Abigail Adams Letter To A Son Analysis

Letter to a Son
In 1780, Abigail Adams wrote a letter to her son, the future president of the United States, John Quincy Adams, as he traveled overseas with his father, John Adams, also a future president of the United States. Abigail wrote to advise her son to not take for granted all the opportunities he has in front of him. She convinced her son of this advice by portraying her maternal affection for him with compliments, implying a sense of patriotism in her son, and utilizing a metaphor to help stamp her point.
Abigail Adams, in the beginning of the letter, reveals her maternal affection for her son in compliments in attempt to convince him that she wants to help him and not force him to work hard. She opens the letter with “MY DEAR SON” (1), in order to show John that she cares for him and has no intention of insulting him. She then moves to inform him that he is “favored with superior advantages” (1), explaining that he has talents and should utilize them to his best ability. These compliments describe her maternal affection for her son and that she wants the best for him. These also make him feel a sense of guilt for possibly not living up to his highest potential, and will convince him to live up to his highest

Adams compares her son, John, to a river, stating that a river “increases its stream the further it flows from its source… improv[ing] [its] qualities as [it] pass[es] along” (1). In relation to her son, she is stating that as he travels, he will create a higher potential for himself as he learns more about how to utilize his talents to help him become a better man and aid for his country. This metaphor helps John to visualize how he can improve himself, and also motivates his more to do just like a river does. Nobody ever looks at a river as weak, they look at rivers as strong and how they are always moving forward with a powerful