Dreaming of Sweatshops

Kristof begins his essay with referencing to recent political moves regarding "labor standards" He brings to light another view on the debate about whether sweatshops or using bad labor standards. Kristof believes his readers are aware that there is an entire population that believe sweatshops are their only route to a better financial outlook. His article is trying to provide another viewpoint for the debate about sweatshops. He is getting his point across by using examples of people living in poverty that to most people, is unimaginable. He also uses his own life to tell of what he himself has seen and heard from the people in his country.

He recognizes that people are against sweatshops because they are trying to keep people from being used and their labor being underpaid and overworked. He goes against this by adding the quotes from people that are living in dumps and trying to make a living in hellish conditions and making less than they would in a sweatshop. 

Kristof closes with a story of a young girl that is making less than poverty wages and has a sister that suffered the loss of a limb because of a garbage truck running her over. She believes that with all the faults of the sweatshops that they are still better than the conditions of the dump she works at now.

Kristof makes a very effective and valid point for his argument. He uses vivid words to describe the "dante-like vision of hell." The way he uses word-play makes you feel like you can smell, taste, breathe and feel the dirty and dank place that these poor people are trying to get out of. He has talked to  and seen people that are living in these countries that we know so little about. I realize after reading this that perhaps there is a better way to purchase that will help labor standards without overworking and underpaying people.