A sweatshop is a factory or workshop where the workers are employed at very low wages for long hours and under poor conditions. According to the article “Where Sweatshops are a dream,” written by Nicholas D Kristof argues that the factories could help people get out of poverty. Kristof presents the facts that support sweatshops is underprivileged countries in order to persuade countries to discontinue their negative campaigns against the industries which offer the safest available work.
Kristof’s purpose is not only raises awareness and informs audiences about the issue of factories in developing countries, but attempts to refute the ideas posed by our government with the writer’s knowledge and truth gained through first-hand experience. He’s trying to show that people should stop worrying so much about the low incomes of the factories and focus more on developing these countries industrially. Kristof begins building his credibility with personal facts, reputable sources, citing convincing and emotional appeals; however, toward the end of the article, his attempts to appeals to reader’s emotion weaken his credibility.
Nicholas Kristof suggests encouraging factories is a better action because it will give the impoverished people jobs which in turn helps the economic situation by using the cheap labor to compete with the rest of the world markets. sweat-shops are necessary for development of poor countries Kristof sets the stage by establishing his experience living in East Asia and witnessing the living standards improve from sweatshop women jobs. The first was 19-year-old woman who was scavenging for plastic in the garbage dump. I’d love tom get a job in a factory” she said, “at least that work is in the shade. Here is where it’s hot. ” (paragraph6, pg110).
This woman testimony created effective evidence and clearly show that sweatshop job is positive and alternative for a better life. Kristof uses figurative language like metaphors: “It’s a mountain of festering refuse,” (paragraph 2, pg109), which translates to piles of rotting wastes. Also, “the miasma of toxic stink… ” (Paragraph3, pg. 109), which describes the harmful vapors from the decomposing garbage.
He continues using “… toxic stink leaves you gasping, breezes batter you with filth, and even the rats look forlorn. ” (paragraph 3, pg. 109), which is an example of alliteration. Then, Kristof uses rhetorical questions such as in paragraph nine, “But would you want to work in a sweatshop? ” Finally, Kristof is comparing poverty to a disease, and sweatshops to a symptom of that disease by the use of a metaphor; when he is saying: “Sweatshops are only a symptom of poverty, not a cause.
These visuals statements help Kristof convince his readers that sweatshops are a better option, a way out of poverty. Kristof effectively makes appeals to Pathos in the beginning and the end of his article. His introduction is full of emotionally stories of how children were brutally injured because they had to sift through garbage in hope of recovering enough plastic to equate to a pound. Kristof notes: “the miasma of toxic… searching for old plastic cups that recyclers will buy for five cents a pound (paragraph3, pg109).
Adding to this idea, another feeling Kristoff reinforces with his concept of fairness is the statement from 13 year-old Neuo Chanthou, who earns a bit less than 1$ a day scavenging in the dump. She’s wearing a “Playboy” shirt and hat that she found amid the filth, and she worries about her sister, who lost part of her hand when a garbage truck ran over her. (paragraph116, pg111). “It’s dirty, hot, and smelly here,” she said wistfully. ” A factory is better. ” All of these emotions convince the readers to sympathize to sympathize to those families who takes sweatshops as a positive outlook.
Throughout his arguments, he uses many strong sources strengthen his credibility and appeal to logos, as well as build his arguments when he offers an alternative to ending sweatshops all together. The alternative could provide better working conditions and still give the workers a place of employment this alternative was manufacturing industries. Kristof furthers his arguments: “Manufacturing is one sector that can provide millions of jobs. ” By providing this information, the author acknowledge that sweatshops help improve poverty.
In short, Kristof was successful in writing an informative and persuasive argument on the positive outlook on sweatshops jobs. He organizes his essay by introducing his topic, then explaining his credibility, after that he pulled at the heart strings of his reader before concluding his argument. He uses stories from his own experiences which was mostly effective in explaining that even though sweatshops may be viewed as a harsh and horrible work place, sweatshops are an alternative for families to help them out of the poverty. However, he could have used more efficient evidence such as statistics.
