John Muir Readings

Muir's audience is all people that care about the environment. His purpose is to raise awareness that this world does not just belong to humans, it belongs to all of the other creatures that exist as well.
Pathos - In "My First Summer in the Sierra" Muir gives the animals he comes into contact with human like features which makes us really care for each of animals that he encounters.
Ethos- Muir identifies himself as an authoritative figure on the state of the environment by showing us what an enthusiast he is for wildlife. He examines all living things around him and appreciates them for how they live their life. This shows us that Muir is someone we can trust on the issues of the environment.
Logos- Muir uses logic when stating the questions people ask about bad things that exists, he states, everything in this world serves a purpose. For example, one of the questions he address is "Why are so many plants and fishes deadly enemies? in the next paragraph his response is you must consider nature first made these things for their own happiness, and and maybe all creations weren't meant for man's benefit.

A First American Views His Land

The audience for this writing are all Americans. The purpose is to tell us about the ways the Native Americans treat the land and how they view it. He wants us to consider lessening our impact and viewing the land the way the Native Americans do. The writer structures the essay as a series of different events. It begins where it does, with a Native American tensely hunting a bison, it sets up the feel of the story and it's respect towards the Native Americans. The writer ends the essay discussing how we view the land as a commodity whereas the Native Americans love the land, see its beauty, and use it only for their needs. The writer wants the readers to consider how they view the land, and consider changing their views.

Industrial Tourism and the National Parks

The audience is anyone who will listen, but aimed at officials who could make his plan come into effect. His purpose is to talk sense into Americans and officials that National Parks need to go back to their roots of being places for people, that people should not be so dependent on their automobiles and comfort. He is trying to tell us that we do not need these things to enjoy the wilderness. The major themes in this piece are the deterioration of America's National Parks. The minor theme is people's reliance on automobiles, etc

Speech at Grand Canyon, Arizona

Roosevelt's intended audience with this letter is all of the citizens of Arizona, his intent is to make it known that there are things more important than personal gain, and that the Grand Canyon is a natural beauty and should not be exploited. The specific details that stay in my mind are Roosevelt's plea to the people not to ruin nature, to consider the effect we are having on the environment in the long term, will our grandchildren have the same beautiful wildlife and scenery that we do? Or will we have destroyed everything of natural beauty in order to make a quick dollar?

Rick Bass Wildness Symposium

I attended Rick Bass's speaking on Sunday night. First of all, I liked his personality and the way he presented himself, he came off very reserved and thoughtful. The first short story he read to us was about a couple that can't avoid hitting an owl with their car, and eventually stops at a local diner to eat, only to find the owl had gotten caught in the canoe on top of their car. They go into the diner and feel like outsiders as the locals all pay attention to them when they enter. The focus of the story then shifts to the husband who we find out to be quite gluttonous. He orders plate after plate of food and the locals take notice, in either fascination or respect, of how much he eats. The waitress informs the man that he depleted their entire stock of eggs. While they are eating their meal the newcomers and the locals watch the owl as it tries explores the new area it finds itself in. I'm not sure if there was some sort of underlying message to this story but it was definitely entertaining, which is the most important thing to me when it comes to a story. The second story was about a young boy's family vacation on a beach. There is a phenomenon that happens where the story takes place that causes freshwater and saltwater to mix, effectively stunning all of the fish in the area. The locals call this even "Jubilee". When the jubilee happens the boy brings his family to the beach to witness the event along with a small amount of other people. They all gather as many fish as they can. There is a boy who lives there who hates seeing the tourists taking all the fish for themselves.