Phnom Penh Rhetorical Analysis

The author, Nicholas D. Kristof, begins his essay by describing Phnom Penh, a place where many families are forced to live in poverty because of the lack of jobs. The problem Kristof identifies is the labor standards that are set from President Obama and the Democrats who try to eliminate the use of sweatshops. Furthermore, the labor standards are set by people who have never witnessed the daily struggles a person faces living in Phnom Penh.
Although sweatshops are viewed as negative by Obama and the Democrats, the job is desirable for citizens in Phnom Penh. In the essay Kristof told a story that appeals to emotion, or pathos. The story he told was about a young girl that had to scavenge in trashcans and dumpsters to try and find recyclables, food, or things she could sell for money in order to support herself and her sister. The reason Kristof told this sorrowful story was to make a point, which is instead of trying to get rid of the sweatshops Obama and the Democrats should try to help the people by making workable areas and supply the people with jobs. Not only did Kristof use pathos in his essay, he also used logos, or the appeal to reason and logic. Logos is used frequently throughout the essay when Kristof explains Obamas and the Democrats
He then explains a possible solution that manufacturing would provide millions of jobs that would help the poorer countries increase wages, working conditions, and labor standards. Kristof then refutes this argument by stating that expanding the manufacturing production to the poorer countries this would result in moving the newly built factories to better off nations. Not only does he refute his argument in predictions of what he believes, but he explains how Cambodia tried to increase wages. However, this resulted in increased production costs, which ended up shutting down several