Acid Rain: Scourge From The Skies

Acid Rain: Scourge from the Skies

“North Americans have been smelting ore and burning fossil fuels for generations. In the past, the gases went up ordinary chimneys or small smoke stacks, to descend upon near by areas and pollute them,” states author, Robert Collins. Almost everyone knows what acid rain is and has a vague idea of the consequences that exist as a cause of it. Most people however do not realize the severity of acid rain. The essay “Acid Rain: Scourge from the Skies” by Robert Collins was very effective in showing the true severity of acid rain. By using excellent developmental devices, Robert Collins was able to write an effective essay that is appealing to today’s society, as well as informative especially for today’s constantly changing world.

Firstly, the developmental devices used in the essay are vital to it’s effectiveness. Without them, the author would not have been able to supply sufficient proof to his findings and convince the reader of the true severity of acid rain. Collins used noteworthy facts throughout the essay to prove is point about how severe acid rain truly is. The facts that he used added substance to the essay by validating his point of view. In the same way, the author used effective illustrations and examples to prove his point. These examples and illustrations simplified the readers understanding as to how severe acid rain is and how we can try to prevent it. For instance, one great illustration adopted in the essay reports, “Lumsden Lake, on the north shore of Ontario’s Georgian Bay, twinkles like a sapphire in a setting verdant forest and sparkling quartz.

Blue, incredibly clear, and seemingly pure, just twenty years ago it abounded in fish. But now, this exquisite lake is dead, it’s fish wiped out.” Moreover, another developmental device used in the essay “Acid Rain: Scourge from the Skies” was comparison and contrast to show the difference between the amount of polluting oxides that Canada puts into the air each year compared to the amount that the United States lets into the air. In fact, the essay claims that, “Each year the eastern United States belched forty-eight million metric tons of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides; Canada emits seven million tons.” This device helps to show the readers the vast differences between the two countries as w...

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... removing and/or stopping the pollution that is emitted into the air from large refineries or factories. In fact, the essay claims that “Of several techniques to remove pollution during industrial coal combustion, perhaps the most effective is ‘scrubbing,’ in which gases are washed in a desulphurizing bath before going into the atmosphere.” This is informative because it shows that there is a way control acid rain. Similarly, the essay stated many different ways in which everyday people could help control the amount of pollution that is discharged into the air. A solution like carpooling so that the amount of pollutants that are emitted into the air are lowered is just one of the many ways discussed in the essay for society to lower the pollution in the air. The informative way in which Robert Collins presented his idea’s added to the effectiveness of the essay.

In conclusion, “Acid Rain: Scourge from the Skies” was effective in proving how severe acid rain is and can be. Robert Collins wrote informatively about a notable subject what anyone can comprehend and he used many commendable writing devices which all added to the effectiveness of the essay.