Journal: My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir

In the piece My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir, I love the quote “Wonderful that these sublime mountains are so loudly cheered and brightened by a creature so queer.” Muir is talking about a small grasshopper in the Yosemite Mountains. I feel that this line really gives a sense of scale to the world, this small grasshopper is living in the mountains, an immense, gigantic body of heavy stone, and yet, Muir feels that the grasshopper gives the mountains cheeriness. He sees the bounce of the grasshopper as a happy jump and therefore characterizes the mountains as a place of happiness. I think this shows that no matter how big a creature truly is in the world, their spirit can change the way others look at something. I believe this can be applied to humans as well, our character can really influence everything around us.