In the book Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv brings in the unspoken relationship between people and nature. Through the book, Louv points out to the readers the importance of nature and how one day it may not be seen in everyday life. In doing so, Louv effectively conveys his purpose to show the readers the impact of technology and the importance of nature by using exemplification to demonstrate the unnatural way people live today, repetition to create an understanding of nature, and a mocking tone to show the abnormal fixation on technology.
Throughout the passage, Louv continually uses exemplification to show stories of how everyday life is detached from nature, causing a negative outlook on environment. For instance, Louv writes
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how a friend of his was shopping for a new car and settled on a Mercedes SUV with a Global Positioning System. However, the car salesman was shocked when Louv’s friend did not want more advanced technology added to her car. As seen when Louv’s friend states, “‘The salesman’s jaw dropped when I said I didn’t want a backseat television monitor for my daughter.’” Through this anecdote the readers are able to see how the world is evolving and changing and how the world is losing its connection to the outdoors. Louv demonstrates how conditioned people are becoming to new technology rather than the archaic entertainment of nature. Louv’s word choice of “jaw dropped” further exemplifies how accustomed people have become to technology due to the action the salesman made when Louv’s friend did not want more advanced technology. The salesman assumed the best way to entertain and distract a child was through a backseat television because of his shocked expression, further showing Louv’s message on the impact of technology. Louv demonstrates how easily a common car ride can become separated from the environment with a simple backseat television. Another example used by Louv to describe people’s relationship with nature is how people advertise, quickly putting technology into every aspect of life. Matt Richtel, a writer, shows his outlook on using nature as a tool to grow the economy and consumer input. According to Richtel, “There are countless possibilities for moving ads out of the virtual world and into the real one. Sponsorship wise, it’s time for nature to carry its weight.” Louv shows the readers through this example that Richtel only sees one side of using nature, the profitable one. However, it is causing nature to be overlooked and to be focused back to technology, causing a rift between nature and people. Louv includes Richtel’s statement of “it’s time for nature to carry its weight” to show how unmindful people have become to the “true” nature. In contrast, Richtel and people like him want to adapt nature and allow it to play into the methods of technology. Louv wants the readers to recognize and look at the “true” nature not the synthetic one. Louv continues this concept when describing the new multimedia entertainment products and how quickly they are becoming available, which, in turn, leaves people focusing more on an artificial environment. In this example, Louv highlights how easy and affordable new products are, causing people to buy them in vast quantities. Louv states how “The children can watch Sesame Street or play Grand Theft Auto on their playstations without bothering the driver.” Louv points out the simple way drivers are moving towards a more quiet car ride. In this day and age, Louv shows that a children’s education is often learned from sitting in front of a television, from programs such as Sesame Street and Grand Theft Auto. Therefore, the child is not learning from looking out the window but through a television program or a violent video game. Overall, Louv tells the readers people are pushing nature’s wonders aside for the more flashy synthetic ones, leading to the possible disappearance of nature which could not allow people to experience and learn from nature. While technology is effortless and straightforward, it creates a guideline to life and affects how children are raised. In addition to exemplification, Louv also uses repetition in the passage to create an impact on the readers by showing how they may not see the beauty of nature one day, which, in turn, could affect the development of future generations. For example, Louv demonstrates a conversation between a grandchild and grandparent in which the grandparent emphasizes “We”: “In our useful boredom, we used our fingers to draw pictures on fogged glass as we watched telephone poles tick by”. In this example, Louv again relates back to the discussion of the new advanced technology in modern day cars. On the other hand, the grandparent explains how it was before, creating a sense of nostalgia while the grandchild listens. In this excerpt, the reader gets a sense of sadness due to the repetition of “we”, creating the understanding that “they” are the last ones to ever do such a action. Later on in the paragraph, the word “we” is used again but in a more drastic example: “We saw birds on the wires and combines in the fields.” This example begins to show the possibility that these everyday experiences are no longer seen by the grandchild, due to the use of “we” which relates back to the grandparent, thus showing how nature may be lost to the grandchildren of the future. Louv then asks the readers to wonder what will happen to the development of the generations further on. The future generations may only see the cold metal of technology rather than the green of nature. Thus, the future generations could behave more like unsympathetic machinery. Louv continues with this idea of separation between the grandparent and grandchild but then develops a connection