1.What does Crèvecoeur's piece (1781) tell us about late 18th century America?
2.How does he describe Americans?- Who are they?- What values do they have?- Put into perspective of the declaration of Independence and historical context
3.In contrast how does he describe the Europeans?
4.Discuss whether the meaning of being an American has changed
5.Put into perspective of the definition of the American Dream
6.Discuss whether this is a reliable source
2.How does he describe Americans?- Who are they?- What values do they have?- Put into perspective of the declaration of Independence and historical context
3.In contrast how does he describe the Europeans?
4.Discuss whether the meaning of being an American has changed
5.Put into perspective of the definition of the American Dream
6.Discuss whether this is a reliable source
7. Use the painting as inspiration for writing about the American dream as seen from the perspective of the immigrants. You must include the following: Why did people migrate? What did they leave? What did they hope to find? Use Crevecoeur and the Declaration as inspiration.
1.What does Crèvecoeur's piece (1781) tell us about late 18th century America?
ReplyDeleteWhen he starts to talk about America he says that there is no kings, no bishops, no courts no dominion, no invisible power given to any, no great manyfactureres with thoundsans of employees, no great refinements of luxery. No one or nothing that are leading this country. Either way if people are rich or poor they are living close to eachother like they do not do in Europe, where the rich people are living in one “camp” with eachother and the poor are living in an other camp. All are tillers working for the earth, what we might call farmers today.
2.How does he describe Americans?- Who are they?- What values do they have?- Put into perspective of the declaration of Independence and historical context
The americans are people who respect eachother, and they share what they got because no one is better than others, no matter what your profession is, you are equal.
3.In contrast how does he describe the Europeans?
He descriped them as sophisticated people, who got laws, kings, bishops and the have dominion. Also they are thinking more about themself and not others, that might be why they see the americans as primitive people.
4.Discuss whether the meaning of being an American has changed
When we talk about American people today we see them as stupid people, because they are ruining the world. Compared to what they did in the 18th centry. At that time they praised the world and what it had to offer, farmed the grounds for it goods that were able to get, from it. Today they have states which are slipping more co2 than Europe, and that is causing the world to die, and they only reason they are doing that is because they can get richer.
5.Put into perspective of the definition of the American Dream
Der er ingen der forstår dette.
6.Discuss whether this is a reliable source
We don’t belive that it’s a rliable source, because we are seeing this from an Europeans perspective. And they only think they had the best intentions, but the truth is that they shooted all the americans naitive.
Also there is not written about indians or cowboys so it isn’t true.
7. Use the painting as inspiration for writing about the American dream as seen from the perspective of the immigrants. You must include the following: Why did people migrate? What did they leave? What did they hope to find? Use Crevecoeur and the Declaration as inspiration.
Painting on the cover.
We belive they leave their homes because they want to have a better life than they already have.
Perhaps they are living in mexico and are forced to sell drugs do criminal activities to have money for something to eat. All they want is a stable secure environment which they don’t have right now.
They left their unsecure lifes with the dream of having a better way to life. Perhaps they are leaving because of the taxes and the government. Also they want health enscurence which they never will get in mexico where they leave. Also they might be forced to do work that is not healthy the ways their contry is. Perhaps all in their family are dead so they are all alone in their current country and they got nothing to lose. It’s a very small hope there is keeping their dream alive.
They hope they can get a secure safe environment, which they don’t live in right now. Also they have a very small hope of becoming a millionaire which they have a bigger chance to be in USA compared to the dump they are living in right now. They can get food every day and not have to do criminal activities, which also make them a better person because they are not forced to do anything they don’t want to in their new country.
-Camilla Bay
-Jesper Meineche
1.What does Crèvecoeur's piece (1781) tell us about late 18th century America?
ReplyDeleteIt is a country in development. Indigence is a phenomenon that does not exist. It is like a land in a fairytale, no harm no sorrows. There is plenty of jobs and land for everyone. There are no aristocratically families, no courts, no kings, no bishops, no ecclesiastical dominion. There is no king which you have to pay taxes to.
