The letter from John Downe to his wife employs rhetorical strategies within the passage in oder to create a perception of a utopian society within the United States, all whilst remaining in an awed tone in describing his new home.
The author’s diction throughout the letter creates the mood of awe. His newly settled home has quickly gained his admiration as he now lives in decency, not poverty. For example, he describes that a man could have “100 lbs. of Beef for 10s.” This praise of cheap yet sustainable living with abundant resources leads the author to further claim that the new colony has “plenty of room yet, and will for a thousand years to
