Rhetorical Analysis Of Abigail Adams Letter

On January 12, 1780, Abigail Adams writes a letter to her youngest son John Quincy Adams. Adams writes the letter for the soul purpose of informing her son on how important it is for him to travel to France. In her letter, Abigail Adams encourages her son to continue his journey of triumph. In Adams letter, she uses allusion, ethos, and pathos, to express her ideas of advise to John. Adams continuously appeals to her son’s emotions by emphasizing that she wants him to be successful in life and aiding him in realizing that she cares enough to push him to be the best that he can be.

What are some of the key ideas of the letters between John and Abigail Adams?

This letter is a fine example of Abigail Adams' strong feminist and strong federalist views. These letters represented the turmoil felt by women during the uncertain times facing the colonies. The views of Abigail Adams became the first in a long line of cries out for women's equality.

From the very beginning, Adams tone expresses her desire for her son to listen to her. The apologetic note that she opens with appears to hope that any anger or bitterness towards her from her son would be squashed so that he could see that she only had his best interests at her by “making” go on the journey. The concerned tone she uses displays her hope that he take the advice she is granting him and use it towards his advantage. She depicts her optimism when she explains that the voyage would be beneficial to him hoping he would understand that as his mother, she only wants is best for him. Adams goes on to use the parental tone by explaining that he has opportunities others do not have and that he should capitalize on them.

Abigail Adams was a woman of high character and a loving soul. She was selfless in her thinking and remarkable in the way she handled people. Her management skills were above average for the normal female in the 1700s. She held many worldly interests that tied her to the political fashion of society. She was well cultured and was able to apply this to her role of a politician’s wife with great attributes towards society. She became the “buffer” with regard to her husband's temper and lack of diplomacy. She participated in many political activities. Her independent thinking, character, faithfulness, and hard work gave her the ability to succeed in society in the 17th century. Even though Abigail Adams was not formerly

In the beginning of the passage Adams uses pathos showing that she is a concern strict mother toward John Quincy. "I hope that you had no occasion, either from enemies or the dangers of the sea, to repent your second voyage to France." The use of pathos is to show her concern of the dangers to her son and how he has been doing on his trip. She then shows more aggressive emotions later telling Quincy that this is a great advantage and he shouldn't be ignorant of it. "Your knowledge of the language must give you greater advantages...reaped whilst ignorant of it." She emphasizes the idea that she cares for him and wants him to grow from this experience looking out

Abigail Adams uses tone as a rhetorical device in her letter. The first being a loving and trusting tone towards her son that appeals to his emotions. Recognizing that her son has “readily submitted to her advice,” Adams praises her son for his consideration of her opinion. When she states that difficult times are times “in which a genius would wish to live,” she illustrates her trust toward her son - she believes that he is a genius and thus should uphold the thinking of a genius. However, Abigail Adams’s methods of persuasion are not entirely congenial. Mothers are aware that sometimes they have to be more austere with their children in order for them to comprehend the importance of their advice. Therefore, the mother utilizes a stern tone in her letter. In the beginning, A. Adams tells her son, John Quincy Adams, that he does not have “proper deliberation” or the right judgement to make the decision on his own. Therefore, she had to step in and urge him to accompany his father and brother on the voyage. Additionally, she tells him that she has voiced her opinion, so she hopes that he will “never have an occasion” to “lament” it. By saying this, she is showing J.Q. Adams that it is in his best interest to follow her advice. As the saying goes, mother knows best. Abigail Adams is very passionate about making this aware to her son; however, sometimes her

Letter to John Adams from Abigail Adams and Letter from John Adams to Abigail Adams

Adams wants her son to make her proud, and by voicing this to her son, she is targeting his emotions. To achieve her purpose, she aims to make him feel as though he has to make her proud or he will be failing

