Rhetorical Analysis: John Quincy Adams

Building a new country takes bravery and courage. In this time period (when the U.S. was very trying to stand on its own) many famous political figures helped organize and support our country. One man was John Quincy Adams and he was going to be the president. He did not always possess the strength needed to keep our country going, but some great advice from his mom, Abigail Adams, helped. Adams used many rhetorical devices in her letter to her son to explain how trials and struggles can mold a man into a hero.
Adams utilizes encouraging diction to change her son’s attitude so he feels compelled to be strong and influential. Lines 35-40 read "Would Cicero have shone so distinguished an orator if he had not been roused, kindled, and enflamed by the tyranny of Catiline, Verres, and Mark

She compares "a judicious traveler" to "a river that increases its stream" the further it runs from the start of the river, or to "certain springs, which running through rich veins of minerals improve their qualities as they pass along". These excerpts show how Adams explains why the more you travel the more experience you have and you'll become more successful. She also uses a metaphor to make a comparison about how "wisdom and penetration are the fruits of experience" and how those "fruits" don't come from laziness. This clarifies how experience leads to wisdom while laziness doesn't. Adams wants her son to work for wisdom and experience.
Adams uses an abundance rhetorical devices in her letter to her son. The strong diction illustrates what challenges must be faced to become a hero. This tells John Quincy Adams that it will not be easy, but it is worth it. The analogies compare a traveler to a river and wisdom (or fruit) to experience and laziness. These show what must to accomplish in order to obtain qualities of a hero. That is how Abigail Adams places rhetorical devices into her