Man and nature has always been a topic of curiosity. It is ironic how the physical world can progress without society, yet society is highly dependent on it. Enlightenment philosophers believed that nature influenced mankind; however a diversion between the two is still highly apparent. Richard Louv further exemplifies this separation by closely examining the complexity and mechanics of human kind and nature, with the use of specific rhetorical strategies in his text in order to catch the reader’s attention and convey his thoughts at the same time. While reading his essay, one can see his continuous use of imagery throughout the text. One such example can be seen in the passage, “We stared with a kind of reverence at the horizon, as thunderheads and dancing rain moved with us” (67-69). His use of imagery intends the readers to visualize how man and nature coincide with one another, yet still have that diversion between them. Nature happens in that it goes on, no matter what human kind is up to. In addition to that, the use of imagery also shows how two completely different worlds cycle around each other, without disrupting their governed laws. Anecdote is also prevalent in his essay, in that he uses it to support his claim that nature is slowly becoming a background for people. He recalls, “A friend of mine was shopping for a new luxury car to celebrate her half-century of survival in the material world”, where she refused to buy a backseat television for her child (23-25). Note the author’s use of the phrase “survival in the material world”. Instead of using the term physical world to describe nature, he specifically chooses to use material world in order to convey the idea that people’s lives are centered on technology and various other advancements. People nowadays are easily hooked with the newest inventions, in that they start to ignore the actual physical world around them. Suddenly, nature is pushed in the back and left to work on its own devices. Part of the
