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Rhetorical Analysis Of Abigail Adams Letter

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In 1780, Abigail Adams writes a letter to her son, John Quincy Adams, encouraging him to take advantage of all the opportunities he is given while traveling abroad with his father, who at the time was a U.S. diplomat. Adams’ conveys her motivation to her son with a patriotic and maternal tone. Through Adams’ use of diction, details, and organization, she advises her son of the importance of him applying himself while he is overseas. Abigail Adams’ use of archaic diction within her letter helps her encourage her son to stay diligent while he is traveling with his father. By frequently invoking her love and affection for him in the letter, Adams’ use of diction personifies her use of pathos. At the end of the letter, Adams makes a lasting imprint …show more content…

Adams flattered her son in the first half of the letter while in the second half she induces a sense of patriotism into her son. By acknowledging that her son “readily submitted to [her] advice” at the beginning of her letter, she reminds her son that she will always be looking out for what’s in his best interests. This reflects her maternal tone that she consistently carried through her whole letter. During this time, America was in the midst of the revolution and faced troubles to get the birth of a new nation. Adams reminds her son of what all these great men have done to fight for his freedom, and she ends her letter invoking her son with a sense of patriotism to “do honor to [his] country.” This closing statement brings a strong awareness of motivation for her son to fight for his country with all that he has. Through Abigail Adams’ use of rhetorical strategies, including pathos in her diction, vivid imagery within her details, and the wise organization of her letter, she is able to adequately advise her son to apply himself while he is travelling with his father. With Adams’ patriotic and maternal tone, she guides her son to do whats right for his life and their homeland. The goal of Adams’ letter was to imbed the importance of him taking advantage of the opportunities on his trip and his life which she accomplished because he later on became the sixth president

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