Last Child In The Woods Analysis

Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv is a book about the increasing disconnection between people and nature in today’s generation. The text reflects the author’s views as he describes the world as a place where people either ignore nature or use it to promote business. Louv argues that more and more children are being sucked into the lure of technology, and, as a result, miss out on precious opportunities to be a part of nature.

It’s apparent right at the beginning of the excerpt that Louv knows what he is doing when selecting his words. The first time this becomes clear is in the anecdote: “She settled on a Mercedes SUV with a Global Positioning System.” For most people, it is easier to say GPS because it is fast and efficient. However, because of the way Louv chose to write out the acronym, the reader is forced to slow down and soak in the complexity of the technology. He makes it clear that this technology is bad and intimidating by choosing bigger words. Close after, he uses the description “Rear-seat and in-dash ‘multimedia entertainment products’.” Again, it would be easier to say ‘television screen’ or ‘car monitor’. Louv picks the longest possible way to describe what otherwise comes off as a simple and common device. The lengthy description causes the reader to pause and

comprehend what it is he is referring to. Because the reader is unable to quickly read over the phrase, it draws attention and stands out in a negative manner. At the end of the paragraph, the audience is, once again, hit with a lavish description of simple technology: “Some systems include wireless, infrared-connected headsets.” Louv could have chosen to simply state that the cars come with headphones, but instead, he strings out the full length description of the device. Almost everyone knows what headphones are, but when one throws in the words ‘wireless’ and ‘infrared’, the technology suddenly becomes more complicated. This overcomplicated depiction of technology makes it sound more intimidating and furthers the gap between the devices and nature. Louv’s word choice when describing technology helps fuel his argument by making it seem negative and scary in comparison to the simplicity of nature.
Louv’s rhetorical questions and phrasing also help to set a critical tone for the overall piece. By asking rhetorical questions, he is able to make the reader begin to question the logic behind continuously improving technology: “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?” The irony behind this fact helps to reveal the true motives of technology companies today. Despite all the campaigning for getting active outside from companies such as Nickelodeon, which features a Worldwide Day of Play, they are still keeping kids on the couch the other three hundred sixty-four days of the year. Louv’s questions attack those who pretend to promote a healthier lifestyle while simultaneously sabotaging their own efforts. The answer to his questions is clear; allowing the audience to feel like they have arrived at a conclusion of their own accord makes them more likely to agree with him. Later, he poses a hypothetical scenario of how his generation might respond to young children in the future: “‘Yes,’ we’ll say, ‘it’s true. We actually looked out the car window.’” Normally, this kind of phrasing is used to describe something that has been done that is viewed as strange or absurd; however, looking out of a car window is something most people do without even thinking about it. A generation of kids who find this concept baffling would mean they are so engrossed in technology that they are completely neglecting the world around them. Many adults would be horrified by this extreme example and will most likely end up siding with Louv. Louv carefully chooses his words and how he says them to set a tone that criticizes the practices of today while also setting up an absurd sounding---but not impossible---future.
Throughout the end of the text, Louv makes it obvious that he looks down on technology by comparing his own childhood to that of a child today. The biggest point he makes is the difference in how a car ride is experienced: “The children can watch Sesame Street or play Grand Theft Auto on the PlayStation without bothering the driver…But for a century, children’s early understanding of how cities and nature fit together was gained from the backseat: the empty farmhouse…the woods and fields…It was our drive-by movie.” Louv is able to connect the audience through the imagery of a technology-free car ride---the kind of ride many people experienced as children. Louv’s description of the farmhouse and the nature around it helps brings back many nostalgic memories. Later on, he brings the audience even further into the memories by including them in the vivid images: “We saw birds on the wires and combines in the fields…We were fascinated with road kill…We stared with a kind of reverence at the horizon, as thunderheads and dancing rain moved with us.” The idea that many kids today will be unable to connect with this and will never have these sorts of memories is horrifying, not because they are missing out, but because of why they are missing out: technology. With the amount of driving that has become a part of everyday life, it is hard to believe that one would never look out the window at the world around them. However, phones equipped with cellular data and backseat television screens are more than capable of keeping a child’s eyes glued to them for hours at a time. These devices create a barrier between children and their opportunities to marvel at the world when it is stripped of consuming technology. Louv exercises imagery in a way that makes the audience realize how their own childhood was much less wired to electronics and how today’s generation is detached from the more natural state of the world.
America has come a long way with technology.

It seems that there are always new and improved devices being released to the public for entertainment and assistance. However, Louv sees that children should not be so reliant on touch screens and portable gaming; they take away from what should be a lively and interactive childhood. Last Child in the Woods reveals the problems with separating children from nature. Louv lengthens simple descriptions, poses rhetorical questions, and provides vivid imagery to help the reader connect with his own beliefs. His goal is to help stop the never-ending stream of media from taking away carefree and simple childhoods from the younger

generations.