Structure

“Nature and the City” by Eric Hoffer is a philosophical essay. An essay is a short non-fiction text through which the writer reflects on a particular topic and argues for his views on that topic.

Essays are usually divided into three categories: personal (or autobiographical), objective (analyzing a certain issue/theme) or abstract-universal (analyzing wider concepts outside facts and personal experience). “Nature and the City” falls between personal and objective essays, as the author explores both his personal experience and factual arguments.

The basic structure of any essay includes a title, an introduction, a main body, and a conclusion. This is also the case in Hoffer’s “Nature and the City”. In what follows, we will look at how these structural components function in Hoffer’s essay.

Main body

The main body of an essay develops and supports the thesis statement. The arguments can come from examples, fact-based evidence, or personal experience.

In the case of “Nature and the City”, Eric Hoffer begins his argumentation by presenting his personal experience which has shown him that man and nature are enemies, and that man feels the most comfortable in cities: “Direct contact with nature almost always meant scratches, bites, torn clothes and grime that ate its way into every pore of the body.” (p. 211, ll. 8-9); “I knew with every fiber of my being that the city is man’s only home on this planet; that it is his refuge from a hostile, nonhuman cosmos.” (p. 211, ll. 13-14)

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Conclusion

The conclusion of an essay is presented in the last paragraph of the text. Its purpose is to restate the thesis statement and summarize the main ideas presented in the essay. At the end of “Nature and the City”, Eric Hoffer restates the idea that people and nature are enemies and that cities are...

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Also, here you can read about the title and introduction of the article “Nature and the City” by Eric Hoffer.