Letters From An American Farmer

“In this great American asylum, the poor of Europe have by some means met together…” Striking right to the point, the author sets the tone for the rest of the material; that being his contrasting views of Americans and their counterpart, Europeans. Continually throughout Michel-Guillaume-Jean de Crèvecoeur’s Letters from an American Farmer, he makes evident his attitude towards both the newly colonized land and that of which it branched off of. Crèvecoeur, just as other authors, artfully includes descriptive words into his writing in order to establish his opinions and views. Authors often incorporate adjectives with negative and positive connotations, which aide in the development of ideas throughout their writing. Through Crèvecoeur’s negative connotation, one is able to decipher his views on Europeans. One example of how he critically writes about them, is an excerpt: “can a wretch who wanders about, who works and starves, and whose life is a continual scene of sore affliction or pinching penury; can that man call England or any other kingdom his country?” The words “wretch,” “starves,” and “pinching penury” render an overwhelming sense of poverty and misfortune. Presumably, the author feels discontent and pitiful towards the Europeans because of this. From the same quote, are the words “continual,” and “sore;” which give way to his idea of Europe as routine and …show more content…
The repetition of the adverse adjectives he uses to portray Europeans, and his complimentary description of Americans, evoke the concept of improvement and safety that Europeans gain from the nation. The expressions in which Crèvecoeur writes about the Europeans’ transformation ignites the audience’s perspective on his probable attitude of affinity towards the ever-beneficial