Letters from an American Farmer

When the Virginia Company landed at the James River in 1606 no one thought they had just planted the seeds to a powerful and mighty nation. The first immigrants who landed in пїЅAmericaпїЅ were a bedraggled bunch looking for a quick buck. Soon more would follow and colonies would sprout up, along with the hope of a better life. Michel пїЅ Guillaume Jean de CrпїЅvecoer was a French emigrant who arrived in America in 1759 and traveled around the country for ten years. His travels gave him the inspiration to write about life in America in a series of twelve essays called Letters from an American Farmer. One of the best know essays is пїЅWhat Is an American?пїЅ which uses chronological organization, extended metaphors, symbolism, and diction, to remind the huddled masses of Europe how America has supplied them with a sanctuary from the oppressive tyranny in Europe.

Jean de CrпїЅvecoer opens by painting a picture of sorrow and oppression in the lives of the immigrants. Jean de CrпїЅvecoer uses negative connotation in the first half of his piece by putting in phrases like пїЅwretchпїЅ, пїЅpinching penuryпїЅ, пїЅpunishmentпїЅ, and repetition of the word пїЅpoorпїЅ to show how the immigrants lives were a