Sunday, March 14, 2010
The Adams's letters reveal rare insight into an 18th century marriage. The love the couple shares is evident in their letters, even when they are occupied by the exciting details of revolution. The art of letter writing is so foreign to us today with instant messaging and texting, so I found the letters especially meaningful and interesting. The record they provide to us isn't the same type of record we'll leave for future generations.
In high school, I read John Adams, a biography of America's second president which spawned the HBO miniseries. I found it very interesting and enthralling to see how John Adams shared so many confidential details with his wife, Abigail. He clearly trusted her beyond what, it seems, many of his contemporaries trusted their wives.
John Adams' evaluation of Benjamin Franklin was also a very important record; Adams clearly had great respect for this man and thought him a good leader for the new country. He gives him high praise, saying, "I wish his Colleagues from this City were All like him…" (Pg. 303). No where else in the correspondence do we see Adams talk so highly of any other man.
Abigail Adams presents great strength in the midst of the sacrifice of being separated from her husband. She manages a household and cares for their children and even hesitates to tell her husband about the family's sickness lest it concern him unduly and distract him from the important business at hand.
My one complaint (although I'm not sure if this is the right term) is the use of random capitalization within the letters. However, the other elements provided by them and the devotion shown by the writers clearly outweighs any qualms I, or other readers, may have about punctuation and grammar.
In high school, I read John Adams, a biography of America's second president which spawned the HBO miniseries. I found it very interesting and enthralling to see how John Adams shared so many confidential details with his wife, Abigail. He clearly trusted her beyond what, it seems, many of his contemporaries trusted their wives.
John Adams' evaluation of Benjamin Franklin was also a very important record; Adams clearly had great respect for this man and thought him a good leader for the new country. He gives him high praise, saying, "I wish his Colleagues from this City were All like him…" (Pg. 303). No where else in the correspondence do we see Adams talk so highly of any other man.
Abigail Adams presents great strength in the midst of the sacrifice of being separated from her husband. She manages a household and cares for their children and even hesitates to tell her husband about the family's sickness lest it concern him unduly and distract him from the important business at hand.
My one complaint (although I'm not sure if this is the right term) is the use of random capitalization within the letters. However, the other elements provided by them and the devotion shown by the writers clearly outweighs any qualms I, or other readers, may have about punctuation and grammar.
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