Kevin George

Professor Sarah Jessop

ENG4U1-22
21 February 2020
“Let There Be Dark” Essay Analysis

Paul Bogard, an associate professor at James Madison University in Harrisonburg,

Virginia, wrote a persuasive essay entitled “Let There Be Dark”, published on December 21,

2012, for the readers of the Los Angeles Times. He argues how the natural darkness of the Earth,

should be preserved in an effective way for future generations. He constructs his argument by

using rhetorical devices, use of appeals, and compelling proofs to convince his audience that

darkness is needed for significant health and environmental reasons.

Bogard introduces the essay by recounting a personal story in his childhood: “At my

family’s cabin on a Minnesota lake, I knew woods so dark that my hands disappeared before my

eyes. I knew night skies in which meteors left smoky trails across sugary spreads of stars…”

(Bogard 1). By sharing this anecdote, he wants the audience to reminisce about a time where

they faced complete darkness without any artificial light present. When drawing in his audience

with personal experience, he provides imagery to describe the sky, which shows how glamorous

the skies can be, when darkness is present. Bogard uses a simile to illustrate ecological light

pollution as a night bulldozer, which is “wrecking habitat and disrupting ecosystems several

billion years in the making” (4). He helps the readers see, that light pollution is disastrous; this

helps contribute to the idea that natural darkness should be preserved. By using these rhetorical

devices, the author’s point of view and thoughts are conveyed through vivid pictures. This helps

the readers to imagine the scene through their minds and convinces them towards Bogard’s

viewpoint. 
 Furthermore, Bogard strengthens his argument by using ethos, logos, and pathos, as it

helps to engage the audience. In the third paragraph, he mentions, “Already the World Health

Organization classifies working the night shift as a probable human carcinogen”. By using the

World Health Organization’s statement, Bogard uses ethos to build credibility in his argument.

He incorporates logos when he gives the reader facts, such as “Our bodies need darkness to

produce the hormone melatonin, which keeps certain cancers from developing and our bodies

need darkness for sleep” (Bogard 3). Bogard uses pathos when he mentions how “Sleep

disorders have been linked to diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and depression…” (3).

The use of pathos evokes fear and concern in his audience, showing how the absence of darkness

can lead to complex diseases. By using these appeals, he it convinces the audience of his the

author's credibility and logic use, while simultaneously persuading as well as to persuade the

audience by appealing to their emotions.

Moreover, Bogard uses compelling proofs to describe the impacts of light pollution. He

mentions that, “Whether we work at night or simply take our tablets, notebooks and smartphones

to bed, there isn’t a place for this much artificial light in our lives” (Bogard 3). This helps the

readers understand that using smart devices can impact our hormone cycle by eliminating the

ability of our bodies to produce melatonin, which won’t help us to sleep well. Next, he mentions,

that “bats [save] American farmers billions in pest control and the moths that pollinate 80% of

the world’s flora” (4). Bogard extends the argument beyond humans, allowing us to see that

darkness not only has does not only have an impact on us, but on all of nature as well. Then, he

states that, “In the United States and Western Europe, the amount of light in the sky increases an

average of about 6% every year” (5). As the amount of light in the sky increases, it wastes so

much energy and so much money, and it doesn’t help the economy. By using these proofs, the
author explains in detail, the impacts of light pollution, helping readers to understand why we

need to preserve darkness.

In closing, Bogard expands through incorporating approaches which countries are already

taking and which we can adopt to reduce the amount of light pollution we create. He conveys a

strong argument supporting his ideas of preserving natural darkness for future generations.

Bogard explains the significance of darkness to the human body and ecosystems. The author

proves his argument successfully by the use of appeals, literary devices and his anecdote to

persuade his audience.