Muir Muir Muir

A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf

Audience: It sounds as though he is writing this as part of a book, which means that only people who are interested in what he has to say would be reading it.
Purpose: To share his opinions on the blasphemy of Christians in terms of nature

Ethos: Sets up his main writing with a personal narration. Through firsthand experiences, he has learned all that he now knows.
Pathos: Muir establishes sympathy for animals through narration. Even the alligators are reasonable creatures, and are God's creatures - just as humans are.
Logos: Muir makes the argument that all animals are just doing what they are meant to do, and are not inherently good or evil. He uses Christianity to put a positive spin on nature.


My First Summer in the Sierra

Audience: Anyone interested in Muir's thoughts
Purpose: To share his experiences and what he has learned from them

Ethos: Muir establishes himself once again through personal experience. The reader accepts what he has to say because he has gone through it himself.
Pathos: Muir speaks of the animals as though they are human, with human names and personification. This makes them less "wild" and allows the reader to more easily empathize with them.
Logos: Muir does not argue with many facts, but from observation. He does not focus on logos as much as on pathos.