Previous
Iwan
John Bertram is a friend of James’s, a Pennsylvania farmer, Quaker, and celebrated botanist whom Iwan visits in Letter XI. Bertram has little formal education but became a self-taught botanist after he began noticing beautiful plants on his farm. His knowledge and specimen collection have even gained him a reputation in Europe.
John Bertram Quotes in Letters from an American Farmer
The Letters from an American Farmer quotes below are all either spoken by John Bertram or refer to John Bertram. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Letter 11
Quotes
Then I began to botanize all over my farm; in a little time I became acquainted with every vegetable that grew in my neighbourhood and next ventured into Maryland, living among the Friends; in proportion as I thought myself more learned, I proceeded farther, and by a steady application of several years, I have acquired a pretty general knowledge of every plant and tree to be found in our continent.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“I am glad to see that thee hast so much compassion; are there any slaves in thy country?” “Yes, unfortunately, but they are more properly civil than domestic slaves; they are attached to the soil on which they live; it is the remains of ancient barbarous customs established in the days of the greatest ignorance and savageness of manners and preserved notwithstanding the repeated tears of humanity, the loud calls of policy, and the commands of religion. The pride of great men, with the avarice of landholders, make them look on this class as necessary tools of husbandry, as if freemen could not cultivate the ground.”
Get the entire Letters from an American Farmer LitChart as a printable PDF.
John Bertram Quotes in Letters from an American Farmer
The Letters from an American Farmer quotes below are all either spoken by John Bertram or refer to John Bertram. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Letter 11
Quotes
Then I began to botanize all over my farm; in a little time I became acquainted with every vegetable that grew in my neighbourhood and next ventured into Maryland, living among the Friends; in proportion as I thought myself more learned, I proceeded farther, and by a steady application of several years, I have acquired a pretty general knowledge of every plant and tree to be found in our continent.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“I am glad to see that thee hast so much compassion; are there any slaves in thy country?” “Yes, unfortunately, but they are more properly civil than domestic slaves; they are attached to the soil on which they live; it is the remains of ancient barbarous customs established in the days of the greatest ignorance and savageness of manners and preserved notwithstanding the repeated tears of humanity, the loud calls of policy, and the commands of religion. The pride of great men, with the avarice of landholders, make them look on this class as necessary tools of husbandry, as if freemen could not cultivate the ground.”
