Mark Twain's Two Ways Of Seeing A River

In Mark Twain’s passage, “Two Ways of Seeing a River,” the reader is forced to question within themselves about how much beauty they look past in the world. Twain describes in great detail an experience he had on a river in a very literal way. Twain begins his passage by describing how, after being on the river, he had forgotten all of the things he felt, saw, and experienced the first time out on a steamboat in the river. After being out on the river so many times it just became routine and he states that, "All the grace, the beauty, the poetry had gone out of the majestic river!" Through the first paragraph you begin to get an idea of how it feels to be on the river that first time. He continues to explain his experience but begins to question
This is the main part of the ethos in this story. Since he is renowned for his works, such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, he is very credible. Another part that makes his trustworthy is the fact that he experienced this event himself. It might be questioned as to whether or not he was just writing a story from a fictional standpoint, but there is proof throughout the essay that shows he participated in the event. From the beginning, he presents the story in first person. Further evidence that he went through this lies in the following statement: “All the value any feature of it had for me now was the amount of usefulness it could furnish toward compassing the safe piloting of a steamboat.” This quote shows that he is going very deeply into his mind. Not only does this statement reveal his inner self, but it provides physical evidence as to why it has to be him looking at this river. As his past writings reveal, Twain loves steamboats and because it mentions them in such a particular, technical way, he is providing signs to the reader that he is experiencing this. Because of his popularity and own knowledge, this particular essay is filled with