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  • Essay / Review of “Let There Be Dark” by Paul Bogard

    In his article “Let There Be Dark,” Paul Bogard argues that natural darkness must be preserved. Bogard's argument rests on his appeal to a diverse range of benefits that natural darkness has to offer; he strengthens his argument by using facts, a personal anecdote and a persuasive tone. Bogard ends his article on a positive note, with a tone of hope that inspires his readers to take action. Bogard begins his article with a personal anecdote, inviting his readers to recall a similar memory. The author appeals to the emotions of the readers with his nostalgic story by triggering in them a feeling of loss and agony. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get an original essayPlus, metaphors such as “sweet spreads of stars” to soften the beauty of stars, a “blanket of light” to emphasize the abundance of light, and the comparison “light pollution is like the bulldozer of the night” to emphasize the harmful effects of light pollution. We are then given concrete facts and statistics that appeal to logic and educate us about the benefits of darkness on our bodies, while serving to support the author's claims by augmenting and solidifying his argument. Bogard is trying to appeal to a diverse audience, which gives him a chance to open the eyes of a wider audience. He does this by employing ethos, where he appeals to ethics and morality as a method to convince his readers; for example, using allusions to art and history that prompt readers to consider the downsides of our reality consumed by unnatural lighting. Bogard emphasizes that darkness is indispensable to religious people and is a necessary condition for achieving serenity and inner peace. He also asks a rhetorical question; What if there was another Van Gogh in the world unable to realize his potential due to the harmful effects of light pollution, which instills a sense of fear in readers, especially adults fearing the loss of their children's creativity? children. Bogard doesn't stop there. disadvantages to which humans are exposed, it also informs us about how unnatural lighting endangers our ecosystem, essential to life on earth, which appeals to environmentalists. Judging from the way Bogard concluded his essay, we feel that the purpose of this passage was to highlight the solution already present, making his argument simple, practical, and meaningful. He exposes the problem, builds on it, but ultimately reassures that there is still hope to change and become better. Works Cited Bogard, P. (2012). Let it be dark. The Atlantic, 310(4), 62-71. Bogard, P. (2013). The End of Night: In Search of Natural Darkness in the Age of Artificial Light. Little, Brown and company. Byrd, D.R. & Stern, R.A. (2018). Environmental light pollution: trends and effects of artificial night lighting. In Handbook of environmental psychology and quality of life research (pp. 153-168). Springer. Cinzano, P., Falchi, F. and Elvidge, CD (2001). The world's first atlas of artificial night sky brightness. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 328(3), 689-707. Duriscoe, D.M., Luginbuhl, C.B., & Moore, C. (2013). Measuring night sky brightness: methods and challenges. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 440(1), 012001. Falchi, F., Cinzano, P., Elvidge, CD, Keith, DM, and Haim, A. (2011). Limit the impact of light pollution on human health, the environment and stellar visibility. Journal of. (2004)., 34(6), 864-881.