Plastic Bags: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Bag

The use of plastic bags has been debated for years. Some people prefer to use them, and others would rather use substitutes, and most have their personal reasons why they lean one way or the other in the argument. In this article, the author addresses why he believes plastic bags should not be banned. The author, Adam B. Summers, uses various literary tools and appeals throughout his article, "Bag Ban Bad for Freedom and Environment," to support his argument that banning plastic bags would do more harm than good.

Logical appeal is the most frequently used literary device in the passage. Summers utilizes several statistics and study results to back up his claim. One example of logical appeal is when Summers writes, "Compared to paper bags, plastic grocery bags produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions, require 70 percent less energy to make, generate 80 percent less waste, and utilize less than 4 percent of the amount of water needed to manufacture them." Summers used these statistics to persuade readers that plastic bags are better for the environment and economy than their main substitutes. Logical appeal is used a number of additional times

Summers included multiple statements from well-informed and professional sources in this matter. One excerpt uses information provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; this excerpt states that "plastic bags, sacks, and wraps of all kinds (not just grocery bags) make up only 1.6 percent of all municipal solid waste materials." The author included this statement to back up his earlier claim that plastic bags are not nearly as harmful to the environment as a good majority of people believe, and the fact that this information comes from the EPA makes Summers' information seem more reliable. He utilizes other sources such as professors from the University of Pennsylvania and George Mason University to back up his initial statement as