Rhetorical Strategies In Richard Louv's The Child In The Woods

“Free-Range Kids,” offers the controversial perspective of the ‘free-range’ parenting philosophy, telling readers that “children deserve parents who love them, teach them, trust them—and then let go of the handlebars”. Similarly, the speech given by Julie Lythcott-Haim, “How to raise successful kids without over-parenting” offers the perspective directly opposing the belief that “kids can’t be successful unless parents are protecting and preventing at every turn”. The two texts offer similar perspectives, but utilise different generic conventions.

The speech given by Alfred M. Green in Philadelphia in April 1861 contains a dynamic and potent message calling African Americans to enlist in the Union Army. Green uses emotional diction, appeals to patriotism, and the authority of religion to persuade African Americans to join his cause. His effective use of pathos and ethos also contribute to his argument.

In his passage from “Last Child in the Woods,” Richard Louv uses various rhetorical strategies in order to make his audience more supportive of his argument. The passage discusses the connection, or really the separation, between people and nature. On this subject, Louv argues the necessity for people to redevelop their connection with nature. His use of tone, anecdotes, rhetorical questions, and factual examples all help develop the pathos and logos of his piece.

Richard Louv, a novelist, in Last Child in the Woods (2008) illustrates the separation between humans and nature. His purpose to the general audience involves exposing how the separation of man from nature is consequential. Louv adopts a sentimental tone throughout the rhetorical piece to elaborate on the growing separation in modern times. Louv utilizes pathos, ethos and logos to argue that the separation between man and nature is detrimental.

By misinterpreting and attacking the nuanced areas of the opposition’s argument, one is able to elevate his own argument while degrading that of the opposition’s. Even when an argument is sound and logical, if it contains a single unclear phrase open to interpretation that is followed by critical mockery, it appears inconsequential and foolish to an audience. Such is the case in an exchange between Richard Seaver, the Executive Vice President of the Grove Press publishing company, and Ira Herbert, an executive of Coca-Cola, regarding their common use of the marketing slogan, “it’s the real thing”.

In the excerpt from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, rhetorical devices such as appeal to pathos, imagery, and simile helped create suspense when Christopher had found out about his undead mother. By creating suspense, it gives the reader a certain feeling of wanting to read more to figure out what would happen next.

Escape from Camp 14 is the true story of Shin Dong-hyuk, who is the only known person to have been born in and escape from a North Korean labor camp. After numerous interviews, the book’s author, Blaine Harden, details the reader about Shin’s life both inside and outside the camp as he assimilates into different societies. As critical information is revealed, Harden uncovers the corruption in the political landscape in North Korea. Shin’s life in Camp 14 accentuates the struggles to gain basic human freedom and elucidates food as an even more precious commodity. The straightforward diction and intriguing combination of rhetorical devices effectively expresses the brutality and oppression in the North Korean prison camp.

Steinbeck’s use of rhetorical strategies throughout the passage enables him to illustrate his message about free will, emphasizing the potential and significance of timshel and creativity in the essence of humanity and the threats against it. He utilizes diction, imagery, and rhetorical appeals to elucidate his message and persuade readers of their role in asserting their individuality. Steinbeck’s use of imagery in the first paragraph illustrates the extent of the potential of free will through his vivid description of the “glory [that] lights up the mind of a man” (Steinbeck 131) and its transformative qualities. This is significant as it delineates the role of free will in humanity, defining a “man’s importance in the world.” (Steinbeck

With human advancement, technology has taken on a life of its own. The current American society’s reliance on digital support has caused it to forget the importance of its humanity. The novelist, Wallace Stegner, wrote in a letter to argue for the preservation of the wilderness in order to help restore the spirituality and historical values of America, which he sent to David E. Pesonen, a research assistant for the Wildland Research Center at the University of California. His claim relays that the remaining wilderness needs to be preserved as much as possible because American society needs to remember and appreciate its ancestral roots. While he used primarily pathos as his method of persuasion, his argument lacks factual information and mentions minimal credibility.

In the essay, “The Death of the Moth”, Virginia Woolf uses metaphor to convey that the relationship between life and death is one that is strange and fragile. Woolf tells the story of the life and death of a moth, one that is petite and insignificant. The moth is full of life, and lives life as if merry days and warm summers are the only things the moth knows. However, as the moth enters it’s last moments, it realizes that death is stronger than any other force. As the moth knew life seconds before, it has now deteriorated into death. The moth which had been so full of life, was now dead, showing that the line between life and death is one that is fragile and easy to cross without intention, or expectance.

The author Richard Louv wrote an essay on the connection of nature to humans in the modern world. He expands on the fact that technology has taken away our abilities to appreciate nature for it’s true beauty. Children growing up in today’s world aren’t having the resources to appreciate nature and it’s beauty because of technology, according to him. He gives examples of the changing technology in the world: cars, mobile devices, advertisements, you name it. In Last Child in the Woods, Louv uses rhetorical devices to display his thoughts through examples and evidence. These are: technology takes away from our ability to appreciate and indulge in nature, the growing influence of the media on our children, and the influence of visionary on our minds.

“What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages? (79)”, this quote is from the book, Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Which is about a group of young boys that are marooned on an island for quite some time and have to make their own society. Ralph steps up as the leader of the boys but later on in the book, the position is taken by Jack which turns chaotic. The chaos leads to many problems within the group of boys. In the book, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, it is shown that individuals make up society, Jack’s tribe shows this by controlling the boys with his beliefs, and making up his own rules that break the initial ones, although, the opposing side may say that society shapes the individuals.

The article “Returning the Gift” that written by Robin Kimmerer has discussed the importance of having our appreciations for nature. The Earth is providing many valuable gifts for us, including fresh air, water, lands and many more natural resources to keep us alive. The author has pointed out that human beings are being greedy, and taking everything for granted. From the author’s perspective, human beings should feel grateful of what we have. It is necessary return the gift to nature by protecting the environment, and avoiding over consumption of the nature resources.

The unknown not knowing where you are, how you got there or the purpose of being there. The Maze Runner written by James Dashner, is a fictional novel based in the future. Dashner uses many literary devices to help portray his imaginative story, and paint a picture in the reader’s head. The characters are described in great detail and the reader can quickly imagine their personalities and appearance. The theme used is very basic but, is fully expressed throughout the book. The Maze Runner is an adventurous novel that takes that takes the reader on a journey of teamwork and survival.

The following poems all teach readers the importance and significance of wildlife and the horrible treatment they too often receive from human beings. As everything becomes more modern, we can not help but stray farther away from nature. This increasingly insensitive attitude can have detrimental effects on the environment. Although the elements of poetry used in the following poems vary, Gail White’s “Dead Armadillos,” Walt McDonald’s “Coming Across It,” and Alden Nowlan’s “The Bull Moose,” all share one major conflict; our civilization 's problematic relationship to the wild.