Summary Of Cr�vecoeur - 874 Words

In the 1780’s a French aristocrat by the name of J. Hector St. John de Crà ¨vecoeur wrote a collection of essays defining his stance on colonial American society and Americans themselves. In this excerpt Crà ¨vecoeur gives his definition of the American man and the â€Å"poor European emigrant† (39). He explains how a man thrives in the new country and how the rise up from the lowest class. As a reader reads the essay, they must note the writer himself, his tone, his sentence structure, and how his words connect to the reader. It can be noted the Crà ¨vecoeur is an aristocrat which mean that he is of higher rank. Looking at his wording at the beginning of the text, it can be seen that he places himself higher than the new Americans. Crà ¨vecoeur†¦show more content†¦Instead of needy peasants, he switches his label to people filled with potential. Determination and grit can be seen in the â€Å"poor European emigrant† as he comes into a new country wi th almost nothing except for â€Å"The knowledge of the language, the love of a few kindred as poor as himself† (39, 40-42). It is a sharp contrast to Crà ¨vecoeur’s previous paragraphs as he begins to put the men in a new light. The American is â€Å"either an European or the descendant of an European, hence the strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country† (46-49). Perhaps this is an allusion to the men’s roots. The European countries at that time were composed of the world’s greatest empires. If the men came from such countries, they can make a country just like them or better. Americans will be â€Å"melted into a new race whose labors and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world. Americans are the western pilgrims who are carrying along with them that great mass of arts, sciences, vigor, and industry† (59-63). The use of the word â€Å"pilgrim† describes the men as journeyers. The men who have â€Å"arts, sciences, vigor, and industry† are seen as educated and can be describes as entrepreneurs, much different than the people of the lower class. Crà ¨vecoeur’s sentence structure and relevant use of examples help readers better understand his point of view. His vivid diction allows the reader to see things how Crà ¨vecoeur