Rhetorical Analysis Of Sweat, Fire And Ethics By Bob Jeffcott

Is it necessary for companies to abolish their associated sweatshops completely in order to achieve justice for the workers in these factories? Bob Jeffcott, a representative from the Maquila Solidarity network, employs an appeal to pathos in his editorial piece “Sweat, Fire and Ethics” to argue that citizens who are deeply concerned about this issue should go beyond altering their own consumerist decisions or targeting big companies and syndicate for educational and political institutions to establish policies against the operation of sweatshops. Contrarily, Jeffrey D. Sachs, a professor at Columbia University, appeals mainly to ethos in an excerpt from the chapter “Bangladesh: On the Ladder of Development,” in his book The End of Poverty,

by claiming that regardless of the harassment and low pay that the Bangladeshi women who work in sweatshop factories struggle through, it exceeds any other prospective employment option in their region. Both Jeffcott’s provocative approach towards combating sweatshops and Sach’s argument supporting sweatshops allows the reader to evaluate the aspects of sweatshops that are a hindrance or benefit for the workers.
In his article “Sweat, Fire and Ethics” Jeffcott explains that while working at the Maquila Solidarity Network, he receives numerous phone calls and emails from people inquiring where they could purchase clothing that are not made in sweatshops and abides the Fairtrade Cotton certification. Jeffcott reveals that although there are stores that sell Fairtrade-certified products, the Fairtrade certification only discloses the method in which the cotton was grown but does not consider how the clothing products are made. He then prompts the reader to question whether or not it is sufficient to make informed consumer decisions as an effort to end the reliance on sweatshops. Following his appeal, he provides a background history on sweatshops and the unfortunate tragedies that occurred both within America and internationally. Jeffcott then delineates that although major brand-name companies that utilize sweatshops are targeted by concerned citizens, the modifications that these companies made to their sweatshop policies are inadequate. As a conclusion, Jeffcott encourages his audience to be adamant in their efforts to end the reliance on sweatshops by advocating to institutions such as schools and local governments to constitute policies that urge companies to abandon the use of sweatshops.
Throughout the article, Jeffcott mainly appeals to pathos by addressing the fallacious ideas that consumers have regarding the Fairtrade-certification and sweatshop conditions. At the beginning of the article, Jeffcott dismantles the Fairtrade initiative to reveal to the reader that it only assesses the production of the cotton used for clothing, not how the clothing is created. He states, “In other words, my organic, Fairtrade-certified T-shirt could have been sewn in a sweatshop by a 15-year old girl who’s forced to work up to 18 hours a day for poverty wages under dangerous working conditions” (“Sweat, Fire and Ethics”). In indicating the actual purpose of the Fair-trade certification, Jeffcott challenges the reader to redirect their concern from purchasing products from companies that claim to be sweatshop free to making an actual effort towards ending the exploitation that permeates sweatshops.
Jeffcott proceeds by questioning the reader if an single consumer decision has an impact on the eradication of sweatshops.

He inquires, “Isn’t it a little presumptuous of us to think that we can end sweatshop abuses by just changing our individual buying habits?” (“Sweat, Fire, and Ethics). As Jeffcott provides the reader with the entirety of the background information on the Fairtrade-certification, he enables the reader to realize what really needs to be done in order to end the use of sweatshops. Another ineffective strategy that Jeffcott mentions is when society attempts to exert the guilt towards large brand name companies, as these companies only address these issues to the extent which it will not affect their productivity. Jeffcott explains that, “Conflicting pressures make suppliers hide abuses or subcontract to sewing workshops...The name of the game remains the same: more work for less pay” (“Sweat, Fire, and Ethics”). By clarifying how ineffective people’s current efforts are in influencing the abuse in sweatshops, Jeffcott challenges the reader to assess if their own efforts are sufficient for the cause. Jeffcott then concludes his argument by proposing to the reader to exceed traditional means of resistance to sweatshops by urging the government to intervene on these reprehensible practices, and perhaps then a solution may be achieved. Contrarily, Jeffrey D. Sachs argues in his excerpt “Bangladesh: On the Ladder of Development,” that despite the injustice that

