Here is another attempt at a rhetorical analysis. Print out the text, set a timer for 40 minutes. Read and annotate the piece, and then do your rhetorical analysis on the blog.
You can reach the prompt by clicking on this link, and scrolling down to page 9. Print it out and go for it.
On January 12,1780 John Quincy Adams was set abroad with his father John Adams, or the second president of the United States. During this time, Abigail Adams writes a letter to her son where she pleads him to actively participate and take advantage of the opportunities that will come his way from the voyage. While doing this task, she forms an argument that uses many rhetorical strategies. By the end of her letter, it is assumed she accomplishes her attempt to advise her son in the right path due to her convincing argument.
ReplyDeleteThe beginning of the essay starts with a clear attempt to get her son to recognize her good will, or eunonia. In almost her opening statement she says “ If I had thought your reluctance arose from proper deliberation, or that you were capable of judging what was was most for you own benefit, I should not have urged you to accompany your father and brother when you appeared so averse to the voyage”. The statements rhetorical goal was getting her son to trust her authority. Without her expressing that she didn’t want to force him into the trip , John would have no reason to consider any of her following arguments later in the essay. Abigail also establishes authority in the beginning of the letter by expressing her faith that he will succeed on this trip due to his language advantages.
Quickly after her opening paragraph, Abigail begins to argue for her cause. One of the first ways she does this is through uses of comparison, imagery, and personification . She begins to talk about an author she is familiar with that used imagery and personification to explain a similar situation to of what her son is going through. The author she mentions compared a judicious traveler to a river, the river will improve its qualities the further away it goes from its original source. Abigail logically compares this to John by stating that he also has advantages due to the nature of his surroundings and he will grow as a person as he goes along on his voyage. Abigail also uses logical comparisons to form her argument by comparing his situation to Cicero. Cicero grew as an orator when he was roused by the tyranny of Mark Anthony, just as her son will grow as a person while he is on his trip and surrounded by people who have been successful in American Politics.
Finally, in the final paragraph Abigail softens her arguments by using emotional appeals. She speaks directly to her son by ending the letter with a sign off of “ particularly your ever affectionate mother”. She also gives her son praise and confidence by using phrases such as “justice, fortitude, and every manly virtue which can adorn a good citizens”. By ending her letter in this way, she reminds her son that whether or not he listens to her argument in this letter, she is still his mother and will always be supportive of his actions.
Megan I really enjoyed reading this. I think you did a great job analyzing the letter.
DeleteI really love how flowy your writing always is. It is consistently well-put together, so much so that I can always find your primary points and reasoning. I think that you should also consider when Mrs. Adams is appealing to pathos, she uses herself and her husband, as well as their homeland, as a means of persuading John Quincy to go to France. She gives him a “heads-up” that all three will be proud if he chooses to fully partake in the opportunities of going to France with his father and brother.
DeleteI liked the way you gave the settings for the letter at the beginning of your analysis to help the reader understand the context. I also liked the way you brought imagery and personification into the analysis, which was something unique that I hadn’t seen in any of the other posts.
DeleteThis is really good, Megan! I always enjoy reading your blogs. You were very specific about what made this a good piece, which I liked. I also didn’t notice the use of euonia, but I see that very clearly now. Good work!
Delete“It’s not in the still calm of life, or the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed” (Lines 38-39). This quote pulled directly from a beautiful letter written by very famous American figure, Abigail Adams, embodies the passionate and charismatic spirit displayed in this work. While being packed full of wisdom and splendor, Adams’ letter also intelligently used rhetorical strategies to strengthen her message. The letter, addressed to her son, John Quincy Adams showed a compassionate, loving side, yet still maintained a rather strict tone. This artistic approach used to appeal to her son included various language techniques in order to clearly convey the point of her letter.
