Writers throughout history commonly write about something that is personal or meaningful to them. Also you see that through their writing that they tend to feed off of certain period of time for inspiration or topic. Washington Irving was one of these writers, along with St. John de Crevecoeur. Washington wrote many pieces that include Sleepy Hollow, a tale of romance and horror, and Rip Van Winkle, a story about a man and how he changes over time. While Crevecoeur wrote Letters from an American farmer, a collection of letters describing the attributes of America. Both of these writes write for the same reason, to portray America and its people. While Crevecoeur does this in a very literal fashion Washington takes another approach. Washington decides to create a character in America that isn't like America at all. The opposite to the ideal citizen. Perhaps he did this to engage the American society in stepping back and see how they are acting, see if it fits the mold for all Americans.
Crevecoeur wrote a very famous piece entitled, Letters from an American Farmer. It mainly referred to the general development and attitude of people living in and colonizing America for the first time. He also places in brief ideals to what an American should act like and how they should hold them selves. He shows this view in some excerpts from The Norton Anthology of American Literature;.
"He is an American who . The new model of life he has embraced, the government he obeys, and the new rank he holds."(p303).
"Here the rewards of his industry follow with equal steps the progress of his labor; his labor is founded on the basis of nature, self interest, can it want a stronger allurement?"(p303).
"The American is a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must therefore entertain new ideas, and form new opinions."(p303).
All of these excerpts show how Crevecoeur feels the American man should be thinking and acting.