between the two. In the final sentences of the passage, Louv continues the repetition of “we” that was established throughout the last paragraph but then forms the connection with grandchildren and how they are venturing into a unknown destination similar to the grandparents. The grandparent states, “We held our little plastic cars against the glass and pretended that they, too, were racing towards some unknown destination. We...watched it all go by in the blink of an eye.” As stated above, earlier on in the paragraph, Louv separated the grandchildren, making them feel isolated from what the grandparents had seen. Still in this example Louv relates the grandparents and grandchildren with the phrase “they, too” to show the readers how the grandparents also dreamed of a far off future similar to the grandchildren who dream of a more technological world. Yet when Louv then states how the grandparents “watched it all go by in the blink of an eye,” it allows the readers to infer that the present day they see right now may fade away. Louv, in turn, conveys that as the grandparents miss their past, the grandchildren will miss theirs. Thus, the readers and the grandchildren should respect and help keep the nature they have now because they will regret not saving it when it was here. In all, Louv creates an image in the reader’s minds about what the world could be like without nature. Nature is not just trees, grass, and animals such as the birds the grandparent mentioned, but, as Louv depicts, they are all connected. The readers are then able to see the impact that nature has on life and how effortlessly it can go away without the recognition it deserves. Furthermore, Louv uses a mocking tone in different aspects of his book to emit how engrossed people have become when it comes to technology, which, in turn, causes people to underestimate the unmodified nature around them.
One example of this is when Louv uses a taunting tone for describing how many Americans want their children to disconnect from electronics, while they continue to advance the applications of technology everyday. Louv questions “Why do so many Americans say they want their children to watch less TV, yet continue to expand the opportunities for them to watch it?” In this rhetorical question, Louv uses his tone to show how the common endeavor to stop children from watching television is not being enforced without Americans even knowing. The readers then begin to realize the depth of America's connection to technology. While people perceive their actions to move towards a more mechanically connected community, Louv shows that this action is in turn causing a subconscious ideology that technology is needed and meant to be in everyday life. Louv points out this belief earlier on in the book when he discusses how the new entertainment products in cars are quickly becoming a necessity. Louv describes the new products as “ ...quickly becoming the hottest add-on since rearview mirror fuzzy dice. The target market: parents who will pay a premium for a little backseat peace.” Through the word choice such as “hottest” and “premium” Louv demonstrates to the readers how the culture of technology is portrayed in life. Louv points out how the parents would rather pay a “premium” for the “hottest” products to escape from their children for a few moments of peace than entertain them with old fashioned road games used for generations. The development of technology may allow for people to gain a easy solution to a problem, but Louv reveals that people are becoming too programed to rely on the gadgets to solve everyday problems, in turn, causing the readers to
question what would happen if technology was absent from the world. Louv continues this idea at the end of the passage where he analyzes the relationship people could have with their grandchildren, discussing their version of riding in a nineteenth-century Conestoga wagon: “‘You did what?’ They’ll ask. ‘Yes,’ we’ll say, ‘it’s true. We actually looked out the car window.’” With the use of tone Louv shows how the applications of technology could impact the way people view the world in the future. By demonstrating a conversation that may be held in the future, readers can see how their grandchildren may only be connected to technology. Louv conveys how the children of the future could miss the outside world due to their fixation on the screens in front of them, which, in turn, could create a separation from nature, creating a mechanical environment and, furthermore, causing the readers to infer what may become of nature. In all, through the use of tone, Louv brings to light the rapid development of technology and how quickly the relationship with nature is diminishing. Louv shows how the rapid expansion of technology may become the new normal. However, Louv states that the nature around the world cannot be forgotten, for it is the connection to the past which will lead to the future. To conclude, Louv allows his readers to began to appreciate the relationship between nature and people and how quickly it is adapting. However, Louv also brings to light what could happen if society loses that connection, allowing the reader to see the version of the 19th century car and how easily one could lose those simple actions, not only for oneself but for one’s grandchildren., thus taking away the right to understand, explore, and see nature at its purest. Louv also shows that people, especially children, learn from nature. The impact of the disappearance of nature could affect more than just what the world looks like but how people act as a society. In all, Louv states that nature needs to be relevant in the world, not just for its new applications for technology but for the impact it could have on people and how they see the world and their actions.
