Argumentative Essay On Cigarettes

Cigarettes have become a national icon, as big as the likes of cooperating giants such as Coca-Cola, as people are familiar with the idea of smoking from such a young age, becoming so addicted and subservient to seeing the act as normalcy in modern day America. Therefore certain solutions are needed to, at the very least, help make this icon less harmful to this country’s health. Both online articles, “Are Herbal and ‘Natural’ Cigarettes Safer?” by Ennis Thompson Jr.’s and “Marlboro Introduces Vitamin-Infused Cigarettes” by The Daily Currant argue that the so called “healthy” or “natural” cigarettes actually have a few health benefits and are only just a way to slow down the dangers of smoking. The Daily Currant makes a valid argument through

One cigarette can contain 8mg of nicotine to 20mg (How much Nicotine). Thompson Jr. and The Daily Currant use rhetorical strategies as a way to say, although nicotine is addicting, alternatives can have a negative effect as well. These alternatives can be just as addicting as nicotine, “In fact herbal cigarettes are as harmful as tobacco cigarettes, because any vegetable matter that’s burned produces tar, carbon monoxide, and other toxins” and on top of being addicting are required by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to carry a warning that herbal cigarettes are harmful to health (Are Herbal and ‘Natural’ Cigarettes safer?). Vitarettes (vitamin infused cigarettes) states that “Branding an unhealthy product as healthy by adding small amounts of vitamins has worked wonders for sugar-water purveyor Vitamin Water, and Phillip Morris hopes it too can capture some of that Magic.” (The Daily Currant) showing that, just by adding different alternative they may appear healthy and might be healthy, but it does not cancel out the harmful substances that are still in a product. The authors are making the argument that alternatives for nicotine can only slow down the process of blackened lungs, not stop

The article makes the audience feel as if they are overlooked by society for the bad habit they have developed, which in turn undermines cigarettes. The Daily Currant portrays Vitarettes as healthy which in humor will never be a fact. Thompson Jr. uses pure facts in his article as a solution to undermine those who use cigarettes as well as the actual cigarette. It gives lead way that herbal cigarettes are a little healthier than actual cigarettes. The undermining however, is the facts claiming it still causes harmful effects to the body. These facts directly make the audience feel guilt of the habit they are trying to overcome. Rhetorical use of satire indirect approaches the audience while facts directly approach the audience. A person in the audience reading The Daily Currant might feel that the habit of smoking is no joking manner and of a personal problem, not meant to be conquered with humor. The article could come across as offensive and not be very effective. A reader of the article “Are Herbal and ‘Natural’ Cigarettes Safer?” might come to the realization of how harmful any cigarette is due to the facts being so direct. Smoking in this manner is not a joke and it’s a harsh reality to read what a bad habit can