Mark Twain's Two Views Of The Mississippi

Mark Twain’s “Two Views of the Mississippi” shows his perspective of the beauty of the Mississippi River and how his view changes over time. Twain narrates that he is a riverboat pilot and he informs the reader of the beauty that he encounters on the river. He explains in a exceedingly descriptive and poignant manner. He slowly switches around and indicates that his view of the river has altered the more time he spent on the river. The beauty that he sees diminishes and all he can do is lambaste the river. In this essay, Twain gains a new attitude towards the river when he becomes a riverboat pilot, but over time he grows neutral to its charms. In Mark Twain’s short piece “Two Views of the Mississippi”, his two main methods of organization are descriptive and compare and contrast. Twain uses exceptionally descriptive language to describe his perspective of the Mississippi River. In the first paragraph, he begins to explain that he knew “the great river as familiarly as he knew the letters of the alphabet.” Twain describes the river eloquently and precisely, giving specific details with all the defining characteristics of the river. He includes details about the “smooth spot that was covered with graceful circles and radiating lines” and “the long, ruffled trail that shone like silver”. …show more content…
He does this successfully because he provides a picturesque, crystal clear image of the river. He smoothly transitions into revealing the different perspective he gains of the river the more he is exposed to it. Twain also adequately informs and analyzes the elements of the Mississippi. He does this coherently by exposing numerous characterizing and descriptive details about the river. Overall, Twain faultlessly exposes his attainment of a new attitude towards the river, and how over time, that attitude alters and he grows neutral to the rivers