An ecological footprint is the impact of a person or community on the environment. All living things leave an ecological footprint and the important factor is how far, or permanent, it is. Many Americans are blissfully unaware of how their everyday choices effect the environment, that’s not to say that they don’t care, it’s simply to say that ignorance does not reap a pleasant harvest. However despite how many individuals fail to recognize the cancerous expanse of negligence, there are still those that strive to make a positive impact. One such person, author Alex Shoumatoff, holds readers accountable for their actions. Educating them about the damaging effects of ecological ignorance and challenging them to make the necessary changes required to better the overall condition of the planet. Shoumatoff effectively appeals to the emotions of the reader, as well as to logic in his support of factual evidence, all while intelligently structuring and organizing his argument in a way that allows his points to be made as concisely as possible. Throughout his piece Shoumatoff exercised his appeals to pathos. He creates a sympathetic and thought provoking …show more content…
An example of this could be as simple as showering or using a cell phone. Shoumatoff’s passionate stance on ecological conservation lacks a necessary level of empathy for his audience, and this weakens his argument in the sense that it leaves his audience with a sense of helplessness and guilt, not a motivation to change. However, the purpose of his argument is to bring awareness to a problem that commonly goes unheard, and in this he succeeds. He effectively orchestrates an argument that compels readers to reevaluate their everyday actions and how they may adversely affect the world they live