Similarities and Differences among Whitman's and Crevecoeur's Definitions of Americans - Literature review Example

Similarities and Differences among Whitmans and Crevecoeurs definitions of Americans Majority of the literary works in America were written by professionals with vast knowledge in history and experience in the American history. Some of these writers include Royall Tyler, Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman as well as St. Jean de Crevecoeur. These writers defined America in various dimensions and versions. This paper is going to focus on two renowned American writers. These include St. Jean de Crevecoeur as well as Walt Whitman. The research is going to be based on the similarities as well as the differences of these two writers relevant to their view of America. This is going to take the perspective of how these writers differ and agree on the issue of definition and view of America. It is of critical significance to note that Walt Whitman and St. Jean de Crevecoeur were both literary professional writers in America. However, it is critical to acknowledge the fact that these there are several instances where these two American writers differ in their view of America. On the same note, there are several instances where Walt Whitman and St. Jean de Crevecoeur share similarities with regards to their view of America as well as whom an American is. One of the similarities shared by both Whitman and St. Jean de Crevecoeur is the fact that they use America as their core issue of focus (Whitman, 57). These two writers employ the use of America as the core subject matter in their literary works. It is important to note that the use of America as the subject matter in the literary works is evident in the readings of the literary works of both Whitman and St. Jean de Crevecoeur. In addition, the use of America as the core subject matter of Whitman and St. Jean de Crevecoeur is evident in their choice of titles (Crevecoeur, 78). For instance, one of the literary works of Walt Whitman is entitled “America”. The others include “Preface to Leaves of Grass” and “Song of Myself”. This literary work was written by Walt Whitman in the late nineteenth century when America had faced several transformations. Walt Whitman conveys several messages in the book to the readers. These include his wishes as well as expectations relevant to what America should be. On the other hand, St. Jean de Crevecoeur also wrote a book entitled “Letters from an American Farmer”. This is a clear evidence that the book used America as its core subject matter. This is a great similarity shared by both Walt Whitman as well as St. Jean de Crevecoeur in their literary works. The other literary work authored by St. Jean de Crevecoeur bearing America as the subject matter is called “What is an American?” This is another evidence to highlight the fact that both Walt Whitman and St. Jean de Crevecoeur used America in their literary works as their subject matters. This is a major similarity shared by the two American writers. Despite the fact that both Walt Whitman and St. Jean de Crevecoeur use America as their subject matter in their literary works, they also share other similarities. It is of crucial significance to note that both Walt Whitman and St. Jean de Crevecoeur view America as a great land, as well as a land full of equality. Both writers in their literary works share the issue of equality in America as one of the core issues and messages conveyed to the readers. This makes it possible for an American to feel free everywhere in America, engage in prolific activities as well as freely interact (Crevecoeur and Moore, 53). The equality aspect in America shared by both Walt Whitman and St. Jean de Crevecoeur in their literary works is very important. This is because it dispels such social vices like racial discrimination and social prejudice that may result following social inequality. The issue of racial inequality is always associated with underdevelopment. As such, both Walt Whitman and St. Jean de Crevecoeur were wary of this and accomplished their mission of championing the development of America through promoting the issue of human equality in America in their literary works. Both Walt Whitman and St. Jean de Crevecoeur maintain that the equality of America and its people is evident in their unity in several activities involving agriculture and farming. On this basis, St. Jean de Crevecoeur defines an American as a man under the umbrella of laws and regulations with the freedom to undertake any activity for the benefit of him and to American land. He maintains that the freedom in America was important in ensuring that any man could undertake any activity geared towards bringing unity to the society. It is of crucial significance to note that both Walt Whitman and St. Jean de Crevecoeur agree that an American must be a very hardworking person, free of prejudice as well as discrimination. This is important in bringing unity to the people in America. Other than the similarities shared by the writers, it is of crucial significance to note that both Walt Whitman and St. Jean de Crevecoeur had several differences in their literary works (Crevecoeur, 59). It is important to note that one difference in the literary works of both Walt Whitman and St. Jean de Crevecoeur is evident in the types of their works. The difference resulting from the types of works of the two writers is informed by the time difference in which the literary works were written. It is of crucial significance to note that some of the literary works in question were written in the seventeenth century whereas the other as written in the late twentieth century. This time difference is important in bringing p the major differences noted in the literary works of both Walt Whitman and St. Jean de Crevecoeur (Crevecoeur and Moore, 63). It is important to note that St. Jean de Crevecoeur’s literary works were written in the seventeenth century. During this period, America was still a very new nation. This defined the course for St. Jean de Crevecoeur in coming up with his literary works. On this basis, St. Jean de Crevecoeur talks mainly about his expectations relevant to the new American nation. He highlights the importance of hard work to the new nation of America, as well as how helpful hard work is for a person to survive in the world. He also expects to understand the experiences of early settlers and what has to change following the fact that American became a new nation. On the other hand, Walt Whitman wrote his literary works in the late nineteenth century. During such periods, America had undergone several transformations in history in terms of experiences (Crevecoeur and Moore, 75). America had already undergone Civil Wars that made it almost split. However, this did not happen. On this basis, Walt Whitman stresses the importance of unity in America. In this regard, he expects to see America standing in unity to pass the test of time. This is one message that lacks in St. Jean de Crevecoeur’s literary works. In conclusion, it is important to note that both Walt Whitman and St. Jean de Crevecoeur had several differences and similarities in their literary works relevant to America. The two writers used America as their subject matter in their literary works. In addition, they also championed the issue of equality of all the Americans in their literary works. On the other hand, the two writers differed in their literary works. The differences in the types of works results from the fact that the works were written in different centuries. As such, there were several differences evident in the works following the time differences. Works Cited Crevecoeur, J. Letters from an American Farmer. Applewood Books, 2007. Print. Crevecoeur, M. G. S. J., & Moore, D. D. More letters from the American farmer: An edition of the essays in English left unpublished. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1994. Print. Whitman, W. Song of myself. Mineola, N.Y: Dover Publications, 2001. Print. Whitman, W. Leaves of grass. Toronto: Bantam, 1983. Print. Read More