Wal-Martian Invasion

In a bold move Barbara Ehrenreich wrote a scathing article about the evil practice of the super-center that goes against everything she stands for, Wal-Mart. By using multiple tools and appeals Ehrenreich is able to effectively mold an argument against Wal-Mart. She knows her argument very well and is able to level with them and speak in a language that they'll understand. She makes excelient appeals to Ethos, Pathos, and Logos throughout her entire article. By using literary tools such as analogy, imagery, overstatement, and metaphors she creates a fluid, interesting and understandable argument. Ehrenreich has created a well rounded article that is embedded with excellent techniques.
This article was originally published in the Baltimore Sun a city that has seen it's fare share of Wal-Marts. With 18 Wal-Marts in a 20 mile radius and a population of only 637,455 Baltimore has one of the highest Wal-Marts per population ratios. Ehrenreich recognizes this about her audience and realizes that many people have hostile feelings towards Wal-Mart for putting so many companies out of business. She levels with her audience by writing about Wal-Mart in her derogatory tone. By comparing their growth to an alien invasion she is guaranteed to get the attention of a huge portion of the population. Also by mentioning that she had her "own brief stint at the company in 2000"(G 130), she shows shes not just some humanitarian passively writing these articles, but she has actually gotten in there and gotten her hands dirty. this shows her audience that she actually cares about the subject. Ehrenreich's choice to publish in Baltimore and her adaptation to the Baltimore audience shows excellent rhetorical skill.
Throughout the essay there is implied and stated appeals to Ethos, Pathos and Logos. Many people who see that Barbara Ehrenreich is writing the article will know that she is extremely credible on this subject. She is the author of Nickel and Dimed in which she actually lived the life of a blue collar worker for several months. Ehrenreich's background makes her audience aware that she knows what she is talking about. The author appeals to Pathos by describing the awful conditions and pay that workers have to deal with. When she writes that some employees "have been locked into stores overnight, unable to get help even in medical emergencies"(G 130). This emotional appeal makes Wal-Mart look downright evil and it strengthens the authors argument very much. In her appeal to Pathos Ehrenreich gives two examples of the extreme size of the Wal-Mart Company. However, because of the shere size of the numbers she choices to give the numbers so that they are easy to wrap the mind around, "bigger than General Motors! Richer than Switzerland"(G 129). These statistics are much more effective in conveying the shere size of the company. Ehrenreich gives both a Pathetic and Logical appeal by saying that Wal-Mart employees make only $7.00 an hour.
Ehrenreich uses multiple literary tools throughout the article which strengthen her argument against Wal-Mart. The most obvious and most effective literary tool is the analogy between Wal-Mart and an alien invasion, which is present in the article from beginning to end. By using this analogy Ehrenreich is able to portray the alarming growth of Wal-Mart while putting a negative twist on it at the same time. She also uses an overstatement very well when she says, "My thumbnail calculation suggests that by the year 4004, every square inch of the United States will be covered by super centers"(G 129). This is obviously an overstatement and know one is expected to believe it. However, it does draw attention to the alarmingly rapid growth of Wal-Mart. The author also uses a metaphor nicely when she compares Wal-Mart to a hyena who "doesn't have time for niceties"(G 130). This illustrates her point very well by portraying Wal-Mart as a creature who will do anything to achieve more power. By effectively using these literary tools Ehrenreich is able to effectively structure her argument.