Bottled Water Analysis

In Annie Leonard's video “The Story of Bottled Water,” she introduces her audience into the downfalls of continuing to buy bottled water instead of just using tap water. Annie Leonard did an extraordinary job of convincing her audience that bottled water isn't a healthy alternative to tap water through an effective balance of logos and pathos appeals. She starts by explaining why we don't need watered bottles because they are less quality and less regulated than tap water. Annie Leonard then disputes the cost of bottled water compared to the cost of tap water. Annie Leonard applies many logos appeals in her video involving bottled water by questioning the audience and asking direct questions that need common sense to answer. She also endorses powerful pathos appeals to connect directly to her audience throughout the video.
The most convincing argument Annie Leonard uses to persuade the audience into not needing bottled water is her logos appeals. Annie Leonard asks people to use their common logic when confronting the temptations to

buy bottled water. She demonstrates strong logos appeals when asking the audience about bottled water necessary with sentences like “who would demand a less sustainable, less tasty, way more expensive product?” She explains throughout the beginning of her video that bottled water is less quality and is less regulated than tap water shown across tests conducted by the city of Cleveland. She also states another logos appeal when she compares the high price of bottled water to the low tap water prices. Her price and accessibility claim is a very solid point because who would choose a more expensive product when an individual can get water at home for nearly free. She also backs the claims of bottled water being less tasty and regulated by saying these tests were conducted by the city of Cleveland. Another way Annie Leonard simplifies logic in her video is when she explains that all the energy used to make, ship, and sell them aren't worth it when we drink it so quickly after. Since Annie Leonard’s audience seem to be aware environmentally, the next claim will resonate more.
Annie Leonard's most convincing pathos appeals lays in her discussing bottled water effects on the environment. One of her main points in the video is the environmental damage that bottled water causes to produce, and the damage it does to the environment when it's time to dispose of it. She strikes a nerve within the audience when she starts explaining the pollution behind bottled water production and disposal. Annie Leonard also tackles the corrupt disposal process and says that the items that couldn't be fully recycled were “to be dumped in someone else's backyard.” Which makes an audience question themselves and how they would deal with someone just throwing items in their backyard. She states that every year the oil being used to produce water bottles “can fuel a million cars.” She then goes on to talk about shipping them across the globe and right to the local supermarket. She also claims that bottled water companies try to make the buyer feel either “scared or insecure” without their product. She states that “Manufacturing demand” is the company's way of intimidating us from the evils of tap water and seducing us with their majestic pure Fiji water in the bottle. Therefore, us continuing to support bottled water we are slowly destroying our natural habit.
To conclude, I believe Annie Leonard did an outstanding job to educate and make her audience believe her.

She used brilliant amounts of logos and pathos appeal across her whole video. Her logos and pathos appeals were so outstandingly strong she didn't rely on ethos appeals at all. She explained that bottled water isn't a healthy alternative to tap water as misleading advertising shows it out to be. She leaves us to believe that bottled water is nothing but an unregulated, less quality, less tasty, more expensive, harder to produce and dispose of than the alternative tap water. Annie Leonard's audience seem to be environmentalist and it would be a home run to all, but I found it interesting that I started looking at water bottles very different now and i'm not an environmentalist. Annie Leonard uses all her persuasive devices to persuade the audience that bottled water is the main villain and that tap water is the hero in the

story.