Last Child In The Woods Analysis

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Recommended: Risks with children using technology

Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv is a book about the increasing disconnection between people and nature in today’s generation. The text reflects the author’s views as he describes the world as a place where people either ignore nature or use it to promote business. Louv argues that more and more children are being sucked into the lure of technology, and, as a result, miss out on precious opportunities to be a part of nature.
It’s apparent right at the beginning of the excerpt that Louv knows what he is doing when selecting his words. The first time this becomes clear is in the anecdote: “She settled on a Mercedes SUV with a Global Positioning System.” For most people, it is easier to say GPS because it is fast and efficient. However, because of the way Louv chose to write out the acronym, the reader is forced to slow down and soak in the complexity of the technology. He makes it clear that this technology is bad and intimidating by choosing bigger words. Close after, he uses the description “Rear-seat and in-dash ‘multimedia entertainment products’.” Again, it would be easier to say ‘television screen’ or ‘car monitor’. Louv picks the longest possible way to describe what otherwise comes off as a simple and common device. The lengthy description causes the reader to pause and …show more content…

It seems that there are always new and improved devices being released to the public for entertainment and assistance. However, Louv sees that children should not be so reliant on touch screens and portable gaming; they take away from what should be a lively and interactive childhood. Last Child in the Woods reveals the problems with separating children from nature. Louv lengthens simple descriptions, poses rhetorical questions, and provides vivid imagery to help the reader connect with his own beliefs. His goal is to help stop the never-ending stream of media from taking away carefree and simple childhoods from the younger

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