Sweatshops

New York Times writer Nicholas D. Kristoff wrote “Where Sweatshops Are a Dream.” Kristoff began his essay by bringing up the labor standards that Barack Obama and team proposed. Kristoff gives us a very vivid imagery of Phnom Penh, and says that there are smoke  clouds, low visibility, and a nasty toxic smell. Kristoff assumes that he has a neutral audience that can be persuaded into promoting sweatshops rather than going against them. His purpose in this essay is to provide a positive outlook on sweatshops. In order to accomplish this, he mainly uses pathos to appeal to his audience. He talked about the 19-year-old woman who was trying to find plastic in the middle of garbage in order to make money. Then he moves on to a woman with a 10-year-old boy, and she wants him to become a factory worker. He also appeals to logos because he provides credibility when he says he live there.

         Kristoff addresses the main argument against his thesis, that is the idea that sweatshops exploit workers with low pay and long hours; nonetheless the poor working conditions. However, he contributes to his argument by saying that these sweatshops provide a better income than selling a can for five cents. Finally, he concludes by making the point that we should not campaign against sweatshops, instead, let’s promote the movement of manufacturing to other countries. Overall, the argument Kristoff makes is effective because sweatshops do provide a job for those who live in poverty.