and laziness.

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In 1780, eight years before the creation of the Constitution, Abigail Adams writes to her son John Quincy Adams, using many different rhetorical devices to advise him throughout his voyage across seas. As a mother, Adams’s concerns and prospects for the future are expressed to her son, who is growing old enough to begin to apply his own intelligence to the world. Mothers have always shared a similarity that is rooted in their compassion and tendencies to protect their children, and Adams is no different. Adams encourages her son through a series of rhetorical techniques. First, she displays her absolute love for him, using the phrase “my dear son” throughout the letter to continually show him that she is not scolding him; rather, she is trying to exhibit to him how much he means to her.

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798 Words | 4 Pages

Education was a big factor that Abigail urged women to have more of a passion for. An educated woman is a strong woman. She promotes that women are just as capable as men, and intellectual thinkers who want their voices to be heard. Since women had little rights for themselves, some women were against slavery, especially Abigail Adam’s, they saw how little to no rights slaves were given and saw a comparison of the situations and wanted to be that voice for them and those that joined her. John Adams had complete trust in her to be able to handle all that was going on in the household while he was gone.

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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).

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Abigail states "Would Cicero have shone so distinguished an orator if her had not been roused, kindled, and enflamed in tyranny of catline, vernes and Mark Antony?". In this allusion she makes a reference to her son, indicating that if he is never aroused and pushed, then he will never know his full potential. This is also a rhetorical question asking John if he is willing to rise to the challenge of new experiences. Abigail Adams also alludes to the examples of her husband, who shares a large interest in politics. She references him saying " Nor it ought to be one at the least of your excitement toward exerting every power and faculty of your mind, that you have a parent who takes to large and active share in contest.".

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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.

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Abigail uses her own personal desires to get to what she wants even though many people died in the

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(Miller 12). This quote shows how Abigail has changed and what she’d do if she was confronted with such a situation. She made the decision quickly and opted to only save herself. Over the course of the book it gets represented pretty well that she is capable of doing everything to hold up her reputation: she wants to be a saint. Every decision she makes is like a little test that shows what kind of person and friend she is.

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Abigail Adams is writing a letter to her son, John Quincy Adams. In this letter Adams is informing her son that he should use his wisdom and knowledge to help him throughout his trip abroad he is taking with his father, John Adams. Also known as the second president of the United States. Adams uses comparisons and pathos to encourage and advise her son while he is traveling abroad with his father. Adams establishes authority by using pathos throughout her letter.

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596 Words | 3 Pages

In life difficulties may arise, but an “instructive eye” of a “tender parent” is a push needed in everyone’s life. Abigail Adams believed, when she wrote a letter to her son, that difficulties are needed to succeed. She offers a motherly hand to her son to not repent his voyage to France and continue down the path he is going. She uses forms of rhetoric like pathos, metaphors, and allusions to give her son a much needed push in his quest to success.

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515 Words | 3 Pages

She asks her son rhetorically if Cicero would have been such a great leader had he not been "roused, kindled and inflamed. " Here, Adams is explaining that to become a great leader, one must go through great trials. Also, Adams compares her son to

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495 Words | 2 Pages

Abigail Adams, the mother of John Quincy Adams, is entering a new chapter in her life in which her youngest son is becoming a man. John, his elder brother, and his father are traveling on a long, treacherous voyage to France. Abigail Adams writes John an encouraging letter that will help display her feelings towards him as a mother. Adams uses a number of different rhetorical devices such as a myriad of different historical and metaphorical examples, as well as a motherly diction in order to leave a desired confidence in her son.

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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.

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678 Words | 3 Pages

She is trying to use that appeal of this is a fact and it has been proven time and time again. Abigail is trying to make her son have a moment of clarity and see that this voyage is a good thing for

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Abigail Adams uses rhetorical devices such as pathos and allusion to get her advice to her son John Adams. Adams uses pathos throughout her letter to show the support and tender love a mother can have for her son. Adams wants to let her son know that he has a support system from his family when adversity comes at him in

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