Juan Cruz Prez Literature II Ancarani Marta U.N.V.M.

31st August, 2009 America as a Refuge in De Crvecoeurs Letter III

Prez 1

1735 French-born St. John De Crvecoeurs moved to America as a young man to serve as surveyor and lieutenant. His early attraction to the new land was enhanced when he bought his own land in the New York state. His period as a farmer although he was just the owner of the farm made him gain much insight which was latter reflected in Letters from an American Farmer, published in London in 1782. In this book, through 12 letters, the author depicts how America was like at the time through the eyes of an imaginary farmer writing to a friend back in England. Out of all letters, Letter III gains prominence because in this letter, the narrator depicts how America had become the land of equality and opportunity for the oppressed Europeans in terms of social stratification, personal development opportunities, and religion. The first aspect to take into account in De Crvecoeurs depiction of America as the asylum to oppressed Europeans is that of the difference in social strata shown in Europe and America. In Europe the monarchy or the church are the ruling and most powerful parties, and peasants have to work their lives out just to survive; or in De Crvecoeurs words society is composed of great lords who possess every thing and a heard of people who have nothing. (De Crvecoeur, 1) While in America there are not such differentiations in hierarchy, there are no invisible power giving to a few a very visible one thanks to the egalitarian laws of the newborn government. People in America are all considered citizens in the same rank; therefore, the rich and the poor are not so far removed from each other as they are in Europe is the way that De Crvecoeur highlights the egalitarian nature of America. Secondly, De Crvecoeur also underscores the paramount importance of the opportunities to enhance ones life in America. On the one hand, throughout the letter, Europe is described as a land where poverty is a condition men are born with. Their work only comes to benefit the upper classes, while the workers of the land can barely survive and cattle and men help to keep each other warm, and dwell in meanness, smoke, and indigence.(2) On the other hand, America is the new land of hope to those who want to escape from oppressing Europe and long to start afresh and live a life of dignity. In this new terrain, the idle may be employed, the useless be-come useful, and the poor become

Prez 2 rich; but by riches I ... mean ... cleared lands, cattle, good houses, good cloths, and an increase of people to enjoy them.(9) This is how De Crvecoeur is calling Europeans to come and enjoy the American refuge. Thirdly, America is also depicted as an asylum for escaped Europeans when it comes to religious matters. Europe is said to be very strict as regards religious practices, mainly referring to Christianity. Also, the free choice of religious practice is quite looked upon in Europe, resulting in persecution and even violence. Conversely, Americans become as to religion, what they are as to country, allied to all (5) that is, in America, no matter what religion one practices, there is a sense of unity and equality that predominates. Persecution, religious pride, the love of contradiction, are the food of what the world commonly calls religion. These motives have ceased here,(6) because no matter what Americans do as regards religion, there is a greater sense of brotherhood just for sharing the land that has given them protection against the rudeness of Europe. As a way to unify all these ideas present in his literary essay, De Crvecoeur utilizes, among others literary devices, a controlling metaphor that runs throughout Letter II. The metaphor is based in a comparison make between men and plants. The narrator says: Men are like plants; the goodness and flavour of the fruit proceeds from the peculiar soil and exposition in which they grow.(4) By this, the narrator wants to emphasise the fact that people are not just the result of their in-born conditions, but that they are latter formed and influenced by the environment they live in. Then, the narrator also asserts as regards moving from Europe to America that every industrious European who transports himself here may be compared to a sprout growing at the foot of a great tree; it enjoys and draws but a little portion of sap; wrench it from the parent roots, transplant it, and it will become a tree bearing fruit also.(8) In this case, the narrator asserts that the opportunities of personal growth and even leaving behind a legacy are the foremost features that America offers as a refuge. To conclude, in Letter III, De Crvecoeur wants to portray America as the new soil of hope and improvement so necessary for those suffering Europeans who lived under the terrible conditions imposed by the monarchy and the church. As Peter Conn states in Literature in America: an Illustrated History, De Crvecoeurs America is a heaven, a refuge for the dispossessed of Europe. (Conn, 95) In Letter III, America is presented as the asylum of mercy and aspirations Europeans were longing for so long.

Prez 3 Works Consulted Conn, Peter J. Literature in America: an Illustrated History. Cambridge UP, New York, 1989.<http://books.google.com/books?id=hDw9AAAAIAAJ&printsec= frontcover&dq=Literature+in+America:+an+illustrated+history+By+Peter+J. +Conn#v=onepage&q=&f=false> De Crvecoeur, St. Jean. Letter III. Letters From an American Farmer. Class notes. Ruland, Richard, Malcom Bradbury. From Puritanism to Postmodernism: a History of American Literature. Routledge, London, 1991. < http://books.google. com/books?id=tocOAAAAQAAJ&dq=from+puritanism+to+postmodernism +a+history+of+american+literature&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en &ei=3FeYSvTHLMWJ8Qbg3r2mBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&re snum=4#v=onepage&q=Crevecoeur&f=false>