Sample Paragraph

ENG 121

In the interest of public health, we must press harder for laws to drastically limit automobile emissions. [thesis statement] There are simply too many drivers who ignore the fact that poorly maintained engines mean trouble for everyone in the form of polluted air. There is a man on my street who drives a "bomber." Everyday as he drives by my house, he is accompanied by a foul-smelling cloud of grayish-white smoke spewing from his tailpipe. This cloud will hover over the entire block until it is finally dispersed by the wind. And this is but one example of a very widespread problem. The other day I was driving into town and stopped for a red light behind a car whose exhaust, dense and acrid, seemed to fill the entire sky. The driver appeared oblivious to the effect this had on everyone who was stuck in traffic with him. At that moment, through the intersection came a city bus billowing a stream of jet-black diesel smoke from its stack as the motor revved with an ear-splitting whine. When the light turned green and the traffic moved on, I glanced in my rearview mirror and saw such a dense cloud it was as if someone's car had caught fire and burned to the ground. Meanwhile, in front of me the same smoky car was still sending its choking fumes back. I couldn't escape because the traffic was so heavy, so I tried not to breathe until I could somehow get free of the asphyxiating mess. Two thoughts immediately sprung to mind. First: yuck! Second, more reflectively, this little scene is being repeated all over our city, and in every city, all day long, every day of the year. We urban dwellers do like our luxuries and conveniences, such as the automobile. We've gotten so used to them that we perceive them as necessities. But along with the "necessities" comes the most basic necessity of all-- breathable air. To encourage the driving public toward this end, it is vital that stricter emissions laws are enacted now.