ReplyDeleteIn beginning her letter, Adams gives her son/readers an example of pathos. As she learned that John Quincy was not fond of the prospect of a long voyage, she apologizes for pushing him to join the other Adams men (lines 6-8). This opening shows one of Adams’ motherly instincts, sensitivity. However, this was not the only appeal to pathos used in her letter. Near the closing, Adams tells her son how he must be courageous, virtuous and honorable. But besides this, she also stresses how important his success is to her and her husband. By saying this, she appealed to John Quincy’s determination. Every child wants to please their parents, so in saying how proud they would be to see him succeed, it presumably stirs emotion within her son.
Adams next establishes her ethos. First, after she explains why she believes this trip will benefit her son, she then gives implicit reasoning as to why she is credible. She mentions that an author she once met up with shares her belief in the impressive of travel. Adams the paraphrased what the author had said, comparing avid travelers to a rich, thriving river ( lines 16-20). She also remembers to include the successes of her husband (John Quincy’s father). In discussing the high honor John Adams is held at has as well as his willingness to lead when needed, Abigail Adams establishes her husband credibility as well This, I’m sure, created a sense of comfort within John Quincy being that he was joining her father on a voyage.
Logos, or logic, is also presented very well in this letter. One standout example of logos Addams uses is a comparison between historical figures and the situation of her son. Mentioning people such as Cicero, Mark Anthony, and more she turns on the lightbulb inside her intended audiences heads (lines 34-37). As many would associate the mentioned figures with power and determination, it is a very well used logical comparison. It gives people something to strive for. Appeal to logic was used again shortly after the previous example. Adams states, “War, tyranny, and desolation are the scourges of the Almighty, and ought no doubt to be deprecated. Yet it is your lot my son, to be an eyewitness’s to the calamities in your own native land...” (41-45). Adams, in summary, says that war and chaos is no new idea, so this voyage will require courage just the same as anything. This example makes perfect sense, as we feel far more confident when going head on into a situation, if we know we need courage.
All in all, Adams letter displays messages of courage, motherly love and compassion. Throughout her essay/letter she uses rhetorical strategies to appeal to her sons cause. She makes a strong argument by relying on ethos pathos and logos. This allows her to write a very moving message to show her hopes and care for her son on his voyage.
I agree with all of the points you made about the letter. Abigail was trying to help her son but still show her loving side.
DeleteI really liked your use of the quote at the beginning as your exordium, and I thought it was an excellent choice in that it represented the overall goal of the letter very well. I also thought it was interesting how you showed how different rhetorical appeals showed up in the same section of the letter.
DeleteAbigail Adams displays her rhetorical skills in a letter written to her son, John Quincy Adams. The purpose of her letter is to advise her son as he travels abroad with his father. Abigail effortlessly touches upon the rhetorical appeals; logos, pathos, and ethos. In order to give her son convincing advice, Abigail establishes her character, compares her son’s situation to others’ in history and clearly explains how John Quincy may benefit from his venture, and uses emotion to set the tone of her argument.
ReplyDeleteAbigail opens her letter by expressing her hopes that John is doing well. She does this by including phrases such as “I hope you have had no occasion, either from your enemies or the dangers of the sea, to repent your second voyage to France,” or “I hope, will never have occasion yourself, nor give me reason, to lament it.” This show of goodwill, or eunoia, establishes her character and allows the rest of her argument to be much more influential.
Abigail continues on to compare her son’s current situation to those of important historical figures. She explains that the calm of life does not form good character, including that Cicero only became such a distinguished orator because he faced adversity from Caitline, Verres, and Mark Anthony. She solidifies this concept by saying, “The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties.” Abigail shows that through the struggles John Quincy faces, he is strengthening his virtues and preparing himself for future struggle.
Abigail follows her comparisons and benefits with an emotional end to her letter. She explains that John Quincy that he is lucky to have the honorable, brave father that he does. Abigail also expresses that she is filled with hope for her son. She explains that she believes her son will survive these struggles and return an even better man. She includes that regardless of what happens, John Quincy has made his parents proud and she hopes he may make his country proud as well.
You hit all the points I was thinking. Short and sweet, I like it. Great points about her ethos and the ending pathos.
