Rhetorical Analysis Of Richard Louv's Last Child In The Woods

In his book, The Nature Principle, Richard Louv talks about how nature is a natural resource to many of the problems we as humans are facing today, if we would just go outside and take advantage of it. Louv talks about how we (as American’s) have increased our use of technology vastly in the last ten years. While this is not comply bad, it does have negative effects on our physical, emotional and spiritual being if not kept in check. Louv goes on to share that, “the more high tech we become, the more nature we need” (Louv, 2011). Think about a time you have sat in your office for hours on end, working on your computer, at last lunch time came and you went outside for just five minutes because you forgot something in your car. In just those few minutes of going outside, you might have noticed a slight increase in your happiness level. Can you then venture to understand how this could be applied to children, or even increased with taking more time to enjoy nature? Richard Louv challenges his readers to not only be in nature, but to live with nature (Louv, 2011) .

Richard Louv uses Logos in several different ways throughout this selection. He collects research from many different studies, interviews parents, and finds sources from history. In his second chapter especially, he uses numerous examples of scientific experiments to back his point that people really do not have an adequate realization of the difference between humans and animals. In his third chapter, he conducted an interview with a parent who had moved to a certain neighborhood because of the abundance of outdoor areas. Louv uses this interview to illustrate his point that even if nature is available, it really is not supposed to be used for unstructured recreation. In his second chapter, he draws on U.S. Census Bureau reports to illustrate the decline of the family farm. He uses historical events and ideas to show his idea of the romanticizing of the American frontier. Through these concrete examples, he is able to persuade the reader that his ideas and theories are valid.

It relates to Richter’s idea of combining nature and technology because it would be furthering technology but then it would pose the question of reality vs fantasy because it is encouraging people to look at technology more so than reality. This entire introduction emits some irony as Louv’s main argument consists of him questioning why there is a divide in the first place, blaming technology, but when Richter wants to bring the two together he goes as far as using the word “irrelevance” to describe what he sees nature would become. By including the tidbit of Richter’s idea Louv gave himself the opportunity to show just how passionate he is about this topic as he believes a serious shift in attitude needs to be made, not babysteps, and most certainly not by attempting to make nature more enticing due to the fact technology is within it. “...Certainly that it’s not even worth looking at” Louv remarks as he concludes his thoughts with more heavily connotated sentence making the audience actually question the foundation of Richter’s advertising idea in the first

In the book World Without Us, author Alan Weisman talks about what would happen to the natural and built environment we’ve established if humans suddenly disappeared. In Chapter two, Unbuilding Our Home, Weisman effectively informs his readers of the total control that nature has on our society by describing the immediate effect it takes on our own homes. He forces the readers to recognize that we coexist with nature yet nature has the upper hand on man-made objects. Weisman achieves this by targeting the reader’s emotions through description and personification and by providing insight that appeals to the reader’s intellect of the future.

This essay depicts a relationship between society and nature, referring to the woods. Society is changing rather quickly which prevents an individual from truly seeing everything around them. It has destroyed nature and the clarity that the woods provide. Berry notices how people do not see where they are anymore. Many are going through life never actually looking to see what is around them or observing closer. He goes into the woods and immerse himself in nature. As Berry states, “The faster

The passage from Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv, he uses many examples to prove his argument that we are separating from nature. He starts it off by talking about how they soon will be able to decide the color on butterfly's wings and how they can use nature to advertise. The “Nature” we all go visit is not real nature it's advertised and is not worth going to. They use parks and beaches to get there product out there just for some money to keep the area clean and well kept. It leads into talking about how we she nature from inside a car most of the time not in person. It talks about how now we don't even need to pay attention to the nature now because we have gps that guide us to our destination so we don't need to memorize routes. Even people in the back seat don't have to pay attention anymore as tvs are now in cars to either watch movies or play games. It says “Perhaps we’ll someday tell our grandchildren stories...We actually looked out the car window(Louv). This is a little stretched because most likely kids will still look out the windows when they don't have a movie playing or they are bored of what they were doing beforehand.

Throughout history, humans have had a strong reliance on nature and their environment. As far back as historians can look, people have depended on elements of nature for their survival. In the past few decades, the increased advancement of technology has led to an unfortunate division between humans and nature, and this lack of respect is becoming a flaw in current day society. In Last Child in the Woods, Louv criticizes modern culture by arguing that humans increasing reliance on technology has led to their decreasing connection with nature through the use of relevant anecdotes, rhetorical questions and powerful imagery to appeal to ethos.

