A Need for Change

According to Louise Palmer‘s essay, “Workers Demand Rights,” garment factories in El Paso, Texas need improvement. She explains how Mujer Obrera, a small labor rights group made up of activists for human rights, has volunteered their efforts in order to bring about change in these factories. Most of the garment factory workers are female immigrants, and it has been difficult to get results regarding changes in sweatshops. However, Mujer Obrera is dedicated to helping these victims. Palmer supports her claim, that sweatshops need a change for the better, first by informing the audience of the poor conditions and daily hardships with which the workers are faced. Next, she tries to persuade the reader with emotional appeal. The author sets a solid foundation for her argument but fails to lay the concrete needed to fully win over her audience. In supporting her claim, Palmer uses examples and emotional appeal but does not back them up with hard evidence.

Palmer uses many examples to support her argument about the conditions in garment factories in El Paso, and how they need improvement. She states how “working in dilapidated buildings with broken toilets and no toilet paper, no heating or ventilation systems, and little or no light“ (425) make for a grueling and dangerous day of work. The factory workers use “dangerous, out-dated machinery without worker’s compensation, benefits or vacation time” (425). Palmer relies on these examples to support her claim and focuses the essay around these examples.

Next, Palmer uses emotional appeal to try to persuade the audience. Her emotional appeal is strongly supported by strategic word choice. While explaining the terrible working environment, Palmer says, “As members of the underclass, they have long been forced to withstand slavish conditions” (245). Comparing the workers to slaves is a strong and effective analogy. To further assure the reader develops sympathy for the workers, Palmer mentions the low wages for which the garment workers must settle. She informs readers, “most El Paso garment factory workers are recent female immigrants from Mexico who speak no English, have few skills, and little education“(425). As a result, this $3.80 per hour job is all these women can get to support their families (425). Later in the essay, Palmer again describes the working conditions as being like “slavery” (426). The Mujer Obrera group believes “‘this lawlessness exists because these workers are women and they are immigrants’” (426). A sense of commiseration for the workers is formed through Palmers word choice.

Although stating several examples, Palmer neglects to follow them up with statistics, data, or records. She states that working conditions are “dangerous” (245); however, no facts are given about injuries or accidents to make this statement free from suspicion. The owners of the garment factories are attacked when Palmer claims, “worst are those employers who on occasion, simply do not pay their workers” (245). There are no facts offered to prove this statement true either. It may hold some truth, no truth, or perhaps maybe an exaggeration of the truth; either way, the statement is left doubtful. Due to Palmer’s inability to incorporate hard evidence into her essay, the reader is left questioning the credibility of Palmer‘s argument.

Palmer incorporates examples along with personal opinion to support her claim. Emotional appeal is also used to get a reaction from the reader and for the audience to develop sympathy for factory workers. The word choice used is geared to help the emotional appeal be more effective. No hard evidence or statistics are mentioned; however, the author states enough examples and emotional appeal, which she used to write a predominantly persuasive article.