Question

Writers organize their writings to make an impact on their readers. In Muir's writing about the Calypso Borealis, he places different ways to view his journey close together. Read the following paragraph and explain the opposite views present in the paragraph. What impact does Muir make when he places these opposite views close together?

Oftentimes I had to sleep without blankets, and sometimes without supper, but usually I had no great difficulty in finding a loaf of bread here and there at the houses of the farmer settlers in the widely scattered clearings. With one of these large backwoods

Answer 1

In this paragraph, Muir most likely wants to emphasize how you can never know what is going to happen in a trip. The author tells us that at times, he had to sleep without blankets and sometimes he struggled to find food. However, he also tells us that most of the time, he could find food in the houses of the farmers. Although the statement appears contradictory, Muir most likely wants to tell his readers how you can never know what to expect in a journey.

Answer 2

I believe that he is explaining the ups and downs of his journey. He spoke of how it was to find blankets, but then spoke how he had no difficulty in find bread in other places such as the farmer homes. At times he suffered greatly, and other times he did not. I hope this helps.