Letters From An American Farmer Sparknotes

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Letters From An American Farmer Sparknotes

J. for defining the American way of life. Hector St. John de Crevecour was admired. In one of his works,

Homestead Act Of 1862

He explains what it really meant to be a farmer in colonial America. Crevecoeur contrasts the life of the traditional American farmer with the traditional European urban life. Within the quote, Crevecour uses several rhetorical devices to support his idea that the life of a farmer is more rewarding than that of a city dweller.

The main idea of ​​the essay is that a farm life is superior to a city life and the author uses personal experiences to try to convince his audience of this fact. He first describes the farm, house, and barn he inherited from his father. Crevecoeur then explains how fulfilling it is to live in a land of passionate family values ​​and follow in his father’s footsteps. He also describes how it gives him joy to know that his son will live in his footsteps, “I do now for [my son], I say, what my father formerly did for me” (Hector St. John de Cravecoeur, J.). By using this personal experience to demonstrate the benefits of rural life, Crevecour effectively appeals to the emotional side of the reader. Audiences are more likely to agree with his points because they feel an emotional connection to his story. Another way Crevcoeur convinces his audience that an agricultural life is better than an urban one is by comparing the two lifestyles. He explains how he feels he has “freedom of action, freedom of thought” (Hector St.John de Cr?vecoeur, J.), and he continually reinforces the idea that he is truly happy with his simple life. in the country. Then, the author explains how difficult it is to live in the city because you often have to tie up the landlords. This idea is reinforced through the rest of the essay when Crevecoeur talks about the excessive materialism of most of the city dwellers. By making this comparison, the reader can easily understand how living in the country is better than living in the city.

Metaphors are also an effective rhetorical strategy used in essays. In one instance, the author compares soil to life because both are incredibly important. Crevecoeur explains: “As [the soil] nourishes, it clothes us; From it we take great joy, excellent meat, and even abundant drink. Crevecoeur here tries to explain how American farmers are useless without precious soil, just as anyone is useless without life. He also suggests that a city dweller can never know the joys that pure and rich soil can provide. Through the use of this metaphor, Cravier’s audience is able to paint a vivid picture of how valuable the soil is to farmers and how valuable a farming life is. Crevecoeur uses another metaphor later in the essay. It compares bees to life because bees have similar qualities and elements of life. Like societies, bees are influenced by “their government, their industry, their quarrels, their passions.” Bees are also used as symbols of labor. The hardworking bees on Crevecoeur’s farm often mimic the hardworking people who work on the farms. Again, the use of a metaphor and symbol helps the reader paint a clearer picture of Crevecoeur’s ideas.

The use of rhetorical strategies is crucial to the essay because it allows the author to effectively communicate an idea to his audience. Crevecoeur skillfully uses rhetorical tricks to convince his audience that a peasant’s life is superior to city life. A mix of personal experiences, comparisons, and metaphors help support the author’s idea. In addition to being functional, the strategies used by Crevecoeur also lend literary skill to the essay.

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Living a simple life is rewarding. This argument has great validity. Many others agree that living in a small rural town is healthier, less stressful and gives people a sense of community. Evidence from literature and history proves Crevecoeur’s claim to be correct.

Elizabeth Gaskell wrote a literary work that supports Crevecoeur’s ideas. In this novel a character moves from the countryside to the industrial city. In her new environment, she finds the townspeople to be cold and unfriendly, while her comrades in the countryside are caring and compassionate. Here city life and village life are diametrically opposed.

On the other hand, some cities can provide opportunities, promote technological progress and become centers of culture. One of these cities was ancient Rome. In ancient times, Rome was home to dozens of independent thinkers. It was “a center of commerce, trade, politics, culture, and military power” (Roman Roads). The city itself provided space for these thinkers to collaborate and inspire each other. In this case, the city would be better than the country because it nurtured creativity. However, Rome should be considered an exception. Most cities do not function as this ancient society did. Most cities are home to poverty and filth. This poverty and squalor is explained in great detail in Upton Sinclair’s novel.

Tnéz Év Használható Crevecoeur Letters From An American Farmer Sparknotes

. In this novel, a foreign family moves to an American city in hopes of being exposed to more opportunities. Upon moving there, the family realizes that the reality of city life is not what they expected. They are cheated by rich business owners and suffer health problems due to poor living conditions. A family member even drowns in the garbage piled up on the street. The novel as a whole provides evidence that urban life is not preferred over rural life.

Clearly, there is evidence that lends merit to Crevecoeur’s claims. It is clear from literary works that agricultural life was generally preferred to industrial life. Since Crevecoeur’s ideas are shared by famous writers, there must be some truth in them. Although there have been some exceptional cities throughout history, they have often been centers of poverty. This proves that the ideas brought forward by Cressicoeur in his essay are true. Even today’s professionals agree with the points brought up

. Many psychologists agree that working on a farm or even a small garden can have a positive effect on one’s mental health. Also, historians have presented evidence showing how corrupt cities were in Crevacour’s time. Most people have come to the conclusion that living in rural towns is less stressful than living in cities. Anyone who has experienced the bliss of a tranquil landscape knows that cities don’t compare. A psychologist, Kim Hermanson, explains on her website how beneficial this can be. Here, how she “planted and nurtured and [her] hands dug into the rich soil” on her Iowa farm, and how fond those memories were (Hermanson, Kim). She explains how even though she has moved to the city, her heart is still in her farm. Then, the author discusses how deep-rooted memories of nature help her make light of difficult situations. One who has never spent time in a rural town will never know this joy. This reinforces the ideas raised in the quote

In the essay, Crevecoeur uses soil as a metaphor for life. Clearly, the soil is as important as Crevecour claims, because many years later a psychologist also believes so.

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Obviously, some of the experiences on farms cannot be had in cities. Although cities offer some unique opportunities, life on a farm is more rewarding. Benjamin Franklin expressed this view and explained it in one of his most famous quotes. In this quote, he states what he thinks are three ways to acquire wealth. The first is through war, the second through commerce, and “the third through agriculture, the only honest way” (qtd. in Eichen, Faith). It is clear from this statement that Franklin believed that the life of a simple farmer was ideal. Historians have found cities, especially during colonial times, to be incredibly corrupt. In a book referring to the 1700s, the author acknowledges that cities encouraged innovation, but “while many had a keen sense of business, others were often unscrupulous…Piracy, smuggling, and privateering were common practices” (Moss, Joyce, and George Wilson). It shows how undesirable a city life can be. A traditional farmer’s life would certainly be preferable to the urban life described here.

The evidence presented suggests that pursuing a life in an agriculturally focused city is actually more rewarding than living in the city. Psychologists have explained how to live in a village