DeleteI also feel as though the primary purpose behind her letter was to encourage her son to complexity partake in what the voyage would offer, such as being the means of which would shape into a real man. This journey is not only a voyage across the sea, but also a journey of character development, and it would appear Mrs. Adams is well aware of that. I feel as though you could have elaborated more on your points, but it was a lovely analysis nonetheless!
DeleteI liked how you were specific in how different aspects of the letter appealed to logos, pathos, and ethos. I also liked the quotes you used to back up your claim. Good work, Viv!
DeleteAbagail Adams, husband of John Adams, writes to her son, John Quincy Adams , who is traveling overseas with her husband, John Quincy Adams’s father. Throughout this entire letter, Abagail Adams uses sharp rhetoric to spice up her upbeat, motivational letter to her son.
ReplyDeleteAbagail hits her ethos right out of the gate. She starts her writing by wishing goodwill to John Quincy Adams stating, “I hope you have had no occasion, either from enemies or the dangers of the sea, to repent your second voyage to a France.” This was really a perfect start to everything, much in part that it gives a warm welcome to John Quincy Adams, making the rest of the letter more inviting. She goes on to establish a bigger structure to her ethos, writing of how she knew she would not have allowed him to accompany his father on the voyage, building her moral virtue; “If I had thought your reluctance arose from proper deliberation...I should not have urged you to accompany your father...” After Abagail Adams builds her ethos, she really strikes it home, saying “You...readily submitted to my advice.” This shows how she had much authority to call the shots for John Quincy Adams, since she was such an influential person for him.
Continuing her rhetoric scheme, Adams turns to her logos, or logic, of the speech. She points out, “It is not in still calm of life, or the response of a pacific station, that great characters are formed.” This is quite the statement, because it tells John Quincy Adams that the pains and struggles endured through this voyage will prepare him for the next ones, and make him stronger, basically along the lines of ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ She backs her claim with supporting evidence, but puts the ball in Quincy Adams’s court, making him answer the question to her claim, “Would Cicero shone so distinguished an orator if he had not been roused, kindled, and inflamed by the tyranny of Catiline, Verres, and Mark Anthony?” This is interesting because this statement can hit the logos, but also pathos, by motivating John Quincy Adams even more, knowing his history, and how their actions helped the greater good of the people. She also uses some imagery to hone in on her logos, too. She talks about his father, John Adams, and says he is like a “judicial traveler to a river, that increases its stream the further it flows from its source.” This pretty much sums up all of her logos, and both of these claims correlate well; one must endure harsh times, but as they endure over time, they change for the best.
Pathos is used to finish out Abagail’s letter. She does so by using the family. She writes to John Quincy Adams of how honored both of them are to have such a son who is willing to partake in such extremes. She writes about how pleased she is to have a son willing to serve his country ever so well, ending it personally, saying “particularly your ever affectionate mother.” The uses of rhetoric in Abagail’s letter to her adventurous son makes the letter share meaning with both the writer, and the reader.
I liked your perspective on her ethos, I missed that in my analysis. Guess I never thought of it that way. Good find, and good analysis!
DeleteOn January 12, 1780, John Quincy Adams’ mother, Abigail Adams, wrote a letter to him, urging him to stay on his voyage to France. She spends the letter convincing him that she knows what's best for him, that he should stay with his father on this journey, to build his character. Throughout the letter, she uses multiple tactics to show her son what is right. She starts with a strong development of her ethos, she uses strong logos throughout, and closes with a strong pathetic argument.
ReplyDeleteFrom Line 1 to 15, Abigail spends her time and ink telling John how he is such a good kid, that he always listens to his mother, that she knows what’s best. She inflates his ego,telling him how he’s going to improve so much, if he only listens to her. She builds a strong ethos so that what she follows with will be well received by the young Adams.
Lines 16-20, Mrs Adams uses the authority of her author friend to inflate her ethical argument even more, but to also guide John on a logical journey. She uses imagery with logos to prove what she has already claimed. This is aimed to show John that she has experience in the world, and that there are reasons to believe her. That what she’s talking about is logical. She uses this logic, along with some pathos scattered around the argument, and finally with a powerful call to action at her closing to really get John in her mindset.
