Kachlishvili 1

Elza Kachlishvili
Mrs. Williams
English B
28 February 2019
Rhetorical analysis of Connecting with Nature: A Naturalist’s Perspective
Nature conservation has always been neglected in the first place. And in the modern

world, this problem has become worse. Love of nature must be instilled since childhood. One

such proponent of this idea was American herpetologist and author Robert C. Stebbins. He wrote

Connecting with Nature: A Naturalist’s Perspective, which was published in 2012 by Arlington,

Va : NSTA Press, and supported by the University of California. With his book he instilled in

children the love of nature for the caring attitude of all living things. Thanks to the example, the

author constructs the general story using a light structure which children can very easily

understand. He uses plot, quotes, ethos, logos, and pathos to argue his most necessary point and

main goal in the story: acceptance of nature and its problems, in order to preserve purity. This is

ultimately, his main argument.

In the first part of his book, Robert introduces us with the story, main location, and

characters of the book. He tells the story from the first person. Even in the first paragraph we

follow an interesting story of a child who is delighted with the found animal (turtle). In this part,

the author uses ethos and establishes credibility by showing that he understands what it is like to

be a child. He says, “One of my earliest memories is of a warm day, a field with many

grasshoppers, a shallow creek with cold water, and the joy of a day in the hills with my parents.”

The first part shows for us ecological goals and many examples of effective programs and

approaches that can help restore and expand ecological connection. After all the story we follow

for discussion with questions and examples which are attached with photos. Case histories,
 Kachlishvili 2

samples of what can be done to promote nature education, provide important support for the

goals expressed.

In the second part, the author considers the three major educational impediments that

must get us there. They are (1) isolation of ecology from mainstream education, (2) attitudes of

domination or indifference toward nature, and (3) overpopulation that results in increased strife,

warfare, and environmental decline.

“The outstanding discovery of the twentieth century is not television, or radio, but

rather the complexity of the land organism. Only those who know the most about it can

appreciate how little is known about it. If the biota, in the course of eons, has built

something we like but do not understand, who but a fool would discard seemingly useless

parts? To keep every wheel is the first rule of intelligent tinkering”

.—Aldo Leopold, 1949

Adding to his ethos appeals, Robert uses strong appeals to logos, with many facts and statistics

and logical progressions of ideas. He points out of facts in addition to the scientific and

attitudinal goals, the program can make important contributions to virtually all other disciplines,

including writing and art.

“A great challenge is before us. Can the scientific communities, great religions of the

world, military establishments, the business and commercial interests of consumer

societies, and growth-oriented economic and political structures embrace the change in

thinking and action now so urgently required?”

These statistics are some of the many that logically support his claim that this is significant. And

the real problem is that people stop paying attention to the importance of ecology in our lives.
 Kachlishvili 3

Details and the numbers appeal to the logos and convince the reader that this is worth the trouble

discussion. Along with strong logos appeals, Stebbins effectively makes appeals to pathos in the

beginning and middle sections. His introduction is full of emotionally-charged words. His goal is

to make the reader feel sympathy and concern for nature. Adding to this idea are words and

phrases such as, "concern", "groundswell", and "dying wish ". All these words evoke positive

emotions that make the reader sympathize with nature, which should be "estimated by the

nobility" and "Protected." Yet another feeling that Robert reinforces his word. Choice is the

notion of fairness, The approach to biology tells us that, whoever we are, we obey the same laws

of nature as all other organisms, That we are connected with everything that lives and is just one,

albeit remarkable, chain in a complex network of life, That our destiny is inextricably linked to

the fate of the living community of the Earth, And that human qualities and behavior have

ancient roots that are rooted at the beginning of life on Earth. Every person living today is a

unique manifestation of this remarkable unbroken chain.

In addition, one of the author's recent statements in the book was a letter-recollection

from mother to son, which increases the emotional state of the person, namely, the love of

nature, which is accompanied with "womb ".

“When I thought about what it was that I could give you, I felt one treasure I could offer

you was my love for the earth, the mountains, the rock, the sky, the sun, just as my father,

your grandfather, had offered these gifts to me.”

Robert, for the length of the entire book, reveals and argues the usefulness, the benefit

and the human and nature's healing with a comparison of the chain's integrity. Thanks to this

book the audience from 4 to 18 years old, can find their vocation in this very cruel world that is
 Kachlishvili 4

love, namely to everything that surrounds us around, first it is your family, and secondly, it is the

environment that our goal is to preserve for our future children.

Work Cited

Stebbins, Robert C. Connecting with Nature : A Naturalist’s Perspective. NSTA Press, 2012.

EBSCOhost,

ezproxy.hsu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=

nlebk&AN=464774&site=eds-live&scope=site.