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Rhetorical Strategies In Abigail Adams Letter To John Quincy Adams

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Abigail Adams evidently uses rhetorical strategies in a letter to advise her teenage son, John Quincy Adams, during a voyage to France with his father and his brother. The three of them embarked on this journey during the Revolutionary War to take care of diplomatic affairs between America and France, however, J.Q. Adams was reluctant to attend. A. Adams writes a letter to reach out to her son and to offer her motherly advice. It is clear that she ultimately wishes for her son to embrace the opportunity he has been given and to expose himself to new situations. The rhetorical strategies A. Adams utilizes to advise her son include tone, comparison, and personification---all of which effectively contribute to the careful guidance of her child. …show more content…

While it is certainly natural for a mother to have a gentle manner towards her child, it is rather impossible for her compassion throughout the letter to go unnoticed. The first issue A. Adams clarifies was that “if” she had thought his apprehensions were supported with proper judgment, she would not have urged him to join. She seeks to reassure her son that he possesses all of the “superior advantages” necessary to succeed and that “nature has not been deficient.” By offering a sense of comfort, A. Adams calms her son so that he will put aside his worries and listen to her. Granted, she knows her son is still young and that it will take years before he finds his “understanding opening and daily improving.” Nevertheless, A. Adams attempts to elaborate on her underlying message that it is crucial for a young man to step out of his comfort zone and to expose himself to unfamiliar experiences. She hopes to motivate her son to see the benefits of the journey by ensuring that “wisdom and penetration are the fruit of the experience, not the lessons of retirement and leisure.” A. Adams offers this piece of advice to remind her son that he will only obtain wisdom through firsthand lessons. Her benevolent, motherly tone ultimately serves to convince her son that she is on his side and that she firmly believes he made a sensible decision by attending the expedition with his

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