Abigail tells John how amazing he is, she makes him feel like he’s special, he’s got some sort of advantage over everyone else (lines 23-26). She tries to get John in a mindset of being able to do anything. Anything, like voyaging to France. Later in her letter, she uses a powerful call to action to end it off, really getting John to feel indignant, like he has no option but to do what his mom wants of him(Lines 57-63).
Abigail wants her son to continue his voyage to France, so she writes him a letter. She writes him a letter that pulls at his emotions while simultaneously giving him logical reason to endure through the hardships of the voyage. She calls him to action in a way that really gives him no options. Overall, she does a marvelous job at convincing her son to continue.
Good analysis! I didn’t notice that she used emotion even in the logical part of the letter. I also liked how you clearly stated what the point of her argument was.
DeleteI really like your view of the letter. You explained the rhetorical parts of it very well without making it very long.
DeleteIn 1789, Abigail Adams wrote a letter to her son, John Quincy Adams. At the time, he was traveling abroad with his father, John Adams. She puts to use the rhetoric appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos to be able to give advice to her son, and construct a strong argument.
ReplyDeleteTo open her letter, Adams establishes her good will to her son. She opens by saying, “I hope you have no occasion, either from enemies or the dangers of the sea, to relent your second voyage to France.” In this quote, she is showing how she cares about the well-being to the trip, and that she hopes they are safe. She establishes a level of trust with her son, the reader, so that later she can make a more convincing argument.
She continues to give advice to her son throughout the rest of her letter. She speaks about her fried who is an author, and uses imagery to further explain what she is trying to communicate to her son. She expresses to him that she wants him to improve and be successful. She also mentions historical figures that she uses to compare her son to.
In the final paragraphs of her letter, she expresses that she is proud of her son and that she wants him to be successful. She expresses that she wants her son to make her happy and honor his country. She uses this letter to show her son that she is proud of his accomplishments and wants him to be successful. She shows a loving and tender, yet strict tone to get her point across.
I enjoyed reading this. Similar to my analysis you recognized that she establish good will with her son almost immediately. I only wish you would have talked more about her use of pathos, as that was an important part of her rhetoric.
DeleteThat was a good analysis, I liked your perspective of her care of the trip, through her establishing good will. I think it's cool how that also helps to build her trust, which I actually didn't recognize in my analysis. You did a good job at recognizing her tone of the letter, too. It is crucial to call to mind the tone she is writing in so the reader understands how she uses her rhetoric effectively.
DeleteOn January 12, 1780 Abigail Adams send her son, John Quincy Adams, a letter. He is traveling with his father John Adams and his brother. In the letter that Abigail writes her son she uses many rhetorical skills to help state her main points. She is able to articulate her words to form a strong pathos argument and also establish her authority to help her son see that this trip will help him grow as a person.
ReplyDeleteAbigail starts her letter to her son advising him to not regret his decision to go on the journey. The trip that John Quincy Adams went on was a great opportunity for him to grow and learn new things from other countries and his mother knew that. She had greatly encouraged him to go on the trip, but when she heard that he was rethinking the decision she tried to encourage him. Abigail reminded her son of the many languages that he knew and how that would help him learn more about the places he was traveling to. Then in a few years he will be able to use all of the knowledge he gained on this trip. Her argument here is full of pathos. She strongly supports her son and wants him to succeed in life and knows that this trip will help him.
In the next section of the letter Abigail Adams shows her authority. She tells her son that an author she has met with has compared a judicious traveller to a river. The river’s stream increases as it flows farther away from the source and is exposed to different elements. Abigail shares this with her son to tell him that he is being given every tool that he needs to grow. She uses the phrase, “Nature has not been deficient” to compare what the author said to John’s life and how it has been full of opportunities. Also the example of Cicero being roused and inflamed by Catiline, Verres, and Mark Anthony is used. The difficulties that Cicero experienced due to those men helped shape what kind of man he became. Abigail is trying to use these examples to show her son that to be the great man that she knows he can be, he needs to experience what life has to offer.
