Last Child in the Woods 

In the passage ​Last Child in the Woods, ​author Richard Louv points out that over 
generations, human beings have increasingly become separated from Mother nature. He 
claims that advertisers have turned to nature in order to make a quick buck. Louv argues 
that humans need to shut the door on technology and embrace the beauty of nature. Louv 
uses rhetorical questioning, vivid imagery, and irony to further prove his argument. 
To start off, Louv uses rhetorical questions to make his audience realize the 
stupidity of their actions. Louv asks his audience on why Americans “say they want their 
children to watch less TV” (43-45) but allow them so many opportunities to do so. He 
questions why people think the “physical world” isn’t “worth watching” anymore (45-47). 
Louv wants his audience, specifically American parents, to realize that they are not doing 
as good as a job as the thought they were. He wants them to realize that the world outside 
the television is beautiful and worth watching.  
Moving on, Louv uses vivid imagery to capture the attention of his audience and 
make them see the true form of nature. When describing what life during a car ride was 
like during his childhood, he describes the magic of it with “thunderheads and dancing 
rain”, “birds on the wires combines in the fields”, and how they would hold their “little 
plastic cars against the glass and pretended that they too were racing towards an 
unknown destination” (64-71). This was his life before technology became a hit. Louv 
wanted children to experience that sensation of innocence and youthfulness. To live their 
childhood properly. 
Lastly, Richard Louv uses irony to support his argument that humans need to 
embrace true nature. Going back to the American parents not wanting “their child to watch 
less TV, yet continue to expand their opportunities for them to watch it” (43-45), its ironic 
how parents try to push their children away from technology but allow things like TVs in 
their cars to be installed that was designed for children entertainment. It goes against their 
own beliefs. It’s ironic how despite all of these new technologies, a child’s memories “occurs 
within an automobile looking out” (21).  
In conclusion, people should let go of technology and lookup out their windows out 
onto a beautiful nature.