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Brittany Martinez
English 101
Essay #2
Compare/Contrast and
Cause/ Effect Essay
October 6, 2007
Rhetorical Situation
Writer:
As a writer I did some research on the advantages of electric cars and how they
compare to gasoline cars. Also, I watched some videos and read articles on
environmental issues. Out of those I decided to write about electric cars because I found
out some interesting facts on them and since I always like to help save our environment I
would like to share these facts with my audience whoever that may be.
Audience:
My audience can be anyone! Especially people that care about our environment,
such as environmentalists that would like to help minimize the damage that we do to it.
Or people who are completely opposite and just do not care about our environment;
hopefully my essay will change their minds and opinions about improving the air we
breathe and our health.
Topic:
My topic is from the article, “Electric Cars.” Why electric cars are so much better
for our environment rather than gasoline cars.
Purpose:
I would like to inform others the major difference between electric and gasoline
cars and how electric cars are a lot healthier for our selves and the environment. Also I
want to point out the disturbing effects that gasoline cars have on the air we breathe. By
reading my essay readers will have a better understanding of how using electric cars
would be a smarter healthier way to drive.
Context:
The reason why I decided to write about electric cars was because I like to do as much as
I can to help our environment and getting an electric car is a simple but effective way to
do that. From what I learned by doing research and reading articles, electric cars are a lot
safer, healthier, and smarter to drive then any gasoline car.
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Electric Verses Gasoline
Today we are faced with many environmental conflicts because of the choices we
have made and it is up to us to reverse them. For years we have been damaging our earth
with pollution, liter, and have been taking advantage of our natural resources. One simple
yet effective way to help reduce pollution would be switching our cars to run on electric
rather then gasoline. We have had the technology to make electric cars since the late
1800’s and early 1900’s, and at first electric cars were actually very popular. However,
that changed as soon as large supplies of oil were found in Texas which made the price of
oil to dramatically fall. Unfortunately for the environment, this caused gasoline cars to
become a standard for vehicles and electric cars vanished. Since cars that run on gasoline
can cause so much damage to our earth the simple switch back to electric cars could
make our environment a lot cleaner, healthy, and even save energy.
Gasoline cars can be very dangerous because they release a series of gases that
can damage both our environment and health. In the article “Electric Cars,” it states that
every year about 8,000 people die in Southern California just from smog and other forms
of air pollution. Also, with every gallon of gas that is burned from our cars 22 pounds of
carbon dioxide is being released. Many environmentalists believe that carbon dioxide is
the source of our global warming issue since it damages the atmosphere and greenhouse
effect. Methane and carbon monoxide are some other air pollutants that come from
gasoline cars. Carbon monoxide is an invisible gas that can be deadly if it is inhaled
directly, since it can effect how much oxygen can be carried through the blood system.
This just shows how deadly those fumes are and they are coming from your very own
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car!
Some other advantages of switching to electric cars would be to reduce the
amount of oil spills that occur and to save energy. Even simply transporting oil for
gasoline fueled cars can be hazardous because of accidents and oil spills. “In 1989, the
Exxon Valdez oil tanker spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska’s Prince
William Sound, causing environmental damage that so far has cost hundreds of millions
of dollars to clean up.” If we all used electric fueled cars then the demand for oil would
decrease, and these incidents would not occur as much as they do. Also, compared to
gasoline cars, electric cars would cost the same amount or less to refuel because
electricity is one of the cheapest forms of fuel. If electric cars refueled using energy from
power plants during the night, they would not only be cheaper to refuel but they would
also save a lot of energy. At night, the demand for energy is low and utilities often have
extra power that goes unused so electric cars would store the otherwise wasted energy at
night and then use it during the day when supplies are limited. By doing this, electric cars
reduce the amount of energy wasted and maximize our energy efficiency.
Gasoline fueled cars have become apart of our everyday life, but it obvious that
we should make the switch and use electric. Electric cars are not only more
environmental friendly but they also are a lot safer. No one realizes how much damage an
average gasoline fueled car can do to our health and our environment until now.
Hopefully, by learning how much harm gas fueled cars can do, we will make the decision
to stop abusing our planet and drive smarter, safer, and healthier with an electric car.