University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón
English 3104
Spring 2015
Prof. Davieliz Villafañe Colón
“Bottled Troubled Water” Outline
I. Introduction
A. Hook: “A disease has swept over our nation. It’s called consumeritis, and its symptoms,
among many others, include sluggishness, chronic apathy, alienation, obesity, and a
constant, nagging feeling that there is something missing from our lives” (para. 1).
B. Background Information:
1. There is no background information provided for this argumentative essay.
C. Thesis Statement: “The harm done to our environment, the waste of our resources, and the
potential health risks caused by bottled water’s mass production, distribution, and
consumption far outweigh its possible benefits” (para. 1).
II. Body
A. Background Paragraph: This argumentative essay does not provide a background
paragraph.
B. Supporting Evidence Paragraph # 1:
1. Topic Sentence: “Our thirst for bottled water has become seemingly unquenchable,
and as it grows, so does its impact on our environment” (para. 2).
2. Introduction of Evidence:
a. Tony Azios’s “The Battle over Bottled vs. Tap Water”
b. NRDC’s “Bottled Water: Pure Drink or Pure Hype?”
3. Explanation of Evidence:
Adapted from:
CSSC (Communications Student Support Center)
Odegaard Writing & Research Center
Refer to Prezi Presentation on the second part of chapter 16 for more information.
University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón
English 3104
Spring 2015
Prof. Davieliz Villafañe Colón
a. The author uses Azios’s article to present statistics that demonstrate that the
percentage of production for bottles of water has considerably increased since
2002, making water “the highest-selling commercial drink” (para. 2).
b. The author uses the NRDC’s article to present facts that prove that the production
of bottles of water is affecting the environment by “creating thousands of tons of
global-warming pollution and other air pollution” (para. 2).
4. Concluding Sentence: “The transport of bottled water that year from eastern Europe
to New York contributed approximately 3,800 tons of global-warming pollution to
the atmosphere, while the shipping of 18 million gallons of bottled water from Fiji to
California produced about 2,500 tons of such pollution (para. 7)” (para. 2).
C. Supporting Evidence Paragraph # 2:
1. Topic Sentence: “Given the virtually incomprehensible quantities of bottled water
manufactured, transported, bought, and sold, it is no surprise that the waste from it
amounts to alarmingly large numbers” (para. 3).
2. Introduction of Evidence:
a. NDRC
b. Tony Azios
3. Explanation of Evidence
a.
The author proves that the production of bottles of water is affecting the landfills
through the statistics presented by the NRDC regarding the impossibility to
recycle every bottle of water (para. 3).
Adapted from:
CSSC (Communications Student Support Center)
Odegaard Writing & Research Center
Refer to Prezi Presentation on the second part of chapter 16 for more information.
University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón
English 3104
Spring 2015
Prof. Davieliz Villafañe Colón
b.
The author proves that oil and water are two of the natural resources that are
most affected in the production of bottles of water by quoting the information
presented by Azios in his article (para. 3).
4. Concluding Sentence: “It’s also no wonder, with all the energy and resources wasted,
that we end up paying 2,000 times more for a liter of bottled water than we would a
liter of tap water (2)” (para. 3).
D. Supporting Evidence Paragraph # 3 (Divided in Two Paragraphs):
1. Topic Sentence: “While it’s obvious we are willing to pay entirely too much money
for it, are we also willing to gamble our health on bottled water?” (para. 4).
2. Introduction of Evidence:
a. Janet Jemmott’s “Bottled Water vs. Tap Water”
3. Explanation of Evidence:
a. In the first paragraph, the author relies on Jemmott’s article to talk about
chemicals that can result from the plastic used to produce bottles of water.
Conclusive evidence is not presented neither by the author who writes the essay
nor by the authority being quoted.
4. Concluding Sentence: “In the study, levels found were below those set as safe by the
EPA, but it’s a topic that needs more research (Jemmott 3)” (para. 5).
E. Counterarguments and Response(s) to Them
1. Argument(s) from the Opposition:
a. It is convenient to buy a bottle of water because you can buy it anywhere at any
time (para. 6).
Adapted from:
CSSC (Communications Student Support Center)
Odegaard Writing & Research Center
Refer to Prezi Presentation on the second part of chapter 16 for more information.
University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón
English 3104
Spring 2015
Prof. Davieliz Villafañe Colón
b. Faucets and drinking fountains are full of impurities (para. 7).
c. The author presents USA Today’s article “AP: Drugs Show Up in Americans’
Water” as evidence that supports the opposition’s claim that the water supply is
full of impurities (para. 9).
2. Refutation of the Opposition’s argument(s):
a. If you want to have water available anywhere at any time, the author suggests
carrying a container to pour water (para. 6).
b. The author admits that faucets and drinking fountains are full of impurities, but he
demonstrates that “the regulation of tap water is somewhat more reliable and
transparent” according to the Cornell University Cooperative Extension’s “Water
Quality: Bottled Water” (para. 7). To further refute the argument of the
opposition, the author presents a statistical information provided by Jemmott to let
the reader know that the production of bottles of water also relies on faucets or
“water in municipal source” (para. 7).
c. “Tap water is generally fluoridated, while most bottled water is not…” (para. 8).
d. To contest the argument of the water supply’s impurities, the author refers to the
evidence presented by Cornell University. He also presents a statistical
information that proves that the production of bottles of water relies on the same
water supply criticized by the opposition to question the so called purity of the
bottles of water (para. 9).
e. Quoting Jemmott, the author states that “toxins in drinking water don’t exceed
EPA limits” (para. 10). He concludes the counterargument section by stating that
Adapted from:
CSSC (Communications Student Support Center)
Odegaard Writing & Research Center
Refer to Prezi Presentation on the second part of chapter 16 for more information.
University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón
English 3104
Spring 2015
Prof. Davieliz Villafañe Colón
the impurities of water supplies are not as troublesome as argued because of the
once-a-year consumer confidence reports, state-certified lab tests, and types of
tap-water filters (para. 10).
III. Conclusion
A. The conclusion has a logical end but lacks some elements. The author follows the
structure of the introduction to format his conclusion. It can be seen that the first
sentence is connected to the hook. The author also restates the thesis statement at the end
of this paragraph. The summary of the support is vaguely presented and presents
consumeritis as an important topic when the emphasis should be on the bottles of water
(para. 11).
B. The author states that the production of bottles of water is greatly affecting our
environment for no apparent reason (para. 11). He proposes that, if we are still not
convinced about switching from bottles of water to tap water, we should consider specific
brands, labels, and informative websites (para. 10). The problem with the proposition or
proposal is that it does not take place in the conclusion; it takes place in the
counterargument section.
C. The author emphasizes that his essay is important because the environment is suffering
due to the massive production of bottles of water. However, he does not show statistics
or conclusive evidence that the bottles of water create as many problems as he proposes
throughout the essay. Are the containers we buy to store liquids reliable? If the plastic
used for bottles of water is not safe, how can we know that any container is?
Adapted from:
CSSC (Communications Student Support Center)
Odegaard Writing & Research Center
Refer to Prezi Presentation on the second part of chapter 16 for more information.