Paul Bogard's Essay Let There Be Dark

741 Words2 Pages

Paul Bogard uses many techniques to build an argument throughout his essay, “Let there be Dark.” He feels strongly about his argument. He makes five prominent arguments which are personal experiences, stats, ecological light pollution,“wasted dollars”, and sleep disorders. He persuades the reader to understand the true meaning of darkness and not to forget about it because of our habit to look at electronic devices.

To begin with, Paul Bogard uses a personal experience as a start for his argument. He writes, “ 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.” His beginning sentence describes the …show more content…

He writes, “ Ecological light pollution is like the bulldozer of the night, wrecking habitat and disrupting ecosystems several billion years in the making. Simply put, without darkness, earth's ecology would collapse.” This helps build Paul Bogard’s argument because without darkness many species that need it live would die. For example nocturnal animals, such as owls, need the quiet and solitude of darkness to survive. Thus, without it many animals would go extinct. Also, Paul Bogard asserts history's most famous philosophers and artist. He shows how they witnessed and became inspired by darkness. He writes, “Every religious tradition has considered darkness invaluable for a soulful life,and the chance to witness the universe has inspired artists, philosophers and everyday stargazers since time began. In a world awash with electric light… how would Van Gogh have given the world his Starry Night? Who knows what this vision might inspire in each of us, in our children or grandchildren? This helps build on Paul Bogard’s argument because He started off with a counter argument. He stated that many religions refer to darkness as a negative impact on society. But, he writes after how many astronomers, philosophers, and artist, who saw the tranquil and stillness of darkness. For example, Van Gogh showed his love for darkness through the painting Starry Night. He also asks his readers

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