Arguments on “What Really Happens to the Plastic You Throw Away”

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Analyzing a Visual Argument
Emma Bryce’s video, “What Really Happens to the Plastic You Throw Away,” explains the journey of three discarded plastic bottles and their effect on the planet. The three bottles manufactured in a factory begin their journey in dustbins. Bottle one ends up in a landfill where rainwater absorbs the harmful water-soluble compounds it contains, forming a toxic liquid that sips into water bodies, destroying life and vegetation. Bottle two travels through water bodies to the ocean’s garbage patch, polluting the ocean and killing sea animals. Bottle three ends up in a recycling plant where it is transformed into new products. Bryce’s video is compelling as it utilizes a convincing argument, uses logos, employs simple yet effective animation, and strongly relates to other research materials. However, she can be criticized for failing to appeal to pathos and discussing opposing views.
The video is compelling as it utilizes a convincing main argument. Bryce’s main aim is to educate people on what happens to plastics once disposed of. He successfully does this by pushing his idea assertively through the three bottles’ story and how they affect the surrounding. Through the three stories, one can follow the plastics’ journey cohesively, understand each stage and understand the harm to the ecosystem. For example, for bottle two, one can understand how it travels, as different water bodies are connected until they empty into the ocean and its effects on marine life (“Emma Bryce,”1.54-3.10).
The utilization of logos makes the video effective. The video is infused with the logic that supports Bryce’s assertion about plastics. From the video, there is irrefutable proof that when plastics are disposed of irresponsibly, they bring harmful consequences to the people and the environment. For instance, when the second bottle is produced in a factor, it ends up at a consumer’s house and is finally disposed of. It is then swept away by rainwater into a stream, a river, a lake, and eventually the ocean, where it ends up. Once in the here, it becomes part of the garbage patch observed in oceans across the world (“Emma Bryce,”1.58-2.20).
The video has strong relations to other material, thereby making it effective. Bryce’s video demonstrates that plastics end up in recycling, landfills, and the ocean. Renee Cho, in her article, “What Happens to All That Plastic?” agrees with Bryce that the US produces and discards millions of tons in plastics (Renee). According to her, only 9.5 percent of the disposed of plastic ends up in recycling plants. Her article notes that most plastics end up in landfills, where they are to take 500 years to decay, and before then, they leak contaminants that harm t...