Answer:
To evoke sympathy for the tree with striking imagery and language.
Step-by-step explanation:
John Muir's brief essay "Save the Redwoods" as an argument for the preservation of the Redwoods, the giant sequoia trees that had been cut and used for some insignificant purposes. The essay details the wrongs of felling trees such as the sequoia trees and all those along the redwood grooves.
In the opening paragraph of the essay, he mentioned how two sequoia trees had been felled- one to be used as a dancing floor while the second tree's bark was skinned to be on display in a London museum. By using striking imagery and language to show the barbaric nature of these acts, Miur appeals to evoke sympathy to the readers about the plight of these trees.