Why Being Outdoors is Underrated - Persuasive Message & Analysis #1

Running Head: PERSUASIVE MESSAGE R. Hess 1

Why Being Outdoors is Underrated


“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.”

American author, philosopher, and naturalist- Henry David Thoreau


Persuasive Message

As college students, we are always stressing about something and looking for

ways to relieve that stress. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of

America, eighty percent of college students say they frequently or sometimes experience

daily stress. Thirty four percent have felt depressed at some point in the past three

months, thirteen percent have been diagnosed with a mental health condition such as an

anxiety disorder or depression, and nine percent have seriously considered suicide in the

past year. Stress will always be apparent in our lives but how we handle it is up to us.

Spending time in nature is significant because it relieves worry, brings people together,

and promotes gratification through activities spent outside. The resolution for stress

among college students is to familiarize ourselves more with the outdoors.

On the first day of Persuasion lecture each student had to discuss their hobbies

and interests to the class. I listened to a lot of people enjoying shopping, hanging out with

friends, traveling, and playing sports. But I was more disappointed in what I did not hear.

Only one out of twenty five other students considered their hobby to be hiking and

fishing. The evidence shows that for students in this classroom being outdoors is

underrated and I want to encourage more students to get outside involved in nature.

But how will submersing ourselves in nature relieve stress? First we must

consider the benefits. Being in nature reduces anger, fear, and stress while increasing

pleasant feelings. Research done in hospitals, offices, and schools has found that a single

plant in a room can have significant effects on a person’s stress and anxiety. According to

the University of Minnesota, because we are genetically programmed to find trees, plants,

water, and other nature elements captivating, we are absorbed by nature scenes and


distracted from our pain and discomfort. As John Burroughs said, “I go to nature to be

soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.”

Being outdoors brings people together. It can introduce you to lifelong friendships

with different types of people. There is intimacy in stories shared by headlamp, of limits

pushed and overcome, and of hardship conquered together. The relationships formed also

feel truer, deeper, and more real. It encourages a mentality of not just thinking you can

get through hard times, but knowing you can. Nature connects people through shared

experiences of adversity and enduring the elements.

Being active outside can promote gratification through hobbies as well. Kayakers

use only a kayak and paddle as tools for survival to conquer the rivers many obstacles.

Rock climbers experience mental clarity that can be therapeutic. Through climbing you

are overcoming fear and learning more about yourself and your own limits. Feelings of

inner peace and awareness in mind and environment surface through this form of self-

discovery.

Don’t you want to be exploring waterfalls, creeks, and beautiful places only

available by foot or kayak? Seeing photos of big mountains, wishing you could climb

them for the spectacular view from the summit. What if I told you that those mountains

are in reach, and it is possible to climb them? The mountains are not going anywhere,

they have been around for millions of years and they will continue to tower over and cast

shadows on the Earth for a million more. But you will not. You must take advantage of

this time and opportunity while you are young and experience what the world has to offer

you. I want to encourage my class of fellow college students to get more involved in the

outdoor community. Rickett’s Glen State Park has a seven mile non-strenuous hiking trail


that lets you see large waterfalls up close and personal. If you want to try rock climbing,

backpacking, mountaineering, white-water rafting, or caving you can easily get in touch

with the outdoor organization that I am involved with on upper campus called Quest.

Word Count: 649


Comprehensive Analysis

My persuasive message focuses on encouraging my fellow classmates to explore what

nature and the outdoors has to offer. I chose the students in my Persuasion class as my audience

because they did not consider doing activities outside to be a hobby or interest. In order for this

persuasive message to work, they need to hear from someone that does spend a lot of their time

outdoors. They can trust my own personal experiences and knowledge of outdoor activities. I

also considered that many of my classmates may want to try these activities but do not know

how to get started. Overall, I want the persuasive message to inspire and encourage college

students to get more involved in nature and the outdoors.

The response I expect from my audience is that they would be eager to try

outdoor activities if they recognized the benefits and knew how to get started. I anticipate them

to already have positive associations with the outdoors from my persuasive message and

hopefully that enables my classmates to take action immediately. I hope that my persuasive

message is the little push that my audience needs to adapt to the lifestyle and experience the

benefits. I believe that my audience would respond in such a way because for many college

students it is their first time on their own with responsibilities such as cooking, cleaning, being

on time, and balancing schoolwork and a social life. While accommodating to these

responsibilities, they may also be introduced to other interests and activities such as being

involved in the outdoors and carrying that interest to other states, countries, and continents.

