Virtual Reality And Real Reality

In his 2008 novel, Last Child in the Woods, journalist and natural idealist Richard Louv demonstrates the effect that separation from nature has on children. Using a variety of rhetorical strategies, Louv reminds the different parents, as agree cohort which adapted alongside new technology, of the benefits they received from nature prior to the technological revolution. Louv persuades them to instill an appreciation of the natural world in their children, even if such appreciation deviates from societal norms.

Journalist Richard Louv, in this excerpt from Last Child in the Woods, discusses the growing rift between children and the observation of nature, partly due to fewer children watching the outside world from the car window. Louv argues that presently, children are missing out on the “understanding of how cities and nature fit together,” due to backseat entertainment such as built in TV’s and video games. Dispersed throughout this passage, Louv uses specific anecdotes to establish ethical credibility, as well as rhetorical questions to further his main claim–children and nature are becoming increasingly more separate.

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, creates a thought-provoking idea of the separation between people and nature in this excerpt from his book. His opinionated tone forces the reader to be concerned for the future generations by including ironic hyperboles and sarcastic diction, which appeal to the readers’ pathos. He uses these rhetorical strategies to indirectly state his opinions.

Throughout history, humans have had a strong reliance on nature and their environment. As far back as historians can look, people have depended on elements of nature for their survival. In the past few decades, the increased advancement of technology has led to an unfortunate division between humans and nature, and this lack of respect is becoming a flaw in current day society. In Last Child in the Woods, Louv criticizes modern culture by arguing that humans increasing reliance on technology has led to their decreasing connection with nature through the use of relevant anecdotes, rhetorical questions and powerful imagery to appeal to ethos.

Is it the fault of the parents? The children of the king? Or is it the way this new generation grew up? Richard Louv writes the passage, “Last Child in the Wood” published in 2008, to showcase his thoughts on why children aren't as connected to nature as they were when they were kids. Louv uses imagery, juxtaposition, and his ethos to illustrate this argument.

In his passage from “Last Child In the Woods”, author Richard Louv illustrates how people today don’t appreciate the greatness of nature, as adequately as they should. In employing multiple rhetorical strategies, Louv forces the audience to feel ashamed and remorseful for wanting to create a sort of artificial nature, and deprive their children from experiencing nature in its vastness. In addition to using very accusatory tone, Louv utilizes sarcastic diction, metaphors, and repetition to remind to the older generations, or anyone who remembers a world without modern technology, to teach the younger generations to always appreciate the world outside of their screen.

There is a quote that comes from the book The Shallows that summed up my belief on the subject perfectly and that is from page 211 which states,” The price we pay to assume technology's power is alienation. The

“The most practical and the most feasible solution offered, and the one on which this paper will center, involves the schoolyard. The schoolyard habitat movement, which promotes the “greening” of school grounds, is quickly gaining international recognition and legitimacy.” This quote touches on the fact that currently our schools need to “greened” meaning nature needs to be implemented not on the sidelines of fields but rather right in the center for kids to explore. There are many studied showing how children’s connection with nature at a young age helps them have a strong connection with nature along with having better health and lesser chances of depression. There are many organizations such as the National Wildlife Federation, Council for Environmental Education, American Forest Foundation, Britain-based Learning through Landscapes, Canadian-based Evergreen, and Swedish-based Skolans Uterum, that have all expresses interest in helping out with this cause. A theory that is very interesting that relates to this issue is a theory by Edward Wilson from Harvard. He had a theory that he named biophilia. Basically what this theory was about was that all people are simply drawn to nature by their very instinct. This quote has a lot of truth to it. Almost all

“The Criminalization of Natural Play” is an explanation on how children now of days don’t want to do anything that does not involve technology. Yet how are kids supposed to play in nature if adults are scared of what nature contains. Kid’s childhood is slipping from their hands. You may ask yourself, how are kids losing their childhood? Henry David Thoreau serves a good example on children today.

In his book, The Nature Principle, Richard Louv talks about how nature is a natural resource to many of the problems we as humans are facing today, if we would just go outside and take advantage of it. Louv talks about how we (as American’s) have increased our use of technology vastly in the last ten years. While this is not comply bad, it does have negative effects on our physical, emotional and spiritual being if not kept in check. Louv goes on to share that, “the more high tech we become, the more nature we need” (Louv, 2011). Think about a time you have sat in your office for hours on end, working on your computer, at last lunch time came and you went outside for just five minutes because you forgot something in your car. In just those few minutes of going outside, you might have noticed a slight increase in your happiness level. Can you then venture to understand how this could be applied to children, or even increased with taking more time to enjoy nature? Richard Louv challenges his readers to not only be in nature, but to live with nature (Louv, 2011) .

Many see the grass of yesterday as greener. This is the case with Richard Louv in his work Lost Child in the Woods where he believes that today’s society is too removed from nature and too obsessed with technology. Louv claims that as the world becomes increasingly influenced by technology the “true nature” is less valued than it was with previous eras. He successfully uses rhetorical techniques in order to accomplish his purpose of criticizing the people of today for distancing themselves from the natural world.

Not too long ago, people relied on nature for everything. They used it for their bare necessities and even for their entertainment. But in the recent years, the number of new technologies has been increasing at a rapid rate. With smartphones and other portable devices, people live in a world surrounded by technology and other materialistic objects. Children in the newer generations are being directly introduced into a world full of technology by their parents without the chance to see what excitement nature has to offer. In Richard Louv’s passage “Last Child in the Woods” he argues that people of the newer generations are being separated from nature by technology. Through the use of examples, personal pronouns, personal anecdotes, and rhetorical questions, Louv explains how people forget to appreciate nature by manipulating it.

Mr. Kelly argues that, technologies new and old have helped humans throughout history. The use of technology has formed us and has become an extension of who we are as humans. I have to agree with his arguments. Technology provides opportunities, sometimes for a price, but we are always willing to pay it because we are naturally drawn to progression. Technology has helped humans evolve from small populations with high mortality rates to prosperous, growing overpopulated lands. Our optimistic views of the future and witnessed benefits from the use of technology, has left us with an addiction we willingly life with. Mr. Kelly said, “[Technology] is the most powerful force that has been unleashed on this planet, and in such a degree that I think that it 's become our -- who we are.”(Kelly)

Each individual has his or her perceptions on people, places and ideas, thus creating one’s definition of reality. With his or her concept of reality, either being physical or virtual relationships are conceived and shattered. Sherry Turkle expresses concern in human society regarding this issue. In “Alone Together”, Turkle illustrates how physical intimacy between humans is corroding due to the Internet. However, in “In the Forest of Gombe” Jane Goodall depicts one can retain physical intimacy between humans if an individual learns the healing relationship that nature has. Relationships are based of many concepts. Therefore, modern society cannot be receptive of the concept of harmony with humans, animals and

Randy Pausch was born on the 23rd of October in 1960 in Baltimore Maryland. He was fortunate to have a great set of parents and a happy childhood.4 He attended grade school in Columbia, Maryland, and then received a Bachelor’s Degree from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1998 Pausch also received a Ph.D. computer science degree from Carnegie University. He made a career out of teaching as an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Virginia, then at Carnegie Mellon. While he was at University of Virginia teaching, he took a leave of absence where he went to become a Walt Disney Imagineering where he worked on the Aladdin VR Project, as well as continuing to do work with Disney’s virtual