Question

Their huts, which ought to be well covered, and the place dry where they take their little repose, are often open sheds, built in damp places; so that when the poor creatures return tired from the toils of the field, they contract many disorders, from being exposed to the damp air in this uncomfortable state.

–Sugar Changed the World,
Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos

What is the primary purpose of this passage?

to create sympathy for enslaved workers
to demonstrate a typical day of labor on a plantation
to compare the living conditions of plantation owners and enslaved workers
to show ways housing on plantations could have been improved

Answer 1

to create sympathy for enslaved workers

The passage emphasizes their inadequate, unhealthy housing and calls them "poor creatures," highlighting suffering and prompting sympathy rather than describing a full workday, making comparisons, or giving improvement plans.