Richard Louv Essay

Richard Louv bases his argument off a fact of modern life - distraction. In the past million years, there hasn’t been a wave of technology like there has in this past century. Nature ruled supreme, in that we appreciated the value of nature and our surroundings, rather than keeping our eyes glued to our phones and tablets. Through Last Child in the Woods, Louv is able to get this message across using imagery, anecdotes, and hypothetical scenarios.

By using anecdotes, Louv is able to instill a lasting impression on the readers mind by describing common scenarios that everyone may experience. Louv’s first use of an anecdote is his recalling of a time when his friend was being pressured into adding unneeded technology into her possible new car. After stating that his friend refused to add a backseat TV monitor, Louv uses a hyperbole in saying, “the salesman’s jaw dropped.” The quote creates a dramatic effect in the reader’s mind, which allows Louv to get the readers on the same page. Because of the anecdote, his audience is able to understand the massive conflict technology is creating in regards to our appreciation of nature. Louv’s anecdote creates the image that his friend’s situation is becoming a common occurrence, further developing his argument, which backs up his claim that constant use of technology is plaguing our future generations.

In addition to his car salesperson example, Louv uses a thought-provoking scenario to expand his argument. Towards the end of the excerpt, Louv describes a time when “we’ll someday tell our grandchildren” that “we actually looked out the car window” instead of mindlessly tapping a screen. The thought alone gives a strong emotional appeal to the audience, as most of the readers have grandparents who have told them at least one story of how it was “back in their day,” without TV or cell phones. Those stories always end up becoming a lesson that we should appreciate what we have and not take anything for granted; a lesson that Louv is ultimately trying to convey. The result of this connection is a sense of realism between Louv’s argument and the growing use of technology happening today.