John Muir's Argument For The Preservation Of The Yosemite Valley

“Even staid, prissy Thoreau, who famously declared that it was enough to have “traveled a good deal in concord” felt compelled to visit the more fearsome wilds of nineteenth- century Maine and climb Mt. Katahdin. His ascent of the peak’s “savage and awful, though beautiful” ramparts shocked and frightened him, but it also induced a giddy sort of awe. The disquietude he felt on Katahdin’s granite heights inspired some of his most powerful writing and profoundly colored the way he thought thereafter about the earth in its coarse, undomesticated state. Unlike Muir and Thoreau, McCandless went into the wilderness not primarily to ponder nature or the world at large but, rather, to explore the inner country of his own soul. He soon discovered, however,

John Muir was a muckraker who protested against the expansion of people and animals that would ruin our soon to be national parks. Muir was a man that loved to explore natural formations in nature and traveled around the world to see as much natural land as possible. As he traveled around the world, he found out that California was his place to live. In California, his favorite places to explore and watch were the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Yosemite. As more and more settlers moved West, the land that Muir loved was soon to be destroyed by herds of animals and people looking for a place to build their homes. Muir wrote most of his 300 articles and 10 major books in Oakland, California. In Muir’s writings, he elegantly

It was John Muir one of the first advocates for the national park idea who developed the idea and also scientific theory that Yosemite Valley had been carved by glaciers. Muir was a very spiritual person coming from a religious family in which his father was a itinerant Presbyterian minister. John Muir had such a huge love and appreciation for nature, and being the religious man that he was he believed that “God is revealed

In the serious yet optimistic journal entry, John Muir employs the idea of spiritual duty, and personification, as humans to preserves the continuously killed Redwoods. Muir has seen the death of hundreds of trees and knows the irreparable damage it could cause if the damage continues, “...kings of the forest, the noblest of a noble race, rightly belong to the world, but as they are in California we cannot escape responsibility as their guardians” (paragraph, 6). The author’s use of “noblest of a noble race” and “responsibility as their guardian” evokes an intense need to not only protest the killing of these giants but to nurture and advocate respect for the Redwoods. As humans, Muir demands an explanation as to our mistreatment of the sacred creatures and will take no other answers than of one that demonstrates total and complete love for the trees. He expects those who are damaging God’s prized forests to questions themselves and to examine their actions so that they can correct their mistakes. Another example of personification that appeals to the trees is John Muir’s description of the insurgence of rebellion against the murder of the trees, and the rejoicing of the behemoths, “... this righteous uprising in defense of God’s trees in the midst of exciting politics and wars… and every Sequoia… has heard the good news and is waving its branches for joy” (paragraph, 1). The words in this sentence serve primarily to illustrate the tree’s emotions. By giving the trees the ability to feel and exhibit joy over their possibly brighter future, it gives people a sense of pride about alleviating some of the Redwood’s pain. As Muir has demonstrated many times before, it is the people's duty to cherish the Redwoods; there will never be a moment when this job is completed.

One day, John Muir said, “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity...”-John Muir.(Brainyuote) As John Muir stated, we must experience true wilderness and nature. Yosemite showcases a variety of natural wonders such as waterfalls, Giant Sequoia trees, and rock formations.

The Progressive Era was a period of social activism and political reform that grew from the 1890s to the 1920s. Social reformers and journalists, like Jane Addams, Jacob Riis, and Ida Tarbell were some of the powerful voices for progressivism. “They concentrated on exposing the evils of corporate greed, combating fear of immigrants, and urging Americans to think hard about what democracy meant.” Many progressive reformers wanted to end corruption in the government, regulate business practices, address health hazards, and improve working conditions. It was also an era of conservationists. Conservationists are people who protect and preserve the environment and wildlife. Throughout the Progressive Era, there were many conservationists who wrote and described nature, but the most well-known figure in conservation was John Muir. John Muir worked to protect Earth’s beauty by traveling and exploring nature, co-founding the Sierra Club, and by influencing others through his writings and by showing some of the most important people how the wildlife was magnificent.

