The American Experience Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The American Experience - Term Paper Example Thus, there were some forms in the eighteenth-century writing that did not conform to the general notions about genres and other forms. There were many interesting themes which could be found in the text of Letters from an American Farmer. The features included the nature of an American character such as their work ethic, the duties of an individual, anti-intellectualism, the farmer seen as a prototype representing the American character, the treatment of the slaves, the way of viewing new immigrants together with their ethnicity, literary resonances that showed the escape from the civilization as in Letter XII and stereotypical nature of the American characters. The Letter was divided into twelve sections that depict the way American soil, its life, slavery, and culture was perceived by Crevec?ur. He was probably the first writer who described Europeans by employing different American English terms. He emphasized the life seen on the American frontier and tried to explore the idea b ehind the so-called American Dream. In his writings, he portrayed American society to be characterized by the principles stressing on the equal opportunity as well as self-determination. His work was successful in providing a lot of useful information together with an understanding of the presumed "New World" which helped in creating utopian American identity (Crevecoeur xi). This was done for the prevailing European minds by describing the area as an entire country and not just another regional colony. The writing in The Letters celebrated the American ingenuity and its uncomplicated lifestyle. It was written to describe the inclusion and the acceptance of religious dynamics in a society that was created from several varieties of ethnic as well as cultural backgrounds. The letters that were written by him depicted the rural life of America. He introduced the cultivation of several European crops, notably the alfalfa, in the American country and the American potato in Normandy. He t ried to understand America from the purview of a farmer. He tried to find the answer to the question what actually consisted of American, this new American man. â€Å"He is an American, who, leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds† (Crevecoeur 54). â€Å"The American is a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must, therefore, entertain new ideas, and form new opinions. From involuntary idleness, servile dependence, penury, and useless labor, he has passed to toils of a very different nature, rewarded by ample subsistence. --This is an American† (Crevecoeur 56) Literary analysis Crevecoeur in his letters portrayed his love for nature from the perspective of a farmer. His respect towards nature and his compassion towards all living beings are obvious and is the principal backdrop of all his letters. Crevecoeur feels that man and natur e are interlinked, and without the right balance in nature, man cannot survive. Similarly, man’s compassion and caring attitude can preserve the sanctity of nature. He also feels that Americans do not display their compassion towards nature in the way that is needed.