In conclusion, the letter that Abigail Adams wrote to her son shows compassion and hopefulness that her son will gain the courage he needs to become a great man. The letter is full of rhetorical strategies to help show John Quincy Adams his mother’s thoughts about the man that he will become.
Awesome analysis Sophie, I enjoyed your explanations of both the author’s river story and Cicero.
DeleteThis is a great post, Sophie. While we recognized similar strategies Abigail used, you used different ways of supporting your points. This helped me to see the letter in a new way, which I enjoyed.
Delete“Mother always knows best.”John Quincy Adams shows doubt in this proverb regarding his mother’s advice for him to travel abroad with his father. However, Abigail Adams is able to reassure and advise her son using a variety of rhetorical strategies. By using the nature of their relationship, examples of comparison, and appeals to his emotions, Mrs. Adams shares a compelling yet comforting message with her son.
ReplyDeleteAs his mother, Abigail Adams knows her son better than anyone else. For example, she thinks he would succeed in France because of his knowledge of the language. This fact itself isn’t something that only his mother knows about him, but she knows the way it applies to this specific situation. She is confident that he would do well and be able to better himself in the circumstances. When a mother watches her child grow up, they obtain a beautiful understanding of the way that child thinks, acts, reacts to different situations, and much more. Her understanding of his character gives a new importance to anything she has to say. By establishing her credibility not only in this letter but from years of being a mother to John Quincy Adams, Abigail Adams creates the base for a strong argument.
Mrs. Adams uses comparison for the next tier of her argument. Her main message throughout the middle of the letter is that immense good can come from enduring difficult times. This truth is something that is easy to say, but typically hard to accept and act upon. By using examples like the river and Cicero, she adds a tone of wisdom to the argument in a way that is easy to understand. Abigail makes her son feel he made the right decision by ensuring that he will he a better person for any hardship he faces. The comparisons she uses to reach this point are inspiring and comforting at the same time, and overall very effective.
Finally, her position as his mother gives Abigail a unique advantage in appealing to her son’s emotions. By sharing the the way she feels in a caring yet deliberative way throughout the entire letter, she puts herself in a powerful position emotionally. He knows that everything his mother says is purely out good intentions, so expressing her hopes gives John a powerful sense of accountability based on emotion. If John Quincy still held any disdain toward the voyage, reading this letter would undoubtedly make him experience guilt for feeling this way.
Through establishment of credibility, comparison, and appeals to emotion, Abigail Adams shows her rhetorical skill in her letter to her son. She shared a loving, inspiring message in a beautiful yet concise way. Her words show the power of a mother’s love, and all the different ways it can be expressed.
Kara, I really enjoy your style of writing. While of course it is a rhetorical analysis as opposed to a story of sorts, your voice shines through. Or rather, your thoughts shine through in your writing. I also enjoyed the content of this post. The way your analysis was set up was very easy to understand, yet it had a creative touch. To add, I agree with your concluding points. Way to write!
DeleteIn Abagail Adams’s 1780 letter addressed to John Quincy Adams, her young son, Mrs. Adams wishes to push her son to accept the duty he has on his voyage to France with his brother and father. She does this by using the three appeals of rhetoric: ethos, logos, and pathos. She does an excellent job of doing so, as well.
