Revised Essay 1

Abigail Adams Essay (Q2)

In a letter written by Abigail Adams to her son John Quincy Adams who is travelling abroad with his father John Adams , then a United States diplomat and later America’s second president,  Abigail advises her son to take advantage of this opportunity to use his own knowledge and skills to gain wisdom and experience growth in developing his character and beliefs, persuading him to take his first steps to becoming a leader. There are many rhetorical strategies used by Abigail Adams to advise her son, among them are her use of an encouraging maternal tone, allusions, and pathos.

Throughout her letter, Adams uses her encouraging maternal tone to advise her son to make his parents and his country proud. She consistently uses the words “my son”, from the beginning starting off her letter with “my dear son”, to the end. She does this to remind him that although she speaks formally, with persistence and detail, she means well and is coming from the viewpoint of a loving mother who only wants her son to recognize his full potential. In another example of this she writes, “It will be expected of you my son, that, as you are favored with superior advantages under the instructive eye of a tender parent, you improvement should bear some proportion to your advantages”. She reminds him of the high expectations put on him due to his advantages in life, but also reminds him of the support and love he has from his parents as to not make him feel too pressured or abandoned on his journey.

Abigail Adams alludes to history and the past in order to invoke a sense of purpose in completing his journey, and in gaining the knowledge and wisdom he needs to grow. When she writes, “war, tyranny, and desolation are the scourges of the Almighty and ought no doubt to be deprecated, yet it is your lot, my son, to be an eyewitness of these calamities in your own native land, and at the same time, to owe your existence among a people who have made glorious defense of their invaded liberties, and, who, aided by a generous and powerful ally, with the blessing of heaven , will transmit this inheritance to ages yet unborn”. She alludes to America’s beginnings in becoming an independent country, because she wants to show her son that out of hardship and will, can come something even sweeter and greater than what one could ever imagine. Through her allusion she advises him to be aware of what is happening in the world, and to be grateful that he has the resources to learn from what life has to offer.

The strongest most influential rhetorical strategy Abigail Adams uses to advise her son, is her use of pathos. Her emotional appeal to her son is what binds all of the rhetorical devices together to create an encouraging maternal tone, as well as allow her to allude to the past without making the letter sound like a lecture. For example at the very end Adams wrote “ The strict and inviolable regard you have ever paid to truth, gives me pleasing hopes that you will not swerve from her dictates, but add justice, fortitude, and every manly virtue which can adorn a good citizen, do honor your country, and render your parents supremely happy, particularly your ever affectionate mother”. In this very strong quote of her letter she uses phrases such as honor your country, render your parents supremely happy, gives me pleasing hopes, and your ever affectionate mother, to let her son know that all that he is gaining from his journey, he is also giving back. That by achieving all that he can through his trip he is honoring and making everyone very proud. Abigail Adams uses pathos to motivate her son, knowing that this type of reward, which of pride and respect exists at the end of his travels, is enough to deeply touch that part that lies not just within him, but within everyone, that wishes to please, and to have worth.

There are many rhetorical strategies used by Abigail Adams to advise her son, among them are her use of an encouraging maternal tone, allusions, and pathos. Her letter to John Quincy Adams, her son shows the tender love and care a mother can have toward her son. She writes formally yet personally to get her point across, while still making it clear that her son has a support system created by his loving family to help guide him through any adversities that may be thrown his way. Through her rhetoric Abigail Adams is able to capture the perfect balance a mother must have in guiding her son towards the direction best suited for him, while maintaining logical and emotional appeal.