Cynthia MuyahPre- AP English IIM. Volkova8 May 2014Rhetorical Analysis of "Two Ways of Seeing a River"When an individual embarks on a journey to learn a new skill, initial euphoria almost always accompanies it. Mark Twain's "Two Ways of Viewing a River" is the story of a man who ceases to maintain his appreciation for a river after scrutinizing its mechanical aspects. Through his use of stylistic devices such as complex syntax, tone, and figurative language, Twain implies that the feelings of wonder and amazement that come from exploring new things are hidden by functionality within an advanced civilization. Twain incorporates complex syntax to portray the protagonist's life as a steamboat pilot. In the first paragraph, the author uses complex-compound sentences to effectively reveal to the reader his initial observation of the river; the river is “graceful” and “majestic” and enriched with “new wonders of color”....