A rhetorical analysis of a letter Abigail Adams sent to her son, John Quincy Adams. Essay written in 50 minutes as practice for the 2020 AP Language and Composition Exam. Prompt attached below. Abigail Adams writes to her son in January of 1780 to express her reasoning behind sending him on his second trip to France. Early in her letter, she seems regretful, or at the very least sorry for forcing her son to join his father abroad, but her tone quickly changes to inspirational as she explains why discomfort is needed. By taking the time to apologize to him and then seizing the opportunity to convince her son of the importance of struggle in true growth, Abigail Adams is able to convince John Quincy to push himself. Abigail uses a sympathetic and apologetic language at the start of her letter to get through to her son. She hopes he has had no reason to regret his journey and expresses that if he had given the issue “proper deliberation” she would not have forced him “when [he] was so averse to the voyage.” Abigail, as his mother, does not unrealistically forget she played a large part in the disagreement, while simultaneously refusing to weaken her stance in their argument if her son hasn’t suffered. Her extensive use of “I hope” and other phrases she uses to focus her intentions such as “if I had thought,” and “I should not have urged you,” make it easy for John Quincy to agree with her statements, as she puts herself at fault and makes it easier for him to agree with her core argument when she presents it. In this way, Abigail comforts her son and preemptively smooths the transition she makes in the second paragraph. Abigail quickly morphs her reproachful tone to one more direct and indifferent to her son’s feelings in the second paragraph. In it, she begins to transition to the benefits of her son’s second voyage to France, such as when she states French “must give you greater advantages now than you could possibly have reaped whilst ignorant of it.” Abigail ensures she first addresses a positive consequence of this trip her son cannot easily ignore, before stating his understanding will continue to evolve in this way. She wants to highlight her son’s command of the French language, which will improve his life greatly. Her use of a semicolon in this statement ensures these phrases are initially processed as two distinct thoughts, which stem from the same idea. She shows the dual effect of John Quincy’s trip to France, and does so without directly acknowledging his feelings. Extensive use of metaphors and flowery language in the remainder of her letter glorifies John Quincy’s experience with present and future hardships, preparing him to take them on willingly. Abigail begins by referring to the belief of an unnamed author she is familiar with, comparing her son to a river that “increases its stream the further it flows from its source.” She then states “it is not in the still calm of life, or the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed” to elaborate on this idea that discourse and difficulty are necessary for strength. By providing her son with such genuine sage advice masked using such strong imagery of life as a calm ocean juxtaposed with the subtle authority of pacific stations, Abigail is providing her son with rose-colored glasses to see his experiences through, and ensuring he continues to push himself in order to grow. Abigail Adams, as is expected of a caring mother, is able to comfort her son whilst simultaneously grooming him to become successful and independent. She shifts her tone quickly, but smoothly throughout her letter, carefully considering her choice of words to provide maximum impact to her son but the least damage to their strong relationship. Without the wisdom and care received from his mother, and the strong push to seek discomfort in life made evident by this letter, John Quincy Adams very likely would not have had the desire or ability to one day become the sixth president of the United States, changing the course of this country forever. May 2020, 11th Grade
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