Adam B. Summers equips a combination of evidence, reasoning, and style to build a convincing argument to prove why plastic shopping bags should not be banned. The assertive, logical, yet empathetic tone grabs the reader's attention and persuades them to agree with Summers’ point. The numerous facts throughout the paper effectively back up Summers’ argument. After he makes a claim, he provides examples and facts to further explain his point. For example, he first claims that the “claims that plastic bags are [worse] for the environment than paper bags… are dubious at best” and then follows with the results of a study that state that “plastic grocery bags produce fewer greenhouse gases [than paper bags],” which convinces…show more content… As shown by the current day polls for the upcoming election, Donald Trump, while he has many immoral and cruel views, gains public attention and followers due to his image of an “everyday man.” In his speeches, he speaks with the same language as any citizen does, which makes the average person assume that he has similar feelings and consider him “just a normal guy like themselves.” While Summers is fighting for a drastically different issue, he employs the same strategy as Trump when it comes to empathizing with the public. The most prominent example of this is when Summers is addressing the misconceptions about whether plastic bags were terrible due to the negative effects on marine life. He states, “…believe me, I love sea turtles as much as the next guy…” When an individual reads this line, they connect more to the author and therefore trust him to give them the correct facts the way you would trust an old friend to tell you the truth. It also makes the scientific facts and language less imposing for the audience. Instead of reading through the proof with a glassy eyed stare, trying to understand the confusing scientific speak, they comfortably comprehend all the evidence and understand the overall argument more
