Comparing Muir And Emerson
Similar to Emerson, Muir also writes the sequence of events in a cause-effect manner where the outcome of one event stems the cause of the subsequent event. This writing style serves to control the speed of the reader's thoughts and allows for a deeper appreciation of what the author is trying to portray much like that of Emerson’s aspect towards nature and writing style. In Muir’s instance, Muir is trying to exemplify the idea that nature is the creation of God and therefore a direct connection to higher powers. This connection to religion and the idea that God controls all things further reinforces the Emersonian idea every action and event in nature is preordained by God and that it is man's duty to learn from his inventions while highlighting
…show more content…
nature itself as opposed to man. In this passage, Muir also incorporates the aspects of both the inanimate and life as seen when Muir discusses how the elements and minerals are broken down to cycle into the beauty and life that grows from winter to summer. This vivid imagery that Muir employs incites feelings of serenity and peace which manipulates the emotional connection people have towards nature to accomplish environmentalism through underlying ideas of the divine that is similar to that of Emerson.
Once again it can be seen that this employment of cause-effect writing style through asyndeton again from Muir in his work in Steep Trial, where he writes “first, a nearly simple tableland; then a grand mer de glace shedding its crawling silver currents to the sea, and becoming gradually more wrinkled as unequal erosion roughened its bed, and brought the highest peaks and ridges above the surface; then a land of lakes, an almost continuous sheet of water stretching from the Sierra to the Wahsatch, adorned with innumerable island mountains; then a slow desiccation and decay to present conditions of sage and sand” (Muir 134). In this quote, Muir is once again vividly describing the sequence and transition of the environment and the effect that time has on the beautiful, grandeur scenery to transformation into decay and erosion. In this quote, Muir breaks down this desiccation of the landscape linearly in order to control the pace of his reader and to allow for readers to appreciate and learn from the creations that God created. In a certain regard, this quote comes to exemplify that Muir believes in taking advantage of what nature has to offer. Not through taking advantage of physical aspects such as the land and the soil as Emerson describes, but by exploiting the knowledge that nature can provide and by harnessing the understanding of what causes the desiccation of the land in order to prevent and protect it. Thus, Muir’s choice of writing style and employment of asyndeton serves to advocate for exploitation like Emerson but in a regard for direct environmentalism. Furthermore, both Muir and Emerson believe that there lies some component of an experiential connection between humans and God through nature.
For instance, Muir believes in the experiential aspect of nature in a manner which portrays nature as an entity of God himself. For instance, in Essential Muir, Muir writes “You say, “When are you coming down?” Ask the Lord- Lord Sequoia” ( Muir 71). This serves to signify a direct connection to God. Muir, as shown through this quote, believes that it is possible to have a direct relationship with God through interaction with nature. Furthermore, When Muir asks Mrs. Ezra S. Carr to ask the Lord, he not only means nature and the Sequoia trees but also God himself. This double entendre Muir employs, serves to exemplify the direct relationship that mankind and God have through nature as a medium. Muir personifies nature once again when he writes “Do behold the King in his glory, King Sequoia!” (Muir 69). As before, Muir attempts to allude to God through this quote by personifying the trees as Kings. This direct worship of the trees serves to highlight the connection that Muir and by extension, mankind, has to god through religion and worship. This idea of a direct line to God through worship is coherent with the ideas of Emerson in the regard that Emerson also believes that nature is an extension of God purposed for the needs of
man.
Similarly, Emerson believes that man can come in contact with God through experiencing nature in more of an ethereal manner as indicated when Emerson writes “There seems to be a necessity in spirit to manifest itself in material forms; and day and night, river and storm, beast and bird, acid and alkali, preexist in necessary Ideas in the mind of God” (Emerson 30). This quote demonstrates the concept that man can directly communicate with God through nature and can learn about the concepts of the Almighty through his creations. The ideas of Emerson’s transparent eye-ball and The Over-soul can be once again seen in this quote as he detracts from ideas of the individual when he states that the spirit manifests itself in material forms. Emerson means that when man is synchronized with nature, his soul becomes an extension of the environment in God’s vision. Emerson ties this in with the idea that all things are created by God from science, animals, to the inanimate as portrayed when Emerson talks about beasts, storms, and alkali. Surface level differences often times separate Emerson and Muir into different sectors of environmentalism. Emerson as a questionable environmentalist at times and Muir as an unequivocally, just environmentalist both appear to be different on the surface with differing motives for protection and conservation. Emerson seemingly has moments of contradiction when he describes appreciation of nature juxtaposed to the notion of exploiting nature for man's benefit undermines his viewpoint on environmental protection. While Muir seemingly is undeniably an outspoken activist in conservation and preservation movements which coin him as a true environmentalist by modern day standards. However, religion stands to be the link between both authors. The overlap lies in the ideology of holy environmentalism and advocates for the ideas of God and nature. It can thus be concluded that through specific word usage and specific writing style, each author crafts a manner of holy environmentalism that remains coherent with one another in ideology but yet remains autonomous in their own right.
nature itself as opposed to man. In this passage, Muir also incorporates the aspects of both the inanimate and life as seen when Muir discusses how the elements and minerals are broken down to cycle into the beauty and life that grows from winter to summer. This vivid imagery that Muir employs incites feelings of serenity and peace which manipulates the emotional connection people have towards nature to accomplish environmentalism through underlying ideas of the divine that is similar to that of Emerson.