ReplyDeleteImmediately upon entering the first paragraph of Abigail Adams’s letter, one can detect the eunoia of a mother’s words. The eunoia, or goodwill, can be found specifically where Adams admits to her son, John Quincy, that she only ever wanted the best for him when she nudged him along the choice of taking along with his father and brother on an abroad trip across the sea. She had benevolent intentions and most likely hoped that he would learn a thing or two from diplomatic father. Evidence concerning her deliberateness being fueled by compassion comes also from Adams reassuring her son that he would not have received her encouragement had she detected his motivation for accompanying his male family members on the trip was for ill intentions or if he was simply not ready for such a demanding cross-country voyage to the foreign country of France. Adams trusts her son’s phronesis—his common sense—, which is proven to her when she noticed he had quite happily taken her suggestions to heart in, as assumed, previous letters. In return for trusting her son’s common sense, she too gained phronesis, as it is practically wise to trust one’s own children; if a mother begins to loosen the metaphorical reigns she attached to her child, then her child will in turn trust their mother more. Furthermore, should John Quincy give her a reason to regret her trust his him, she will react accordingly, as she reminded him in Line 10. Her arete, or moral virtue, as John Quincy’s caring mother, is called forth in Line 21, where she reminds her child of what is expected of him—specially, his diligence, control, and attention—and that he will grow in character throughout the duration of his journey. Through context clues and the metaphor of the river and the traveler, and although it is not explicitly stated in text, it can be assumed that Mrs. Adams is, indeed, referring to John Quincy’s development as an individual that will be changed as he trudges along towards his destination. In her moral virtue, Mrs. Adams is aware and responsible enough to remind her son of the changes he will endure as he completes the voyage and after he returns home. Abigail Adams, through hitting all of the points of eunoia, phronesis, and arete, establishes her ethos in this fashion. Her credibility as John Quincy’s mother is supported through all the support, advice, and discipline she applies to her child through her simple letter. It makes her more trustworthy to the every-day reader and more reliable to her son.
(Continued) Mrs. Adams utilizes past examples of success, such as Cicero’s defeat of the injustice served by Verres, Mark Anthony, and Catiline in Line 30, to explain to her son that all that he experiences on his voyage to France will shape into the man he will eventually become. In this example, she also reminds her son that he must work hard just as Cicero has done to achieve what he desired, which was success. As well as using it to ground her authority, Adams uses the metaphor of the river and the traveler to logically point out how travel will illicit improvement on John Quincy’s part. She also attempts to motivate her son by telling him the knowledge he already possesses will aid him in being a good member on the ship to France, as well as telling him that the knowledge acquired from such a trip will expand his intellect. She ultimately wants him to partake complexity in the opportunity presented before him. Hardships are what lead men to find their full potential. This is what Abagail Adams tries to convey to her child, even though she knows her son initially did not wish to go to France.
ReplyDelete“Yet it is your lot....to be an eyewitness of these calamities in your own native land, and....to owe your existence among a people who have made a glorious defense of their invaded liberties....,” explained Adams in Lines 45 through 49. This was her attempt to convince John Quincy that his trip to France would prove beneficial. It appeals to his pathos—his emotions— by hinting at his heritage and sense of responsibility he has as being an American citizen. She tells him he has a responsibility to those who came prior to himself. In her conclusion, Adams places hope that her child will honor his country by going to France and, in turn, please his parents. Adams hopes to urge John Quincy to fully appreciate his voyage to France by putting pressure on him with the weight of duty and a mother’s acceptance.
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ReplyDelete“The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties,” states Abigail Adams in her eighteenth century letter to her son, a letter written so beautifully it would bring tears to the eyes of Aristotle himself. Everything from her basic rhetorical appeals to her structure to her topics of invention seem to weave together perfectly in her unintended masterpiece. In doing so, she does something remarkable by effectively fusing a personal letter together with a rhetorical argument.
ReplyDeleteThroughout this letter to her son John Quincy Adams, Abigail’s main argument is that of the opening quotation; it is not in the easy moments of life, but in the difficulties and adversity that one grows in character and virtue. She approaches this argument in a variety of ways, the first of which arises in paragraph three as one of Aristotle’s topics of invention: comparison. She compares John’s voyage to a river and a spring, which “improve their qualities as they pass along” (line 20). She argues that as John moves along to different places in life, he too will improve in character.
