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‘What is an American?’ -- By St. Jean de Crevecoeur After a patriotic tragedy defending Quebecwhile serving a Canadian militia as a French official, St. Jean de Crevecoeur had undergone a great deal of transformation which inspired him to compose essays in his ‘Letters from an American Farmer’ (Reuben). One of his prominent writings in this collection, ‘What is an American?’ has generously reflected his life which, by bitter encounters, continental explorations, and a sense of continuing struggle to help situate America and France in deeper connections (Reuben) enabled Crevecoeur to have come to discern, by experience, which nation deserves honor and love altogether.

It is in this third letter that he strove to enlighten the public in his influence during the 18th century of how his humble career as a farmer created for him a paradigm shift that significantly changed his overall perspective of Europe with a renewed heart toward America and the naturalized citizenship which it endowed him without much exertion. The words in ‘What is an American?’ may be noted for both its simple and complex constructions which occur to liberate a tone of replenishing spirit after pertinent details had been brought across by critical yet sensible mode of reasoning.

Instead of getting the reader to anticipate a more straightforward answer at its opening, the author seemed to have diverted the audience to a historically inclined creative introduction. Crevecoeur opted for the presence of an Englishman in the beginning to witness how the land of America, in which several Caucasians melted, alleviates a man to a level of acquiring both identity and prosperity which he was deprived of while dwelling in the nation of his origins where social classes make a huge matter of concern.

One would necessarily observe here how the writer developed towards the definition by initiating with the known factual accounts of history through relevant geographical settings, classification of inhabitants, as well as circumstances that readily submit themselves to familiarity. Stating that “here are no aristocratic families, no counts, no kings, no bishops, no ecclesiastical dominion” and “we have no princes for whom we toil, starve, and bleed” (St. Jean) sets the reader off to visualization of real events with which a person’s empathy becomes spontaneously attached in the process.

In the manner of placing appropriate sequence to the story within ‘What is an American?’ Crevecoeur knew the value of having every attention profoundly engaged with the aim to possess the same degree of conviction and justice to a series of emotions conveyed prior to building an exact illustration or essential characterization of what an American is. Through an actual experience revealed in third person as he gave reference to the farmer and his consequences in America, the author yielded to a better comfort of sharing the evident spirit of industry, the opulent rewards of labor, social equitability as opposed to class division in the society among European monarchies, and the mild government by which laws are respected (St. Jean). From this stage thus emerges a conclusion that an American is a new man who leaves old irrational ways behind in order that he may with exuberant freedom embrace new set of principles (St. Jean) and ideas toward a much improved living and well-being.

Works Cited St. Jean de Crevecoeur, Hector. “Letter III: What is an American?” 2010. http://www.civics- online.org/library/formatted/texts/crevecoeur.html. 05 Feb 2011. Reuben, Paul P. “Chapter 2: St. Jean De Crevecoeur (1735-1813).” PAL: Perspectives in American Literature – A Research and Reference Guide – An Ongoing Project. 23 Dec 2010. http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap2/creve.html. 08 Feb 2011.