The Peter Singer video states the idea that the poor in Brazil are living better than they were 30 years ago. Peter Singer compares this to a family of four earning $7400 a year and says, “What is our equivalent of their annual income? How do we fit into these statistics? ” Peter Singer points out that most people cannot even figure it out. Peter Singer says the idea that many people live in poverty is hard to believe. Peter Singer also goes on to say that poverty does not just affect those who are living in it, but the environment as well since poor areas barely have recycling plants or even garbage cans.
Peter Singer says “If you think of what’s right for ourselves and what’s good for society, we need to recognize that our own interests lie in making things better for everyone. ” Peter Singer knows that $7400 a year is not much money, so he suggests putting more effort into helping fight poverty. This article is about Peter Singer’s ideas surrounding poverty and how they can be applied towards world hunger. There are several arguments presented within this article related to Peter Singer’s ideas.
Peter Singer’s main argument is that while people believe poverty to be a thing of the past, it still exists and there are ways to help combat poverty. Peter Singer also argues that fighting against poverty helps us in the long run by promoting recycling, clean drinking water, garbage cans, etc. Peter Singer shares his opinion on what can be done about poverty, but he does not inform readers on how to take action. Peter Singer states that “What is our equivalent of their annual income?
How do we fit into these statistics? ” Peter Singer makes this an important question because many people cannot answer it correctly or even at all. Peter Singer ties in his audience with this rhetorical question so they want to learn more. Peter Singer points out that some people believe poverty no longer exists, but Peter Singer argues that poverty is still a large issue. Peter Singer wants his audience to see the harsh reality of poverty and realize how they can help.
Peter Singer was born in Melbourne, Australia. Peter is currently an Australian Laureate of the prestigious Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation. Peter Singer insists that it’s our responsibility to reduce world poverty through generosity at all cost no matter how big or small the donation may be (Singer). Peter begins his argument with a detailed description on what exactly poverty means for him; he uses vivid imagery to get the audience to understand this word better by clarifying its broad meaning by specifying how it can affect people who are hungry, malnourished, uneducated, sick, homeless and living in squalor (Singer).
By quantifying his words Peter is able to give viewers a sense of understanding towards helping others who are impoverished which is key when trying to persuade the audience. Peter Singer uses Syntax to convey his message, Peter mentions that he has done extensive research on poverty and its various types of consequences which is important for him to do since it shows how dedicated Peter is towards helping others. Peter also states that he donated a significant amount of money to Oxfam International in order to make sure that it gets directly put into use (Singer).
Through this Peter Singer displays self-promotion by displaying how generous he can be which is important since people are more likely to believe someone who donates their own money rather than someone who doesn’t dare to donate at all. Peter uses rhetorical questions throughout his text in order to reduce association fallacy with readers, through the use of these tactics Peter was able to persuade the audience into thinking that Peter should be taken seriously and make them want to help others as Peter is (Singer). Peter uses rhetorical questions such as “who would say no? (Singer) towards people who do not wish to donate their money.
Peter Singer tries to appeal more to those who are fundamentally against donating by emphasizing on the fact that there’s no reason not to if you have the ability, Peter also states that if we don’t take responsibility then we can never change world poverty and that it’s our duty to take action even if it isn’t much we’re doing for now but at least its a step forward (Singer). Peter implies this through his ethos claiming society should be generous with their means since they might not have any more to give but Peter does through his self-promotion of donating (Singer).
Peter Singer uses guilt as an effective tone; Peter notes that there are people who can’t help because they don’t have enough money or the possibility to donate towards helping others. Peter is trying to make the audience believe that if they retreat on this problem then it’s not their fault, Peter reminds them about the kids in Brazil who are suffering and dying every day; Peter pierces into our emotions by saying that we can’t be standing there indifferently knowing that kids aren’t getting their basic needs like food, education and health care (Singer).
Peter also reminds us of what would happen if we didn’t try to do anything about poverty, Peter mentions that if we didn’t do anything then poverty would just get worse and worse until it would be almost impossible to reverse. Peter uses images of the kids in Brazil who are starving to death as a sense of guilt towards people who retreat on saving lives, Peter reminds us that these children are dying every day yet there’s still time for us to help them so Peter stresses on taking action now rather than later (Singer).
Peter Singer was able to achieve his purpose through the use of imagery, syntax, and rhetorical questions which made Peter more credible by displaying how he has done extensive research on poverty and its consequences along with showing how generous Peter is by donating his own money towards Oxfam International. Peter also makes you feel obligated by using guilt tactics to show you what would happen if Peter hadn’t done anything about world poverty which is important for Peter to do since it makes the audience want to help Peter so Peter was able to achieve his purpose.