Wilderness in its true state is lush, sleek, and channels water. It is because of its true natural state that is has the ability to generate billions of dollars into America’s recreational economy. One provident example, is the San Gabriel Wilderness in California. Now of course protecting this land has natural benefits,

     Not many people know of the used-to-be 150-mile excursion that the Glen Canyon had to offer. Not many people know how to sail a raft down a river for a week. Not many people know how to interact with nature and the animals that come with it. We seem to come from a world that is dependent on time and consumed in money. Edward Abbey is what you would call an extreme environmentalist. He talks about how it was an environmental disaster to place a dam in which to create Lake Powell, a reservoir formed on the border of Utah and Arizona. He is one of the few that have actually seen the way Glen Canyon was before they changed it into a reservoir. Today, that lake is used by over a million people, and is one of

John Muir is arguably the most influential conservationist in American history. He was an active member in the preservation of the American wilderness from the late 1800’s until he passed in 1914. Muir is often referred to as the “Father of the National Parks” because of his efforts in the establishment of several National Parks. One of the biggest flaws of American history textbooks in need of change is the fact that they do not include the conservationists who have preserved the environment so today the same beauty can be see the way that they saw it. John Muir was involved in many American conservation efforts including the co-founding of Yosemite National Park, founding of the Sierra Club, and his overall career as a

John Muir is best known for his efforts to preserve the wilderness of the United States, which greatly contributed to the preservation of countless natural areas of the US through the National Parks Service. During his travels across the country and abroad, Muir recorded his thoughts and beliefs about nature and the fundamental connection people share with the earth. By voyaging into the wild and shedding the restraints and ideals of modern society, Muir argues that people can expand their understanding of the world and experience life to its full potential through immersing themselves in nature.

Everyone in the group sided with the conservationist when it came to Hetch-Hetchy, citing reason both for and against each movement. It was apparent that the conservationist idea of damning Hetch-Hetchy to provide water for the city of San Francisco was the most practical use of the resource. With the earthquake that hit San Francisco in 1906 there was a real need water, and engineers concluded that Hetch-Hetchy was the only practical solution to San Francisco’s water problem (Nash 2014). In comparison, the preservationist idea of keeping Hetch-Hetchy as a “public playground” and keeping it for man’s viewing pleasure wouldn’t offer the most utility for man, and seems almost selfish when considering the nature of the situation in San Francisco.

Both John Muir and Gifford Pinchot aimed to protect North American wilderness due to unregulated land development but form different perspectives. John Muir is one of the key figure to promote the idea of preservation. (Bulkan J., 2016) In his understanding wilderness offers people an opportunity to revisit and experience nature away from busy city lives. (Difference Between Conservation and Preservation., 2011)

He believed that wildlife needs to be preserved because it is so beautiful. He was hurt that so many people didn’t care and would just rip it apart and knew that he could change something about it. It is like watching somebody ruin something you love so much and you have to watch and know about it but not take action, but John Muir took action and tried to avoid letting anybody harm the beloved plants. (“About the Sierra Club.” Sierra Club, 12 May 2017, www.sierraclub.org/about.

Phrases such as “botanising in glorious freedom [...] wandering through innumerable tamarac and arbor-vitae swamps, and forests [...], rejoicing in their bound wealth and strength and beauty, climbing the trees, revelling in their flowers and fruit [...], glorying in the fresh cool beauty and charm of the bog [...] displayed in boundless profusion”, “rarest and most beautiful”, and “I was able to wander many a long wild fertile mile in the forests and bogs, free as the winds, gathering plants, and glorying in God's abounding inexhaustible spiritual beauty bread”, all show how Muir felt about nature and what nature meant to him. A key phrase that shows Muir’s attitude towards nature states, “Storms, thunderclouds, winds in the woods—were welcomed as friends”. These phrases, as well as the words mentioned above, are extremely positive and show the utmost joy Muir found in his surroundings. The long and detailed descriptions of Muir’s surroundings helps to reinforce his joy in nature. The words that Muir uses to describe nature shows that he is close to nature and feels a connection with it. These positive words also show how absolutely stunning Muir finds nature and how he finds peace and joy in the wild. All of this is also supported by one of Muir’s

Semaj Spence 4/27/17 English215 Professor Kealy Essay 3 Before taking the class, I had mixed views on nature. I feel as if I did not appreciate nature as much as I should have. My view on nature is that it is living and that us as humans need to actually take care and preserve it to the best of our abilities. Looking back at my past forum posts, I can see how much I have grown over the weeks.