Next in paragraph four, she uses a combination of Aristotle’s topics of relationship and circumstance to help her argument. She states that, “It is not in the calmness of life, or the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed,” and she immediately follows it up by using the life of Cicero as her proof (line 28-30). She says that the harsh circumstances of Catiline’s, Verres’s, and Mark Anthony’s tyranny were the spark that helped him become a magnificent orator (line 30-32). Then, she applies this cause and effect relationship to John’s life by telling him that he too must face difficulties in order to form himself in wisdom.
And if her argument wasn’t already impressive enough, her rhetorical structure is perfectly arranged to maximize it’s effectiveness. She doesn’t come right out of the gates swinging and throwing rhetorical punches, rather she eases John into her letter and then gives her points. She does this by highlighting her own good will, or eunoia as Aristotle calls it, throughout the first two paragraphs. She states her own hope that John will enjoy the voyage and grow from it, as well as pointing out that she would never have forced him to go if he hadn’t wanted to. She then points out how she believes he will improve from the voyage, thus establishing her ethos as well as introducing her main argument.
After the argument is all said and done, she takes Aristotle’s advice and leaves John with a dose of emotion drive her point home. She shows her love and affection to her son by showering him with encouragement and good wishes throughout the final two and a half paragraphs. She uses the ideas of making his parents happy to persuade him to action, and she also uses the idea of being a good citizen and honoring one’s country. This patriotism is one of three emotions that Aristotle claims is best for invoking action. Lastly, her final words, “your ever affectionate mother,” provide a cherry on top to all this emotion.
Through her use of these various rhetorical strategies, Abigail Adams effectively creates an impressive argument, yet she manages to keep it all in the context of a loving letter from mother to son. Not only does she provide excellent logic, reasoning, and topics of invention, she places all her rhetorical appeals in Aristotle’s classical order: ethos, logos, and finally pathos. In doing so, she creates a work of art that displays its effectiveness generations beyond her intended audience.
Great points, I definitely agree with the letter’s effectiveness reaching far beyond it’s intended audience. It is a great letter for anyone and everyone to read.
DeleteAbigail Adams writes to her son, advising him on his voyage to France.
ReplyDeleteShe uses ethos, pathos, and logos to tell him her thoughts, and things to build his confidence. She uses ethos to initially addressing the letter as “MY DEAR SON.” Anyone reading this letter knows as soon as they begin to read that she is the mother of who she is writing to. She refers to the fact that she is his mother multiple times throughout the letter. This gives more credibility to the things she says. Throughout the letter she comments on his willingness to initially attend this voyage with his brother and father. She also tells him it is goos for him to be faced with difficulties, and helped bring forth his virtue. This leads directly into pathos. After telling her son that difficulties are necessary, she backs up this argument by stating how it strengthens virtue. By facing challenges just like those of Cicero, it allows the virtue to become more apparent, when it would typically lie in rest, not being practiced and strengthened. She also recalls to when her son did no want to go on the voyage, and she urged him to, so he complied. She apologizes for making him, but is happy that he is going. She knows it will make him smarter and more experienced. Her last few points are made and conveyed through logos. Earlier, when she was using pathos to describe strengthening virtue, she spoke about Cicero, and the tyranny of Catiline, Verres, and Mark Antony. She uses these real life, well known examples to make it clear to her son what she is trying to say. This way, her pathos becomes more clear through logos. They ways she goes about telling him she is proud of him, and that she knows he will do good and be strong on the trip allows us to see the way she truly cares and wants to continue leading her son through life.
You had a good analysis, mainly on the ethos, where you brought up her reiteration of how she was a mother, and how exactly that played in to her role building her ethos. Your explanation of the pathos was good in that it stated how he used his mother’s lesson on growing virtue to motivate himself to grow as a better person. Good job!
DeleteI really like the way you elaborated on the importance of the letter's address and the relationship between Abigail and her son. I also thought that the way you clearly broke down your points made your blog very easy to understand and reflect on.
DeleteMary, your blog is short yet sweet. Or in this case, short, yet effective. You did very well conveying the message of Abigail Adams letter. By limiting the amount of “fancy” terms/words it made your blog a very simple read. I admire this greatly, as I often find myself even overdoing the big words. So the fact that you avoided that issue entirely is quite refreshing. I was able to understand every place in which you picked out the rhetorical strategies. So I would say, this was a very successful post. Well done!!