The author of this document is Abigail Adams, a white female that is married to John Adams. She lives in a time where women have no form of representation, and they live in the shadow of men. Because of this, Abigail takes up a woman’s traditional role and performs activities such as manufacture clothing for her family, soap making, creating gun/cannon powder for her husband, and other chores for the benefit of her household (Adams, Paragraph 12). Fulfilling this role has shaped her by securing her inferiority to her husband and other males. She as a woman lacks power both socially and politically when it comes to the opposite gender; however, it is just this that has cultivated her attitude towards her government, the male sex, and even her own spouse. By requesting that her husband remember to give rights to women, it shows that she was brave enough to present her opinions even though they were unwelcomed (Adams, Paragraph 9). She is headstrong in the sense that she is willing to rebel if she does not receive the proper representation that she is asking for. Also, by mentioning that the women would rebel, Abigail displays her intelligence because she could foresee the inevitable future if women’s rights were not improved (Adams, Paragraph 9). She sees the world for what it is, unjust. Moreover, her social and political inferiority did not result in ignorance. Based on her vocabulary, writing style, and comprehension/expression of such complex ideas, she reveals that she is

Throughout Adams’ letter, she persuades her son by appealing to pathos in order to demonstrate how highly she thinks of her son. Clarifying, “Nothing is wanting with you but attention, diligence, and steady application,” Adams reassures that she is not trying to change her son, or turn him into a hero, but for him to gain experience and become a well-rounded person. Adams also acknowledges her sons disinterest in the voyage, “If I had thought your reluctance arose from proper deliberation or that you were

She pauses from explicitly addressing her son to incorporating a comparison someone told her, between a traveler to a river, “that increases its stream the further it flows...improve their qualities as they pass along.” (Adams, 17-20) This creates the importance of her tone sound convincing to her son because she can compare him, for he is a judicious traveler based on her wordly addresses for him. Relating to her adroit son, it is important that she continues to let him know that she is speaking to him because of the repetition of “my son” throughout the letter. “It will be expected of you, my son,” (Adams, 21) and “Yet it is your lot, my son,” (Adams, 43) explicitly address him, doing this because she has expectations that his mature self and his trip are great. The emphasis lets him know that what she is expressing is to be focused on. Furthermore, concomitant to her expectations, she realizes there are conflicts within society, such as “war, tyranny, and desolation,” which “are the scourges of the almighty.” (Adams, 41-42) By using a metaphor to describe these conflicts as punishments for powerful people, like her son, she highlights her tone and appeals to her sons qualities. Her son is capable of a superior livelihood and she wants him to know

“ I design to be pleased.” This quote is by Abigail Adams in the 1800s, when the White House was just being built. She wrote a letter to her daughter complaining the whole time about the house. She was pretty much disgusted by the house. All that came from her when they moved in was all negative.

Abigail Adams faced many hardships throughout her life. She was the daughter of a minister and had two sisters and a brother. In the 1700’s, children did not have a high survival rate due to the amount of diseases and nothing to treat them with. Abigail Adams said in her old age that she “was always sick” (Akers 5). This reminds people how tough life was in the 1700’s and how easy it was to pass away from a mere cold. Abigail also did not have any education growing up. Women, in the colonial era, were not supposed to have an education and were supposed to watch the kids, cook, and clean. Readers of this book learn that many women back then were illiterate and were self-taught, if they had any education. Abigail did find a love for literature due to her sister’s spouse, Richard Cranch. He influenced her love for literature at a young age and she started to become more literate. Along with the disease and educational deficiency, women were considered as property. A young woman could either give up

After developing her status as a speaker, Adams appeal to logos in order to convince her to take full advantage of his opportunity in Paris. Highlighting John’s chance of facing adversity and dealing with temptation, Adams suggest that John might develop a “great character” if he embraced the difficulties he would face in Paris. For further support adams allude to historical figures who have prospered from “contending with difficulties”. Identifying potential benefits of listening to her advice convinces John Quincy that following his guidance is both good for him now as well as beneficial in the