Summary Of Last Child In The Woods By Richard Louv

Throughout the centuries, technology has been advancing nonstop. Whether it be a television, some gunpowder, or even a watch, humans keep on creating more contraptions. However, accompanying these inventions is the increasing separation between mankind and the world. As Richard Louv discusses in a passage from Last Child in the Woods, scientists and researchers continue to invent technologies that they claim to better connect humans and nature, although in reality, they are doing the opposite. In the passage, Louv debates against these technologies with the use of anecdotes, imagery, and anaphoras. To allow the audience to better relate to his argument, Louv uses an anecdote. From lines 23 to 33, he describes a situation where a friend of his was badgered to purchase a car that came with a television monitor. When his friend told the salesman she was against the idea, his “jaw dropped.” She continues on and explains how the salesman “refused to let [her] leave the dealership until he could understand why.” Many people find it hard to comprehend why others would not want to be as close as possible to all kinds of technology. Yes, they are useful and do make numerous things

From lines 48 to 54, he describes in great detail what children back in his days used to see during car rides— “the empty farmhouse at the edge of the subdivision; the variety of architecture, here and there; the woods and fields and water beyond the seamy edges—all that was and is still available to the eye.” By writing about the beauties of the world, Louv hopes to pull the audience closer to nature and away from the confinements of technology. The imagery used here lets the reader vividly envision the landscape Louv used to observe as a child, to remind the audience what they are missing out on. Introducing a splash of imagery helps strengthen Louv’s claim that technology is disconnecting humans from the world they live