The author of the article “a bitter guest worker’, is effective because he has portrayed the instances of mistreatment of the workers that included; the fact that they were commissioned by the company on pretenses; and were being mistreated by the same employer as was reported by Julia Preston in the times periodical. The company Signal International had commissioned the workers under a foreign worker provisional program; in which they had promised the workers together with their families’ green cards; and that the workers had to pay up to $20,000 for their transit to the place of work. The writer also shows that the workers after realizing that they would not get green cards that would allow them to work in other institutions; they started to threaten to leave the labor camps where they were practically detained. The company also planned to deport the workers who threatened to lead the protests which failed due to the protest at the shipyard gates. As a result, later the workers sued the company which also in return sued the American and Indian recruiters for misinforming the workers further leading to the ICE investigations. However, the author gives the documentary a decent ending where the workers are seeking government’s defense against trafficking of individuals that results from problems related to the Emigration officers.
The author style used in this article is appropriate because the writer seems to sympathize with the workers who were misled, oppressed and had their rights violated. On the other hand the writer has a negative attitude towards the company as he views it as oppressive to the workers; which in return blames its faults on the Indian government and American recruiters.
The writer takes the moral perspective in judging the issue and therefore does not consider the possibility of an alternate analysis of the case. This is because from the article it is evident that the company is going against the human rights of the workers by restricting their freedom and access to justice. The writer also does not give the possibility of alternate views because; the ineffective immigration administration also forms a part of the problem which needs to be addressed to avoid the happening the situation in the future.
The author of this article appeals to the inventive sympathies of the audience, through the analysis he gives to the treatment subjected to the workers by the company. In his documentary he achieves this by documenting that; the workers were commissioned on false pledges; were being subjected to oppression; were also intimidated not to leave the labor camps and were generally being subjected to deportation after attempting to fight for their rights.
The writer in this documentary greatly appeals to the values and beliefs of individuals and society in general. Some of the value and belief violations include; the use of false pledges to get the workers to work for the company; the suppression of the freedom of choice and movement of the workers by being restricted in the labor camps; deportation for fighting for their rights; and the lack of immediate involvement by the government in protecting the workers against injustice and being defrauded. An example of this point is where the writer points out that the workers “were told that they would be fired and deported if they left their isolated labor camps”.
The writer in his documentary depicts clarity by showing an excellent sense of perception and understanding; towards the case and does not present ambiguous ideas. This is seen from the documentary because the ideas he is putting across are greatly supported by the evidence from the case. An example in this area is the case of the workers who did not have green cards and therefore was not capable of getting employment in other organization; that was used by the company to its advantage. The logical reasons shown in the documentary to support the writer’s view include; the conception of the workers that they would never be given green cards because they were being oppressed at the labor camp as they had no choice of working in any other companies or organizations. However, the evidence that the writer is presenting in the work to support the unfavorable working conditions; is limited due to the lack of first-hand scrutiny of the case.
Pathos is an important tool in literature because it brings out the writer’s appeal to the value judgment and imaginative sympathies of the audience; in helping capture the attention, interest and curiosity towards the literature. It is also important in showing the perspective taken by the writer towards the idea under discussion. The concept of logos that consists of the levels of clarity and logical support to the literal work is important in helping the audience to understand the work better as well as follow the ideas presented in the literature.