Nicholas Kristof

The article “Meet a 21st Century Slave” was published on October 24, 2015 on The New York Times opinion pages and written by Nicholas Kristof. This article talks about how a real human being survived the cruelty in 21st century slavery. The context of this article is social, cultural, and historical. It is social because this article portrays how Poonam Thapa did not have any say on how she would live her own life. It is also cultural and historical because this article provides how she was treated in India and how she was a slave in the 21st century. This article talks about a real life event that has happened to Poonam Thapa. It also talks about how her life in “modern slavery” was like when she was a 12 years old slave in Mumbai, India.
The New York Times opinion page was written by Nicholas Kristof, American journalist, author, op-ed columnist, and a winner of two Pulitzer Prizes. In this piece of Kristof, he interviewed Poonam Thapa on how she became a slave and what was her life during those days. The author, Nicholas Kristof, grew up on a sheep and cherry farm near Yamhill, Oregon.
He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard College and then studied law at Oxford University on a Rhodes scholarship, graduating with first class honors. He later studied Arabic in Cairo and Chinese in Taipei. While working in France after high school, he caught the travel bug and began backpacking around Africa and Asia during his student years, writing articles to cover his expenses. Mr. Kristof has lived on four continents, reported on six, and traveled to more than 140 countries, plus all 50 states, every Chinese province and every main Japanese island. He's also one of the very few Americans to be at least a two-time visitor to every member of the Axis of Evil. During his travels, he has had unpleasant experiences with malaria, mobs and an African airplane crash. After joining The New York Times in 1984, initially covering economics, he served as a Times correspondent in Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Beijing and Tokyo. He is credible because he also covered presidential politics and is the author of the chapter on President George W. Bush in the reference book "The Presidents." He later was Associate Managing Editor of the Times, responsible for Sunday editions. Also, he has written more opinion page in The New York Times. The New York Times website is credibly because there is a lot of writers that have been part of the program, and that all the things they have published have facts and statistics and all of the pieces of writing are being published
worldwide.
The strongest facet of this article is the facts and statistics that Mr.Kristof provided. He interviewed a girl named Poonam Thapa, and from there on Thapa stated everything that had happened to her when she was just 12 years old. He brings up the issue of how Poonam was poor and uneducated when a woman offered her a job. She was only 12 years old when she needed a job so she can have a better life. However, Poonam remembers the woman stated that; “If you make good money, you will be respected by your father, and you can help your family” (Kristof 1). The author focuses on how Poonam was deposited in a brothel in Mumbai, India. Mr. Kristof points out on how the owner of the brothel sold Poonam’s virginity to an older man. The brothel owner told Poonam that she had paid $1,700 for her and that she needs to invest more. He brings out on how Poonam was locked inside the brothel; she was forced to have sex with 20 to 25 men a day, and more on Sundays and holidays. Being a slave, she did not have any days off, no trips outside the brothel, and no pay. The author provided facts on how Poonam became one of 20.9 million people worldwide subjected to forced labor. He also provided facts on how men had to pay $2.50 for sex and some of them were brutal, and flattery to the girls. Poonam stated that they were told to smile, because the smile on their faces provides money. Mr. Kristof himself provided plenty of facts and statistics on how it was like to be forced to sell your own body to men’s. There was a point that Poonam was brought into a shelter by a policeman. Since then, she was taken care of and she’s now studying to be a social worker in hopes of helping other trafficked girls. The author also provided on how there is a post- traumatic stress disorder among those girls that has been in Poonam’s situation. All of the facts and statistics that the author provided seems like it is trying to appeal to the reader’s sense of right and how it was difficult for those girls in the modern slavery. The weakest facet of this article is the use of emotions. Mr.Kristof did not provide as plenty as it was for the facts and statistics. He provided information how Poonam felt during the days she was being used and sold for money. The author input how Poonam started bleeding and crying after she was being raped by an older man. Also, how Poonam and the other girls that was in the brothel was told to put a smile on their faces. However, those smiles that are being put out there was just in the outside, deep inside they were hurting and crying. Mr.Kristof should have asked Poonam more on how she felt and how it was like to be in her situations. If the author included more emotions on what Poonam felt, it would have persuaded the readers to be more interested in the article. This in some way is a pleasant article written by an American Journalist. The New York Times is a realistic and trustworthy website that numerous of people are using. The author, Nicholas Kristof summits the issue on how Poonam Thapa was treated awfully and roughly. The rhetorical appeals are used in this article. The author provided several facts and statistics. However, he only provided few emotions, he did not provide as much as the facts. On the contrary, Nicholas Kristof did provide a lot in this article; he not only he put his own opinion, but he interviewed a person that was in the modern slavery. Which is a worthy source to believe?