Rhetorical Analysis Richard Louv

In this passage, Richard Louv states that modern Americans still continue to lose what little contact they have with nature as time goes on, and this trend needs to stop. In order to persuade his intended audience, current adults who grew up in his generation, Louv speaks to them on their own terms by using emotional appeals. Specifically, Louv uses rhetorical questions that cause readers to fully reevaluate their stances on the matter, specific diction that evokes strong emotional responses, and anecdotes that most parents or generation X-ers can agree with. Louv’s rhetorical questions truly involve the audience in a meaningful way. It is nearly impossible to change someone’s mind without first asking him or her to evaluate his or her lifestyle from a different angle. Parents across the country cry, “Why do my children watch so many cartoons?”, “Shouldn’t they be playing outside?”, without ever realizing that they themselves are perpetuating the very lifestyle they disdain by trading their wants for their children for a little peace and quiet. Through rhetorical questioning, Louv gently brings this unpleasant realization to light, while also forcing parents to notice their personal contributions to their children’s estrangement from what little nature they have left. …show more content…
Phrases such as “We stared with a kind of reverence at the horizon,” (lines 67-68) evoke a sense of nostalgia for any former window-gazer who recalls the sight of a thunderstorm racing a car down a highway. “The children can watch Sesame Street or play Grand Theft Auto without bothering the driver,” is a very far cry from the imagery and nostalgia Louv uses to describe the natural world his generation once experienced; it almost conveys a sense of cold detachment. This sharp change in the word choice juxtaposes his life of limited contact with nature with a solely material