“Prescription Nature” by Mr Richard Louv: a paragraph using metalanguage and comparisons
Analyse the construction of the author’s argument: practice writing and analysing the author’s reason, logic and use of comparisons
Consider:
- What comparisons/analogies does this author make?
- How does the comparison reinforce the author’s views and help to position audiences to support their main contention?
- What connections/ logical conclusions does the author draw? (in order to position the reader?)
Be systematic when analysing comparisons. The steps are:
- set up the terms of the comparison
- explain the purpose and link to the author’s idea
- evaluate the conclusion and the positioning intent/purpose.
Key idea: Mr Louv states, that contrary to the stereotype of the “outdoors” child, most children in America and Australia lack experiences in the outdoors.
Reasoning and persuasive techniques:
- Statistics, comparisons and metaphors
Critical to the development of Mr Louv’s argument is a comparison between Australian and American school children. In this regard, Mr Louv uses statistics to compare the children’s engagement with the outdoors world and to conclude that contrary to common perception/beliefs, Australian children are less active. (purpose) He seeks to shock parents with the fact that Australian children are more indoors-oriented and more obsessed with more screen-based activities to the detriment of their mental health. For example among “local inner city children” in San Diego, “90 per cent of these children do not know how to swim”. These alarming statistics from San Diego are also corroborated (or supported by) statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Furthermore, Moreover, Mr Louv uses cause-and-effect reasoning strategies to prove that an obsession with screen technologies leads to desensitisation to the natural world which also links to mental health issues. This reasoning strategies is designed to alarm all parents and to encourage them to prioritise the health and wellbeing of their children. Mr Louv logically impresses upon all social and family planners that there is a link between “time spent in nature” with an increase in “depression” and therefore they need to facilitate/organise more nature-based experiences.
- See Extension Task: Exercise 29 (two paragraphs)
- See Exercise 29, pp 70 – 74 (notes)
- Return to Orange Workbook Exercise Study Program