2. How does he describe Americans?- Who are they?- What values do they have?- Put into perspective of the declaration of Independence and historical context
3. In contrast how does he describe the Europeans?
It is like the declaration of independence in practice. An American is everyone who feels like a American. An American is one who has started on a fresh. He accepts everyone else and sees all men equal. People from all around the world is melted together as this new people the Americans. This new man has his rights here in this new land. Compared to Europe where he was a poor man, serving a brutal king, not owing any land. In fact he felt like a stranger in his own land. Whenever a European comes to America he meets with hospitality, kindness, and plenty everywhere; he beholds hardly any poor, he seldom hears of punishments and executions and he wonders at the elegance of our towns, those miracles of industry and freedom.
4. Discuss whether the meaning of being an American has changed?
I think that the meaning of being an American has changed a lot. It says in the text that they are very hospitably, but this very soon changed, when slaves started to be imported from Africa. During the cold war started the American hate against communist and it is still illegal to be a communist in USA. Today Americans are hated in most part of the Middle East. So the Americans view on life, liberty and so on does apparently not go for all.
They still have a great love for their country as they did back then, but from back then were there actually was something about them being “the most perfect society now existing in the world” they now are a bit blind thinking that they are.
5.Put into perspective of the definition of the American Dream
? I don’t understand the question
6.Discuss whether this is a reliable source
This text is written by a person who himself emigrated from France to USA. Because he knows how it feels to change country he knows what he is talking about, therefore it cannot be completely wrong. However he is an American know, so it is not likely that he would be completely objective. Probably he would not mention if there were some minor or major problems in his or the country’s situation.
1/2/3)
ReplyDeleteCertainly, Crèvecoeur's 1781 piece illustrates an american society that is different than that of today. It is, according to him, a free country, the best country, and there really are no limits to its excellence. Here, a man can rise up from his dusty, dark, european poverty, and embrace the land of opportunities; here he can get work, get paid well, and eventually buy some land.
For America is a country whose very fundament is exactly this: "... that all men are created equal," that all men should live in a country which is based on the well-being of its people, which is based on new ideas; with religion not necessarily playing a notable role in the individuals life.
Europe, and namely England, is, on the contrary, not a place for the free man. There you are nothing more than "a mere Englishman", you are undermined by the king and "higher" castes, and it is almost impossible to make something more of yourself if already you have been recognised as one of the "poor".
4/5)
Has the meaning of being an American changed since then? You could, perhaps, argue that not the meaning but the means have changed. The ideal of the American dream remains the same. As ever, innumerable people travel or immigrate to America in the pursuit of happiness. But the times have changed since 1781. The neurosis of our time has complicated a lot of what Crèvecoeur wrote over 200 years ago. You do not simply walk into mordor... Uhm, no... What I meant was: You do not simply walk into the United States of America and get a job! There is much unemployment in the US. Not to mention this: You do not simply get a green card, and become a US citizen!
6)
Is Crèvecoeurs essay a reliable source? I think it is safe to say that this is the rambling of an 18th century frenchman who is very much in love with this set of ideals that is the spirit of America. And, as we all know, love is one blinding bastard; it seems to me, that this man forgets the very existence of a little incident known as THE SLAUGHTER OF AMERICAN INDIANS.
On the other hand, the text is of course not completely without basis; at the time, America was indeed the land of opportunities - for white people, that is.
7)
The thumbnail of the painting is much too small to really see the people illustrated, but I will try to elaborate a bit on it anyway:
What I can, in fact, see, is families with children. So why are they migrating? Maybe they are living in poverty (although their clothes doesn't seem to be that awful), maybe they suffer under the unemployment, and so want to seize this opportunity of making some actual money, so that they do not have to go to bed hungry, so that their children grow up in a more secure environment.
*El Bastiaño
Looks like Camilla and I made a mistake, we used the wrong picture did not see the one here on the blog....
ReplyDeleteI think we all saw the text in the same way because we all agree that america was the land of oppetunities for white men. I see that we agree on the last question aswell. Samuel says that if there were any major problems it would not be mention in this text, and Bastian mention the man slaugter of the naitive americans. And no one would mention that if they were a part of thoose who killed the naitive americans.
So i guess we all can agree this is not a reliable source or this is not written in a objektive way, otherwise he would mention the man slaughting.
I'll tell you this, 1penA: Mummy's proud! Looking forward to discussing the text with you in class :) There are so many clever and relevant observations in your comments. You get a 12 for this work!
ReplyDelete