Rhetorical Analysis of Wal-Martian Invasion

Barbara Ehrenreich, an American Feminist and democratic socialist, wrote the article “Wal-Martian Invasion” for the Baltimore Sun in 2004. In this article she condemns mega-retailer Wal- Mart for poor and unfair working conditions, wages, and treatment of employees. Due to her liberal background, the dry and sarcastic tone of the text, and the usage of advanced wording, it is obvious the audience is intended for educated, democratically centered adults ages 18 and up. She uses figurative language and appeals to pathos and logos to capture this audience.
Ehrenreich uses many tools in figurative language to strengthen her argument. She opens up the article with an allusion to the 2004 presidential campaign when she says “Now the conflict's gone national as a presidential campaign issue, with John Kerry hammering the mega-retailer for its abysmally low wages and Dick Cheney praising it for its "spirit of enterprise, fair dealing and integrity." By quoting a current event that held great importance to American citizens, she was relating to her audience. She is also bluntly showing readers that she agrees with the democratic candidate, because she sarcastically put the words of his opponent, “spirit of enterprise, fair dealing, and integrity”, in quotes.
Another tool used by the author is an overstatement. She says “My thumbnail calculation suggests that by the year 4004, every square inch of the United States will be covered by super centers, so that the only place for new super centers will be on top of existing ones. Wal-Mart will be in trouble long before that, of course, because with everyone on the planet working for the company or its suppliers, hardly anyone will be able to shop there.” Clearly it is an exaggeration to state that at any point in our history the country will be taken over by a shopping super center. The use of this tool is effective because it follows the sarcastic, comical tone that is apparent throughout the text. It grabs the readers’ attention and demonstrates just how strongly the author feels about the issue.
A third tool used by Ehrenreich is imagery. She describes the beginning stages of the Wal-Mart expansion as “Almost too normal, if you thought about it, with those smiley faces and that red-white-and-blue bunting, like the space invaders in a 1950s sci-fi flick when they put on their human suits.” This paints a picture in the readers’ mind of how robot-like and ridiculous (in the view of the author) the Wal-Mart scene was in its beginning stages. It has a very negative connotation, and is helpful in persuading the readers to agree with the author’s opinion.