This story observes human relations with technology and warns us of the potential consequences of allowing technology to supplement our self-sufficiency. Varshavsky shows us that we will become indistinguishable from technology, that this technology will eventually demand equality, and that this technology will steal our self-sufficiency while also becoming self-reliant. There are hints at Varshavsky’s imagined human-technology relations in current day. Society’s requirement of computers to function in the economy as laborers and consumers is one example. Another instance of society’s reliance on technology is the use of cameras and security systems to ensure safety. Another different type of technology humans rely on is pesticide to grow food for consumption. None of these examples point to technology as a negative aspect of society. On the contrary, technology has allowed human societies to expand and flourish. However, the most poignant example of Varshavsky’s envisioned human-technology relationship is human reliance on the cellphone. To name a few benefits, cellphones allow people to remember things they would otherwise forget, share their ideas with each other, and communicate with people they would normally have trouble maintaining a relationship. Cellphones are becoming a vital part of consumer culture and human existence. Without them society will digress back to a slower social, cultural, and economic existence. Human reliance on cellphones could be the first steps toward Ilya Varshavsky’s “Perpetual Motion” becoming
How could the reader benefit from reading this essay? The author want to make people realise the importance of nature and wants people to preserve environment by saying trees and animals. The author also wants the audience to realise how the people generations before us use to live without the facilities that we have in today’s world.
In the last century, technology has revolutionized societies, promoting the culture of instant materialistic entertainment. These advancements impact everyone, especially the younger generations since the technological products influence and shape their life attitudes. In “The Technology of Simplicity” by Mark A. Burch, the author discusses the impact of these social advancements by contrasting the behaviours of people in the past and the present.
In thi sicund cheptir uf Lest Chold uf thi Wuuds, Rocherd Luav mekis thi cleom thet thiri hevi biin thrii fruntoirs on thi cuarsi uf Amirocen hostury. Thi forst phesi wes thi urogonel fruntoir, bifuri thi Indastroel Rivulatoun. Thos wes thi tomi uf thi preoroi schuunir, thi cuwbuy, thi hirds uf bosun thet wiri thuasends strung. Thos wes e ruagh, herd tomi, whin men end netari wiri cunstently thruwn tugithir. Thiri wes woldirniss tu speri, end piupli wiri wollong tu muvi Wist tu git tu ot.
In the mid-1900s, the Unites States was rapidly changing from the introduction of a new standard of technology. The television had become the dominant form of entertainment. This seemingly simple thing quickly impacted the average American’s lifestyle and culture by creating new standards for the average household. New, intimidating concepts came about, and they began embedding themselves into American culture. It became clear to some people that some of these ideas could give rise to new social problems, which it did. Sixty- five years ago, in a library basement, a man named Ray Bradbury wrote a book called Fahrenheit 451, which was able to accurately predict social problems that would occur because he saw that Americans are addicted to gaining quick rewards and new technology, and also obsessed with wanting to feel content with their lives.
Imagine a society where owning books is illegal, and the penalty for their possession—to watch them combust into ashes. Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451, illustrates just such a society. Bradbury wrote his science fiction in 1951 depicting a society of modern age with technology abundant in this day and age—even though such technology was unheard of in his day. Electronics such as headphones, wall-sized television sets, and automatic doors were all a significant part of Bradbury’s description of humanity. Human life styles were also predicted; the book described incredibly fast transportation, people spending countless hours watching television and listening to music, and the minimal interaction people had with one another. Comparing those traits with today’s world, many similarities emerge. Due to handheld devices, communication has transitioned to texting instead of face-to-face conversations. As customary of countless dystopian novels, Fahrenheit 451 conveys numerous correlations between society today and the fictional society within the book.
From the lone hiker on the Appalachian Trail to the environmental lobby groups in Washington D.C., nature evokes strong feelings in each and every one of us. We often struggle with and are ultimately shaped by our relationship with nature. The relationship we forge with nature reflects our fundamental beliefs about ourselves and the world around us. The works of timeless authors, including Henry David Thoreau and Annie Dillard, are centered around their relationship to nature.
Mr. Richtel, though, doesn’t seem content to let people go about their lives without realizing the potential ramifications overuse of technology might have on their lives. By shining a spotlight on an actual family, he seeks to show his readers how families in the modern age truly exist, and perhaps to have his readers recognize behaviors similar to those described in the article in themselves, and make a conscious effort to try to change their habits.