DeleteAbigail Adams writes eloquently to her son during his travels, sharing advice about how to broach this trip. She explains that her son, John Quincy Adams, can, and should, use this journey, and his mind, to his advantage. She provides a letter full of emotional empowerment and an inspirational meaning that invokes a good feeling in readers.
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning, we understand Abigail Adams’ love for her son. She starts out her insightful letter by telling John that she hopes he is doing well. She fits the classic motherly stereotype, worrying about how her child is doing and wishing them the best. She writes that she hopes he has not run into any trouble thus far, and shows more motherly concern. Her usage of pathos continues on. In the next paragraph, she is essentially complimenting John and encouraging him. She speaks about his knowledge of language giving him an advantage and he will improve daily.
Abigail then shares a philosophical story she heard from an author. This author compares traveling to a river and that the farther it reaches out, the more qualities it improves. She returns back to pathos and uses meaningful word and phrase choices that would make John feel encouraged and prepared. In the next few paragraphs, Abigail shares more examples of wisdom being the fruit of experience and the success of certain events because of knowledge and experiences. She takes a very mental approach, she appeals to John’s emotions with empowerment, and examples of great minds doing great things. She nudges John to not take his mind and intellect for granted because it can do amazing things.
It is obvious that Abigail is very proud of her son and does not appear to hide that. It seems as though she knows he is far more intelligent than what he puts off. She makes it seems as though John has a following, or a population, to defend and stand for. In lines 45 to 49, Abigail speaks as though John has a unique possibility to defend and do god-like, wonderful things.
It is slightly shocking to read such well-developed, impactful words coming from Abigail. She uses pathos in a unique way that is targeted at someone specifically, but the audience still emotionally responds to her message. She has the ability to dramatically lift someone’s mood and self-esteem, especially in this terrific letter. A mother’s job is to be there for, and comfort her children, however, Abigail takes it up a notch by represent the gold-standard for motherly motivation.
Alex, I really liked your blog. I especially liked how you pointed out the motherly tone of the letter. Nice job.
DeleteThis blog is very well written. Selected words fit perfectly into the tone of the sentence. You touch base on nearly everything in the letter. Well done!
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ReplyDeleteThis is a good analysis. I feel as if you could have written more to go more in-depth with your analysis. You spoke about the comparisons that Abigail made, which are crucial to letter.
ReplyDeletePlaying the role of advisor to a young man is never an easy task, especially if they’re overseas. Abigail Adams takes on this role over her son, John Quincy Adams. John Quincy Adams was touring Europe with his father, John Adams, an American diplomat. In the early months of 1780, Abigail embarks on her endeavor to advise her nomadic son.
ReplyDeleteAbigail begins her letter by apologizing to her son for convincing him to embark on the voyage. Abigail establishes her own ethos by acknowledging and praising her son’s intelligence and understanding of the foreign language. She works to present the basis of their agreement and understanding. This tool of alignment allows for a clean, precise prerogative.
“Some author [. . .] compares a judicious traveller to a river, that increases its stream the further it flows from its source; or to certain springs, which, running through rich veins of minerals, improve their qualities as they pass along.” Abigail inserts her son, a John Quincy, as the judicious traveller. This comparison strengthens her argument because it shows that others believe this as well. Nature (Abigail and John) has nourished John Quincy fabulously. To further call upon logos, Abigail uses Cicero’s oration skills as an example. Cicero was influenced by Mark Antony, Verres, and Catiline’s tyrannies. Without those influences, Cicero would have never developed those skills because he would not had have to argue against them.
This letter’s intended purpose was to create a spark to ignite the fire of John Quincy’s intellect. Abigail longs for her son to heed her advice and develop his own thoughts while experiencing the world firsthand. “...add justice, fortitude, and every manly virtue which can adorn a good citizen, do honor to your country, and render your parents supremely happy, particularly your affectionate mother.”