Abigail Adams Letter To Her Son Analysis

Abigail Adams, wife of U.S. diplomat John Adams, writes a letter to her son, John Quincy Adams, while he is away on a trip with his father. Adams’ purpose is to warn her son about the temptations he may encounter while he is on this overseas trip with his father. She would also like for him to use this time as a learning experience. Adams’ conveys a condescending tone to impart her authority over her son. In one of the first points of the text, Adams’ compares a “ … judicious traveler… ” to a flowing river. She compares her son to the river by implying “ … that [the river] increases its stream to further its flow from the source ...” and her son should do the same with this experience. Adams’ writes this comparison in order to help her son increase his knowledge and improve himself during this trip. Through this educational experience, she hopes that her son will, like the river,
She (uses) didactic reasoning to list tasks she hopes to see him accomplish after this time away. Adams’ would like for her son to “ … add justice, fortitude, and every manly virtue which can adorn a good citizen, do honor to [his] country, and…” make his parents proud. She uses this didactic reasoning to warn him about the weightiness of this trip he is taking with his father. Adams’ hopes that he is able to represent his country well, and not submit to any temptations that may come his way. This didactic reasoning conveys a message to her son in hopes that he will be reminded of his parent’s expectations for his behavior on the trip to Paris. Throughout the letter to John Quincy Adams addresses multiple reasons as to what he could get out of this earnest trip. Even though Adams urged her son attend this trip, she believes that he can learn something from the experience. He is not going overseas to get away from his mother, but to be a diplomat for his