... of nature is to get the theme of the intermixing of technology with man and nature across; “I stood in the glare of the warm exhaust turning red; /around our group I could hear the wilderness listen” (15-16) in these lines we get more of a feeling than an image of the intermixing of technology and nature.
In summary, both the article and the novel critique the public’s reliance on technology. This topic is relevant today because Feed because it may be how frightening the future society may look like.
For example, Turkle states, “Consider how often thoughts turn to feelings as three elementary school children discuss the aliveness of a Furby, an owl-like creature that plays games and seems to learn English under a child’s tutelage… Sociable robots bring children to the locution that machines are alive enough to care and be cared for” (28). Turkle is taking children's’ toys, such as Furbies, and blaming them for society’s move towards robots in general. A Furby is a toy for a child, not the catalyst of a revolution in which sociable robots are our companions. Furthermore, she claims, “Teenagers avoid making telephone calls, fearful that they ‘reveal too much’” (Turkle 11). As I have experienced, my friends and I do indeed avoid making phone calls. However, this is not because, as Turkle claims, we are afraid of this level of closeness, but rather because we find it uncomfortable to talk when you cannot see the other’s face. Instead, we prefer to use FaceTime or Skype, things that allow us to talk to each other and see one another at the same time. We even prefer this over texting. Turkle takes normal activities in daily life, such as texting, and twists them in order to villainize them, which in turn is her attempt to villainize technological
Authors’ Steven Crane and Jack London are known for their stories using naturalism, the struggle between man and nature. Naturalism is like realism, but it explores the forces of nature, heredity, and the environment on human beings, who are faced with the forces of nature. Both “The Open Boat” and “To Build a Fire” demonstrate how inferior and small humans’ really are to nature. Humans cannot control nature or determine its outcome. In both stories nature is the antagonist constantly challenging the humans’ ability to survive. I chose the topic over naturalistic elements because I enjoyed reading these stories. Both stories have a strong since of naturalism in it and both authors’ are known for naturalistic features existing in their writings. In this paper I will give you more of an insight to what naturalism is and what naturalistic elements are present in the two stories listed above.
In the story “The Veldt,” the author Bradbury shows that technology has caused people to become dependent on it. Children these days are using iPads, iPhones, and other various types of technology for constantly checking social media or texting friends. That is causing children these days to become more dependent on technology where they are not able to live for a second without it. This is a problem because Bradbury tells us that technology has taken over the way people are behaving in society in a negative way. He is telling us that it is affecting the youth and adults in their day to day life. In this short story George says, “We’ve been contemplating our mechanical, electronic navels for too long. My God, how we need a breath of honest air” (Bradbury 9). George in this quote is stressing on the point of how we humans have been too attached to technology; where it has changed us in the way we act. He is trying to explain that people are not spending enough time for an interesting activity, but using that time for using their phone or computer. George is trying to argue that life is for doing many adventures while technology is only focused on one aspect of life. Additionally, technology is taking away the way youth are interacting with others. “The Veldt” is trying...
In the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, there are many themes, symbols, and motifs that are found throughout the novel. For my journal response, I have chosen to discuss nature as a prevalent symbol in the book. The main character, Montag, lives in a society where technology is overwhelmingly popular, and nature is regarded as an unpredictable variable that should be avoided. Technology is used to repress the citizens, but the oppression is disguised as entertainment, like the TV parlour. On the opposite end of the spectrum, nature is viewed as boring and dull, but it is a way to escape the brainwashing that technology brings. People who enjoy nature are deemed insane and are forced to go into therapy. Clarisse says “My psychiatrist wants to know why I go out and hike around in the forests and watch the birds and collect butterflies,” (Bradbury 23) which shows she is a threat to the control that the government has put upon the people by enjoying nature.
Ecocriticism asserts that humans are “peoples of 'place'” (Bressler 231), our lives defined by the environment that we inhabit and the necessities of survival that are dictated by nature. The more we recognize this innate and deep connection—for example, through the reading and analyzing of the nature-human dynamic in literature—the stronger and healthier this relationship will become. We as humans will recognize our dependence on the earth instead of our dominance over it; we will recognize ourselves as “guardians” and learn how to better appreciate and protect the environment for future generations of authors and poets to continue to explore.