Taking small steps can lead to even more life-changing experiences that can occur all over the

world.

In my introduction paragraph I used logos and included statistics to support how

prevalent stress is in college students. In the following paragraphs logos was used more to


provide extensive evidence of research from trusted sources. I chose to use logos in my

persuasive message at the beginning because I wanted to convey the factual and beneficial

information about being in nature that the audience may not be aware of. I then used pathos in

the middle of my paper to indirectly express emotions of togetherness and invigorating

adventure. I figured by stating the feelings I felt from being outdoors, that anyone would be

persuaded to want to feel them as well. In the remaining sentences of my persuasive message I

made use of the last emotional appeal called ethos which gives the reader a sense of my own

character and credibility. To share my knowledge of how to get started I talked about an easy

hiking trail nearby and even referred to Bloomsburg University’s outdoor organization that I am

involved in. Lastly, the photo I share at the bottom of my persuasive message can indicate more

usage of ethos and pathos because it is a credible photograph of myself that also promotes

feelings of serenity and admiration for nature.

In my persuasive message I used a few strategies from Rank’s Intensify/Downplay Model

to help persuade my audience. Throughout my message I made sure to use repetition to validate

and intensify my point that nature and being outdoors is beneficial. Because it may be difficult to

find anything negative about my argument, I was intent on using association to link only positive

ideas to my point. As the author I do believe that there are only positive aspects to being outside

and this is a topic that would make it hard to argue an opposing opinion. Fortunately because of

this there is little room for me to make a mistake or sway someone away while indicating my

message. For composition I used the expected font and size of text as well as included a cover

page with my topic and a page with an introduction quote to reinforce the significance and

organization of my message. To also add to my methods of persuasion I included a vibrant

picture of myself as a silhouette in a tent watching the sunset in West Virginia. The best part


about this photo is that the entire moment was candid and I did not know my friend was behind

me taking a photograph. It really shows that one can easily get lost in what nature has to offer.

I used a combination of intellectual and dramatistic evidence to back up my ideas. For

dramatic evidence I made sure to include a reason why I picked this topic. So, in the second

paragraph I wrote a short narrative explaining my point of view and how this issue had become

bothersome to me. Hopefully by indicating that perspective the reader will share a similar point

of view as well as agreement towards the rising issue. Within the message I include numerous

testimonies from poets, journalists, and researchers whom I can find common ground with on the

topic. In other sections of the message I included short personal anecdotes to specify my own

credibility and experience in the outdoors. Lastly, with intellectual evidence as explained before,

I gathered information, research, and quotes from significant individuals such as naturalists John

Burroughs and Henry David Thoreau.

The top five key words that are most frequently used in my message are nature, outdoors,

stress, encourage, and experience. When writing the message I did not want to mislead the reader

by using semantics, I wanted the words I use to be straightforward and down to earth. These key

words can be motivational and inspiring. On a more thematic level, my persuasive message did

not use any words that represent a sound, feeling, or texture. My message is extremely

straightforward and easy to follow to avoid confusion.

The organizational pattern that I used in my persuasive message is topical. I decided to

use this arrangement because my topic is broad and has numerous points that relate and I needed

to narrow it down to a few main points due to the word limit. It is organized in a way that makes

sense when I introduce statistics about stress in college students, include a short narrative about

how my college classmates are not involved in the outdoors, and then state how submersing


ourselves in nature can relieve the stress. I then go into detail about why being outdoors can be

helpful in other ways relating to soothing stress such as friendships, gratification through

activities, and the encouragement to go out and get involved in it right now. Lastly, I indicated

specific steps on how to jumpstart this rewarding experience into their lives.

References:

"Facts." Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.

"John Burroughs Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.

Larson, Jean, and Mary Jo Kreitzer. "How Does Nature Impact Our Wellbeing?" Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing. University of Minnesota. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.

Zurer, Rachel. "Falling in Love on the Trail." Backpacker Magazine. N.p., Sept. 2015. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.

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Why Being Outdoors is Underrated - Persuasive Message & Analysis #1