Through “Sweatshop Oppression,” an essay written by Rajeev Ravisankar, the reader gains insight on the truthful and factual reality of oppressive workplace conditions. Ravisankar seeks to appeal to the morals and values of the audience by having relatable content and using the emotion and logic based rhetorical devices “pathos” and “logos.”
In the opening paragraph the author connects with the audience by inclusively saying: “being the “poor” college students that we all are, many of us undoubtedly place an emphasis on finding the lowest prices” (). Through revealing he is a student with mutual financial struggles, the audience quickly picks up on his relatable and likeable voice. Similarly, he teases the audience with an example about Black Friday and how, “some take this to the extreme and camp out in front of a massive retail store in the wee hours of the morning…” (). Black Friday is the biggest shopping event of the year; many college students participate for the extremely low prices and bargains, which directly relates to his
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While on the favorable topic of low prices, the writer reminds the reader that, “what often gets lost in this rampant, low-cost driven consumerism is the high human cost it takes to achieve lower and lower prices” (). He then proceeds to specify the exact labor he is writing about: sweatshop labor. The audience is left morally and ethically conflicted after learning the connection of sweatshop labor to the low prices “we”, as college students, love. In paragraph four the working conditions are described as: “unsanitary bathrooms, poor ventilation, and extreme heat, upward of 90 degrees, are also prevalent” (). As a result, a reflective and melancholic mood is set. The audience reflects back on their love for low prices, without regards from where the labor is found, which provokes a sense of remorse and