Who Is John Mary Adams Letter To Her Son

Many people regard parenting as the most demanding profession in the world because parents need to strike a decisive balance between the demonstration of love and the reiteration of principles when instructing their children. In her letter to her son, John Quincy Adams, Abigail
Adams skillfully maintains this delicate balance, advising her son to accompany his father and brother to France. By considering her son’s perspective and then offering her own opinions, employing exemplification and contrast to substantiate her arguments, and showing a loving and trusting attitude toward her son. Abigail Adams reveals why a journey to France can benefit John
Quincy Adams in the long run.
Starting her letter by giving proper considerations to her son’s

In her rhetoric,
Adams points to three reasons that her son should accompany his father and brother to France— that John Quincy Adams is familiar with French, that such voyage can increase his personal experience, and that his father can serve as a model for him. Elaborating on her second point,
Adams emphasizes that “great necessities call out great virtues” (37). She admits that her son may enjoy “leisure” (36) by not going to France; however, too much leisure will only make his qualities as a “hero and… statesman” (41) “dormant” (40). While acknowledging the possible downside of the trip, she confidently posits that the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages.
Progressing from her argument that such voyage improves her son’s personal character, Adams further suggests that it can also make him a more responsible future leader who can benefit the society. As John Adams has “taken a large and active share” (52-53) in liberating the American society from the British authority, Adams hopes her son to employ his experience

Just as the stream becomes wider “the further it flows from its source” (18), Adams longs to see her son become wiser and more beneficial to the society as he grows up. When positing that a trip to France will increase her son’s experience, which brings “wisdom and penetration” (35), Adams also draws on historical example. Arguing that Cicero would not have shone so “distinguished an orator if he not been roused, kindled, and inflamed by the tyranny of Catiline, Verres, and Mark Antony” (31-34), Adams implies that the calamities he views in life will only make him stronger and wiser, so he should not hesitate to confront difficulties. Building on this example, she sets up a contrast between a dormant man in
“retirement” (36) and a hero in harsh times, suggesting her son follow the lifestyle of the latter.
Along with her reasoning, Adams shows a loving and trusting attitude toward her son that appeals to his emotions. Acknowledging that her son has “readily submitted to [her] advice” (9),
Adams praises her son for his consideration of her opinion. When she states that difficult