The Bottle vs. The Tap

The article I chose discusses the benefits of using tap water over bottled water. The author claims that we shouldn't allow public water to be privatized because then we will not know if it is contaminated or not. Buying bottles of water is more expensive to our pockets and the environment than is simply using our tap.

Published: March 21, 2005
Paper of Origin: The Seattle Times
Target Audience: Consumers of water (everyone) and calling for those who buy bottled water to stop doing so
Audience Beliefs: Not a lot of people give a ton of regard to whether or not they are using tap water or bottled water
Debates: Some people are really into the whole "SmartWater" thing (hey, I am) and claim that this water is somehow healthier than tap water. If your tap water tastes nasty, filter it.

Tools -
1) Tone - "If it's in a bottle, it must be safe and clean" - The author uses a sarcastic tone that mostly plays to the audiences pathos and making them realize that water is water.
2) Metaphor - "Bottled water is ultimately a Band-Aid solution" - With this the author tries to convey that buying bottled water doesn't help anyone. In fact, all it does is raise prices on a necessity for those who can't necessarily afford it. Again, this plays on the audience's logos. If we really observe the facts and reason through this issue, it is obvious to see that tap water is a much better way to access water than bottled water.
3) Allusion - "History is rife with conflicts over one party or another's control of a limited resource" - This plays on the audience's pathos and logos because when thinking about this topic, we need to be aware of history and learn from our past mistakes.
4) Simile - "Taking away your water is [like] putting a gun to your head" - Water is a valuable resource, a necessity even, and if we don't have control over our water, which is what would happen if we privatized the industry, we are basically signing our own death warrant. This plays on the audience's pathos and logos. We need to be mindful of the harm that can come about from privatizing water. There are plenty of world-wide examples of why this is a bad idea.
5) Overstatement - "It is our patriotic duty as Americans to ensure that it stays that way" - Although making sure clean water is available to everyone, it is a bit dramatic to say that it is our patriotic duty to do so. This is definitely an appeal to pathos and trying to stir feelings of pride within Americans.
6) Personification - "Nothing speaks louder than when you spend your dollar" - This is personification because money can't really talk. This is a tough one to assign to a single appeal but I'm going to have to go with logos. It is logical to think that those who only care about earning money will listen if people don't buy their product. This influences the audience to recognize that they have power to change things.