1a. According to the opening of the letter, how does Adams spend her time? With what duties is her absent husband "overwhelmed"?
2a. According to Adams, whose "eyes . . . have been closed"? Who is suffering from a "fatal security"?
3a. When does Adams say that a king is no longer a king?
4a. The United States was the first country in the world founded on the principle that government derives its rights from "the consent of the governed" and is justified in exercising those rights only as long as the governed continue in their consent. What passages in Adams's letter show that she believes government not consented to by the governed to be illegitimate?
5a. As the wife of a political figure, why might Adams state that one's country is "a secondary god and the first and greatest parent"? What perspective might she have in being married to a man so influential to the founding of the nation? How different might her point of view be if she were married to a private citizen?
1b. Does Adams resent her husband's absence? Why, or why not?
2b. What metaphor does Adams use in paragraph 2 of her letter to describe the reluctance of some leaders to take action?
3b. For centuries, most British subjects believed in the Divine Right of Kings (that kings were divinely appointed). Does Adams subscribe to such a view? Why, or why not?
4b. What part of the American population does Adams believe is not being equally represented by its leaders? What does Adams imply she wants her husband and the other delegates to do with regard to this part of the population?
5b. If you were Adams, what would be your motive in using the metaphor of water quenching the burning building? What are you trying to get your husband to do in this passage?
Aim. Create a chart, listing, on the left, four important passages from Adams's letter and, on the right, the aim Adams's writing expresses in those passages. One example has been done for you.
"How many are the solitary hours I spend . . . whilst you have . . . few moments you can devote to any individual."
Diction. Does Adams use formal or informal diction when addressing her husband? Is the diction she selects in keeping with the aim of her writing? What are the most personal topics Adams broaches in her letter? Does her diction change in those places?
1. Imagine that you are a friend of Abigail Adams. Write an e-mail message summarizing the effect that John Adams's absence is having on his wife and children to mutual friends of yours.
2. Imagine you are John Adams. Write a letter back to your wife, commenting on the main points of her letter.
3. The seventeenth-century philosopher Thomas Hobbes argued that life in the "state of nature" is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short" and that a strong central authority is necessary to maintain order and ensure self-preservation. Assuming the persona of Adams, write an opinion piece for a philosophical journal, explaining in what respect you agree with Hobbes and in what respect you disagree.
Combining Sentences Using Clauses.Read the first sentence in paragraph 3. Write four simple sentences to express the meaning of the original compound-complex sentence from the selection.
Business Letter.Choose a political issue that interests you and write a business letter to a political figure. State your position and the reasons for your views.
