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

For billions of years, nature has dictated the survival and appearance of a species. However in Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods suggests that know we– human beings– are the ones changing the face of nature. Louv introduces the article with a study about controlling the color of butterfly wings then moving on to show the comparison between parks and advertising. Then, Louv transitions into a hypothetical example of a mother who did not want to buy backseat entertainment for her child and the mother then clarifies that she is doing this because of how her “understanding of how cities and nature fit together was gained from the backseat” (lines 49-50). Through the use of a scientific study, hypothetical example, series of rhetorical questions, and repetition Louv sheds light on the increasing separation between people and nature to his reader– anyone who has either fallen or is falling out with nature. …show more content…
While many people would see this as an advancement of science and a good thing. However, Louv quickly shows where he falls on the matter by using a satirical quote from Matt Richtel about how “it’s time for nature to carry its weight,” (lines 8-9). He then incorporates more quotes from Richtel that continue to help make up his argument that while yes, we still view nature as important in lines 15 and 16, what we are creating is a “synthetic nature” (line 18). Nature in its very being is not synthetic and when all you are able to know is a synthetic nature you cannot understand true