John Muir Language Analysis

Steven Pinker really reveals how important diction and word choice is when he stated: “The language we use influences the way we think.” Essentially this quotation says that language is a vital element to the readers understanding of tone and the overall context of any literature piece. This statement from Pinker really shows how language affects a reader understanding, the two authors John Muir and William Woodsworth do just that. Muir and Woodsworth both show an interesting bond with nature, but they use different writing styles, diction and word choice to establish their relationship with nature. An element like these is vital so the reader can clearly understand the author's point. Initially, Muir uses diction and exquisite word choice …show more content…
Muir uses the words such as “profusion” to describe the abundance of the exquisite plants also he uses word such as “glorying” which means that he respects the plants also he uses words “cool” “charm” and “boundless” all of these quotes display a joyful, happy, thankful and peaceful tone this displays that the author is contended with nature and has a good relationship with it. Another element that shows Muir's relationship with nature is how he emphasizes naturalism. Throughout the poem, you can notice that Muir never compares the nature and plants to an inner struggle or never provides an insight of the natures effect on himself. He mostly is direct and says things how they are and rarely compares them to his life experiences and problems he also shows realism which is closely associated with naturalistic thought. He shows naturalism again when he describes the plants and trees like when he states “fresh cool beauty and charm of the bog and meadow heathworts, grasses, carices, ferns, mosses, liverworts displayed in boundless profusion” this quote directly describes the plants and nature as “fresh cool beauty”. This shows that the authors uses naturalism to show his relationship with nature is a positive one in which he just admires the beauty of nature and its giving’s by describing them in exquisite ways. Another quote from the essay which displays his relationship with nature is “I began to fear that I would not be able to reach dry ground before dark... pass the night in the swamp and began, faint and hungry… But when the sun was getting low and everything seemed most bewildering and discouraging, I found beautiful