permeates these sweatshops, it is the Bangladeshi women’s best employment option.
Jeffrey D. Sachs, a professor at Columbia University, recalls his experiences of visiting Bangladesh and witnessing the conditions that women sweatshop workers there endure in “Bangladesh: On the Ladder of Development,” a chapter from his book The End of Poverty. In the beginning of the excerpt, Sachs examines the resilience and persistence of Bangladesh to transcend the struggles the country faced in its battle for independence from Pakistan in 1971. He also explains that although Bangladesh faced an immense lack of resources and stability, the country emerged through economic advances and political strategies. Sachs then describes his memory of being in Bangladesh and seeing thousands of young women working in arduous conditions of sweatshops. Despite the unjust conditions that these women encounter everyday of their lives, Sachs claims that it is the superior employment option that these women have compared to the work in the countryside that they would normally be obligated to do. These women consider their factory work as the opportunity for them to gain financial stability for their children and escape the oppressive society of their respective rural communities. Finally, Sachs claims that although the conditions that these women face are unjust and undesirable, it is the best opportunity they ever had and attributes the social and economic improvements that Bangladesh has made to the production of these sweatshops.
Sachs essentially appeals to ethos throughout the excerpt by arguing against the efforts of affluent protesters to terminate these factories because in doing so it would abolish the only vehicle that allowed these Bangladeshi women to achieve a form of financial independence and social autonomy. He states that, “Some rich-country protesters have argued that Dhaka’s apparel firms should either pay higher rates or be closed, but closing such factories...would be...a ticket for these women back to rural misery” (“Bangladesh: On the Ladder of Development”). Providing experiences he had from visiting Bangladesh serves as vital evidence to strengthen his credibility. As a result, a reader may be inclined to accept his argument because he was able to witness the work conditions in Bangladesh sweatshops himself through ethnographic research. In addition, he was able to recognize the social impacts that sweatshop work had on the women workers, including their views on having less kids in order to maintain a financially efficient household. “With fewer children, a poor household can invest more in the health and education of each child, thereby equipping the next generation…” (“Bangladesh: On the Ladder of Development). Working in these factories has motivated these women to attain a higher income than they could have before and enrich the lifestyle of their own families. From gaining this insight on the positive influence that sweatshop employment had on these women, Sachs is able to augments his argument by claiming that their work has contributed to Bangladesh’s economic advancement.
Toward the end of the excerpt, Sachs delineates how the efforts of the women factory workers to abandon poverty had an effect on the improvement of Bangladesh’s economy. He indicated that Bangladesh’s economy could benefit from the women’s new preferences of having less children because it would ensure that their subsequent generations are afforded the resources necessary to thrive and prosper in the future. “...equipping the next generation with the health, nutrition, and education that can lift Bangladesh’s living standards in future years” (“Bangladesh: On the Ladder of Development”). Although the living and working conditions remain abysmal, Sachs argues that protesters who resist against the existence of sweatshops should reconsider their arguments and redirect their efforts to the exploitation that persists within their own countries. “The rich-world protesters...should support increased numbers of jobs...by protesting the trade protectionism in their own countries that keeps out garment exports from countries such as Bangladesh” (Bangladesh: On the Ladder of Development). In response to the relentless attempts of the protesters to end sweatshops, Sachs argues that these sweatshops are cultivating Bangladesh’s emerging economy. From reading Sachs excerpt, the reader is able to understand his argument that the working conditions of the sweatshops in Bangladesh should be ameliorated for the workers, though the sweatshops themselves should remain in operation.
Corporate dependence on sweatshops within the United states and other countries permits exploitation through low wage and unjust working conditions.

The injustice that transpires within these workspaces evoke disparate responses from concerned citizens. From reading Bob Jeffcott’s article “Sweat, Fire, and Ethics,” the reader is challenged to urge their governments and educational institutions to condemn the exercise of exploitation of sweatshops be demanding evidence of improvements in working conditions. In Jeffrey D. Sachs excerpt “Bangladesh: On the Ladder of Development,” the working conditions of the women factory workers in Bangladesh is revealed yet the reader is persuaded to support these sweatshops because it is the only opportunity that these women have to gain a better life for themselves and their families. Upon reading both pieces, it is evident that sweatshops do not necessarily need to end completely, yet the business strategies employed within these facilities that negatively affect the workers must be monitored and addressed by the government in order for these companies to abandon labor

abuse.