Crevecoeur Letters From An American Farmer Analysis

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In an effort to escape the tyrannical wrath of King George III and his poor regime, large numbers of outsiders traveled to America during its early developmental period. Michel-Guillaume-Jean de Crèvecoeur, one foreigner amongst the masses to journey to America, wrote Letters from an American Farmer in 1782, which reflects on early America. His writing presents America and its citizens with an overall positive image, whereas his representation and attitude towards Europe was critically unfavorable. By applying positively charged words to describe America, and negatively charged words to portray Europe, Crèvecoeur’s diction clearly conveys his contrasting stance between Europe and America.
Crèvecoeur begins his essay by establishing the background of Americans with regard to their reasoning for abandoning their homeland, Europe. The poor Europeans lived in “a continual scene of sore affliction” and received “nothing but the frowns of the rich.” When European’s arrived in America, they left behind “jails and punishments” that accompanied Europe’s “severe laws.” America provided refuge to those who constantly suffered in Europe. …show more content…

According to Crèvecoeur, the Americans were previously “wretches” who “wandered about” and “were so many useless plants.” Instead of evoking disdain towards the Americans, Crèvecoeur used these phrases with negative connotations to draw out empathy for their difficulties that occurred in Europe. This somewhat elitist tone assists him to express his favorable view of America by accentuating its invigorating effects on its citizens. America’s “new laws,” “new mode of living,” and “new social system” helped them become formally ranked as citizens and “like all other plants they have taken root and flourished.” These words and phrases, with positive connotations, exhibit Crèvecoeur’s view on America as a “regenerative”

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