Once again it can be seen that this employment of cause-effect writing style through asyndeton again from Muir in his work in Steep Trial, where he writes “first, a nearly simple tableland; then a grand mer de glace shedding its crawling silver currents to the sea, and becoming gradually more wrinkled as unequal erosion roughened its bed, and brought the highest peaks and ridges above the surface; then a land of lakes, an almost continuous sheet of water stretching from the Sierra to the Wahsatch, adorned with innumerable island mountains; then a slow desiccation and decay to present conditions of sage and sand” (Muir 134). In this quote, Muir is once again vividly describing the sequence and transition of the environment and the effect that time has on the beautiful, grandeur scenery to transformation into decay and erosion. In this quote, Muir breaks down this desiccation of the landscape linearly in order to control the pace of his reader and to allow for readers to appreciate and learn from the creations that God created. In a certain regard, this quote comes to exemplify that Muir believes in taking advantage of what nature has to offer. Not through taking advantage of physical aspects such as the land and the soil as Emerson describes, but by exploiting the knowledge that nature can provide and by harnessing the understanding of what causes the desiccation of the land in order to prevent and protect it. Thus, Muir’s choice of writing style and employment of asyndeton serves to advocate for exploitation like Emerson but in a regard for direct environmentalism. Furthermore, both Muir and Emerson believe that there lies some component of an experiential connection between humans and God through nature.
For instance, Muir believes in the experiential aspect of nature in a manner which portrays nature as an entity of God himself. For instance, in Essential Muir, Muir writes “You say, “When are you coming down?” Ask the Lord- Lord Sequoia” ( Muir 71). This serves to signify a direct connection to God. Muir, as shown through this quote, believes that it is possible to have a direct relationship with God through interaction with nature. Furthermore, When Muir asks Mrs. Ezra S. Carr to ask the Lord, he not only means nature and the Sequoia trees but also God himself. This double entendre Muir employs, serves to exemplify the direct relationship that mankind and God have through nature as a medium. Muir personifies nature once again when he writes “Do behold the King in his glory, King Sequoia!” (Muir 69). As before, Muir attempts to allude to God through this quote by personifying the trees as Kings. This direct worship of the trees serves to highlight the connection that Muir and by extension, mankind, has to god through religion and worship. This idea of a direct line to God through worship is coherent with the ideas of Emerson in the regard that Emerson also believes that nature is an extension of God purposed for the needs of
man.
Similarly, Emerson believes that man can come in contact with God through experiencing nature in more of an ethereal manner as indicated when Emerson writes “There seems to be a necessity in spirit to manifest itself in material forms; and day and night, river and storm, beast and bird, acid and alkali, preexist in necessary Ideas in the mind of God” (Emerson 30). This quote demonstrates the concept that man can directly communicate with God through nature and can learn about the concepts of the Almighty through his creations. The ideas of Emerson’s transparent eye-ball and The Over-soul can be once again seen in this quote as he detracts from ideas of the individual when he states that the spirit manifests itself in material forms. Emerson means that when man is synchronized with nature, his soul becomes an extension of the environment in God’s vision. Emerson ties this in with the idea that all things are created by God from science, animals, to the inanimate as portrayed when Emerson talks about beasts, storms, and alkali. Surface level differences often times separate Emerson and Muir into different sectors of environmentalism. Emerson as a questionable environmentalist at times and Muir as an unequivocally, just environmentalist both appear to be different on the surface with differing motives for protection and conservation. Emerson seemingly has moments of contradiction when he describes appreciation of nature juxtaposed to the notion of exploiting nature for man's benefit undermines his viewpoint on environmental protection. While Muir seemingly is undeniably an outspoken activist in conservation and preservation movements which coin him as a true environmentalist by modern day standards. However, religion stands to be the link between both authors. The overlap lies in the ideology of holy environmentalism and advocates for the ideas of God and nature. It can thus be concluded that through specific word usage and specific writing style, each author crafts a manner of holy environmentalism that remains coherent with one another in ideology but yet remains autonomous in their own right.