Analysis Of Our Vanishing Night By Verlyn Klikenborg

Hazy Night Sky Since the beginning of time, human beings were trying to find ways how to make their lives better. Technological improvements and inventions brought us a lot of benefits, but with benefits come consequences. Side effects are different types of pollution that we , as humans, are aware of. There are six kinds of pollution: land, water, noise, thermal, air, and light. The article "Our Vanishing Night," by Verlyn Klikenborg shows us the consequences of light pollution and completely neglects the positive aspects of artificial light. The author starts with a history lesson where he juxtaposes modern world to England in 1800. Back in the day, the most populated city in England, London, didn't suffer from light pollution since there

Another group is biocentric that puts us on the same level with nature. It means that we are not above other living organisms that surround us. This presupposition does not leave that much room in-between. Artificial daylight gave us a lot of advantages. It increased our productivity, and we are so used to it, so we do not even think about the fact that we can't see the stars in the sky. On the other side, we can't be so egocentric. We got to care about the surrounding because it affects us. I am more on a biocentric side, so Klikenborg's argument is compelling to me. Furthermore, the author uses pathos wisely and provides examples with animals to make his point appealing to his audience. "Nesting sea turtles, which show a natural predisposition for dark beaches, find fewer and fewer of them to nest on." (242) Beaches nowadays are covered with the glow of lamp posts, and it decreases the number of places for eggs of sea turtles and decreases the population of them. This shows us that we are affecting the life of creatures that surround us and it causes pity and sadness within the reader like

"... light pollution causes us to lose sight of our true place in the universe, to forget the scale of our being, which is best measured against the dimensions of a deep night with the Milky Way—the edge of our galaxy—arching overhead." (243) Since we do not see beyond the haziness of our polluted sky, we do not think of ourselves as a small particle or star dust. As I think about it, Klikenborg got the point. Back when I was in Ukraine, I lived in a small city that was not as polluted as Chicago. I was actually able to see starry nights that I miss from time to