In his 2008 novel, Last Child in the Woods, journalist and natural idealist Richard Louv demonstrates the effect that separation from nature has on children. Using a variety of rhetorical strategies, Louv reminds the different parents, as agree cohort which adapted alongside new technology, of the benefits they received from nature prior to the technological revolution. Louv persuades them to instill an appreciation of the natural world in their children, even if such appreciation deviates from societal norms.

Berry’s mention of the farmer and an understanding of his farm is a constant theme in this essay. Agriculture, a distribution of products born from the earth and its entrance into our bodies as nourishment, describes an interdependence. The development of highways, industry, and daily routine of work and obligation, has caused a romanticization of wilderness. High mountain tops and deep forests are sold as “scenic.” Berry reminds the reader that wilderness had once bred communities and civilization, and that by direct use of the land, we are taught to respect and surrender to it. But by invention of skyscrapers, airplanes, we are able to sit higher than these mountain tops and this is his first representation of disconnect from Creation. Mechanical invention leads one to parallel themselves with godliness, magnifying self worth and a sense of significance. What is misunderstood is that through this magnification, because there is no control or limit, we “raise higher the cloud of megadeath.” Our significance is not proved by the weight of our material wealth, rather

The way in which Louv brings compassion and contrast, imagery, and syntax together forms a very meaningful persuasive essay. The author uses comparison and contrast in order to tell the audience that nature over technology seems logical. He used syntax and imagery to emotionally draw us towards nature. By the end, the author successfully complete his purpose of influencing nature over

Nowadays, children have become very dependent on technology, rather than observing the world around them. Richard Louv's, "Last Child in the Woods" excerpt portrays to readers that children, nowadays, aren't being given the opportunities nor choosing to embrace nature for themselves. Instead, they're using technology to sort of "mask" reality. Louv provides logical reasoning, real examples, and emotional and relative connections with the reader to strengthen his opinion on this topic. The title, "Last Child in the Woods", also assists with the emphasis that children aren't embracing nature. Author Richard Louv effectively uses rhetorical strategies in this excerpt from "Last Child in the Woods" to emphasize the importance of embracing "true" nature.

Authors use different writing techniques in order to convey a message and/or persuade the reader. Rhetorical writing is the art used by authors to influence the audience with the way they play with their words. In the passage from “Last Child in the Woods” by Richard Louv, Louv uses rhetorical strategies such as the structure of his writing, his intelligent use of anecdotes and examples, and his appeal to emotions.

Within the modern world, and the modern thought process people have about our connection with new technologies is one of constant expanse. All caution is thrown to the wind in an attempt to satisfy one insatiable hunger for a certain type of keeping up with the Jones-es. Many authors speak on the wonder of technological advances on society by the exact means of how they work, however, Richard Louv is not this kind of author. He presents technology as useful, but with an underlying tone of a technological numbing agent. We begin to only see it instead of what Earth has given us millions of years. Technology is only a certain part of the problem with the real problem being humanity's mindset toward our greatest asset, nature. Mr. Louv uses extremely profound and intelligent rhetoric to push forward the idea that us as humans are already so broken away from nature, that eventually it will be deemed illogical we used it for anything other than a means produce by it. Richard shows three areas we have really broken apart from nature with the three examples of ad space for parks, extra commodities for an SUV, and the genetic modification of animals.

As humans become intrigued to the developing digital reality around them, they become unaware of the existing world around them. Within Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods, Louv begins to explain the advancement of technology, then continues to argue about how society is beginning to drift away from the experiences of nature. Louv also calls the audience into action, he develops his argument with the use of irony and juxtaposition. He thoroughly applies juxtaposition and irony creates an aspiring tone for the audience to bring action of the upcoming world.

Richard Louv, an American nonfiction author and journalist, in his essay, "Last Child in the Woods", uses a variety of rhetorical strategies to pass on his message. Louv establishes specific examples, literary devices, and an appeal to ethos in order to infrom us of the seperation of people and nature. The author proves his claim with specific examples, as a rhetorcial startegy, which makes it beleiveable to his audience. During his essay he gives an example that Researchers at the State University of New York are trying to change the colors that appear on butterfly wings.