Dr.Lee
American Literature
10/23/2015
What is an American? by J. Hector St. John De Crevecoeur
J. Hector St. John De Crevecoeur was a French born writer who moved around often. The first move that he made was when he was nineteen and sailed into England to live with distant relatives. Will in England he was engaged, but before the ceremony occurred his fiancée died. After that happened he decided to move to Canada in 1755, while in Canada he joined the Canadian militia. When he was enlisted his job was to be a surveyor and cartographer. In 1759 is when his career in the Canadian militia ended do to a gun shot wounded that he got at the defense of Quebec. After finishing in the military he traveled down to New York where he changed his name to J. Hector St. John De Crevecoeur. The next ten years of his life consisted of trading with the Native Americans and working as a surveyor around the colonies. He bought land in Orange
County, New York and married. He bought the land and got married in 1769 and also at this time he became an American farmer. Being an American fascinated Crevecoeur so much so that most of his writing consisted of America and Americans.
In, this text Crevecoeur explains how different Europe is compared to America and also talks about what is an American? In the first part of the text Crevecoeur talks about how in America there is no lords who have all the wealth. Also, "the rich and the poor are not so far removed from each other as they are in Europe"(605). Another difference he gives in the text is how you won't see a mansion or castle in America rather you will see cabins and cattle. He goes on to talk about what an American is as a person, but also as a belief. An American is a mix of "English, Scotch, Irish, Dutch, Germans and Swedes" he goes on to say "that a race called Americans have arisen"(606). Later in the text he talks about the belief or the idea of an American. An example of this is how if you were poor in England you would be poor your whole life, but if you sailed to America you could make a better life for yourself. Another example he gave was how it would seem weird for people in Europe to marry or converse with someone outside of your religion or other race groups. Crevecoeur used different kind words to describe his point.
To prove his point Crevecoeur used different literary techniques. The author would compare humans to plants. An example of this is when talked about transplanting a plant from England and how it would be more fertile in America. Another example of this is when he compared the different inhabitance of each region. The author says " men are like plants; the goodness and flavors of the fruit proceeds from the peculiar soil and exposition in which they grow" so in other words people are different based off of the region they grew up at or live at(608). All in all Crevecoeur used metaphors to get his point across.
Baym, Nina. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th Ed., New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. Print.
This was a very interesting reading and I enjoyed reading your analysis of the reading. I agree with you on pretty much everything you mentioned above.
ReplyDeleteCrevecoeur gave an inside perspective on how early life was like in America. There were lots of European settlers from all walks of life coming from different parts of Europe. All of them considered themselves to be "European expats" in a way. They did not identify as American til much later. The settlers thought of themselves as Europeans. This reading was interesting because Crevecoeur wrote about how "a race called Americans have arisen". He mentioned the different European ethnicity of the European settlers and considered them American.
Although this reading was interesting and quite progressive for its time, in today's day and age it would be considered backwards. Today, America is a multi-ethnic country compared to the America of the 1700s. I liked how he compared humans to plants. It is still applicable today. For example, people immigrate to America for a better life and economic prosperity. Crevecoeur said "men are like plants; the goodness and flavors of the fruit proceeds from the peculiar soil and exposition in which they grow". If someone was poor in their home country, they could come to America and they can grow and prosper by bettering their lives.
Overall, this was a good analysis and I don't disagree with anything stated.
I agree with a lot of things that you mentioned in this blog such as Crevecoeur giving his perspective on how life was in America. Also Crevecoeur used many literary techniques, as well as using multiple words of getting his point across. As well as Crevecoeur being a man with a past that was very mysterious, he had many biographers puzzled. I really liked the example you gave of how Crevecoeur said of you were poor living in England then you could move to America to have a better lifestyle for yourself because I feel as if that was a big issue in that time period many people didn't see that opportunity of doing that or didn't cease that opportunity.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Crevecoeur was a huge success as a diplomat and in many citizens he was recognized as an honorary citizen. And another great example you gave was how Crevecoeur said it was weird for people in Europe to have any relation with anybody outside of their religion or perhaps a different race, I found that to be very important especially in that time period because that wasn't a usual thing to happen for a European to marry someone else outside of their religion. I agree with mostly every statement you said as giving great examples to prove them.
Nice work on your post Caleb. I found your claims to be sound as you provided evidence to support those as well as examples. Although for the most part that was the case, I do feel as if the idea of the “melting pot” as you mentioned by stating “An American is a mix of English, Scotch, Irish, Dutch, Germans and Swedes” could have been elaborated further upon (606). This account offered by Crevecoeur and his words are some of the first ideas foreshadowing our America today. His statements were of those in line with that of progressivism and of advancements in social ways. The ideas that one has to “fit in” and “not stand out” are seen in our American society today and in the time of Crevecoeur these ideas were just beginning to sprout, which is very important to point out.
ReplyDeleteAnother important thing to have mentioned would have been with regards to Crevecoeur’s statement “He is an American, who leaves 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” (607). This statement ties into the idea of the “melting pot” in that it provides insight as to what was expected of one to fully become “American.” Immigrants were to leave everything behind, obey the new government, embrace the new culture, or in other words assimilate to that of society and the “norms” established. Overall though, I appreciated the many details and examples you provided, I just would have mentioned those things as I mentioned above as well. I think one of the most important things one should take from his writings is that times were changing and it was becoming time for America and its ways to more fully come about. Crevecoeur’s writings were the beginnings of these changes and his words had to have had an impact on the “America” we’ve come to be a part of today.
Baym, Nina. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th Ed., New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. Print.