Shida Chen Period 2 Mrs.

Ash

A Standing Ovation to the Singers Song

My initial reaction to Peter Singers The Singer Solution to World Poverty was held by many of my fellow classmates: immediate critique. The article seemed misplaced in our composition book. In direct contrast to many of the other works we had read from, Solution to World Poverty seemed shoddily put together and generally distasteful. I came into class with negative opinions on the article swirling in my head, and proceeded to disseminate them. It was only after class that wiser heads prevailed and I decided to give Singer another read. A persons opinion can greatly shape the effect and delivery of any rhetoric. Perhaps it is the overlooking of this fact on Singers part that damaged his ethical appeals. Usage of guilt, while powerful and occasionally informative, can backfire on any cause, no matter how righteous. Singers views for the most part coincided with my own, but his use of condescension and chiding tone turned me against him. I recall now having appreciated Singers rhetoric for the first section of the article, appreciation which quickly evaporated after the break in the middle of the essay, in which Singer greatly changes his tone. By infusing his writing with so many broad accusations, in addition to his utility in scathing logic, Singer turns his audience against him. Starting from the very beginning of the second section he begins condemning his readership directly, which he has assumed, to great agitating effect, has already donated 200 dollars, but is still guilty. I will admit right now that, although Singer encouraged me to do so, I did not immediately donate money to an international charity organization, something which only

added towards my general resentment towards the speaker. With this resentment, I viewed the essay in a critical eye, constantly attempting to find faults in this insolent man, who dared to disrupt my blissful contentment. Under my relentless assault, the words quickly fell to pieces. His appeals to logos were full of fallacies and faults, his appeals to pathos were negative and ineffective, and his ethos, well his ethos was that of a despised hypocrite. I now, however, have naught but admiration for Singer. After rereading and reconsidering Solution, I realized how crippling my bias was. As Francine Prose suggested, many of the methods we use for analyzing literature result in dislike and sometimes even demonization of the author. My own argument for the work was full of ad hominem attacks and fragile judgments, all a result of my initial impression of the author. Through an unfiltered lens, The Singer Solution to World Poverty is a competent and inspiring piece of literature. The authors appeals to logos are sound and well structured. Singer uses lucid hypothetical situations to great effect, and acknowledges the counter argument, while pushing forward with his own. With a differently swayed opinion, Singers utopian demands on his readers seem less and less like a hypocrites accusation, and more and more like flattery towards the reader. He demands of us to be superhuman in morality because he has such high expectations in us. Perhaps I am biased in the other direction, but I suggest to those who disapprove of Singers Solution to perhaps give it another chance. When reread in a noncritical eye, his faults, which are counterproductive to point out in the first place, seem less obnoxious. Perhaps you will, like me, even forgive Singer for knocking you off of your own pedestal. After all, hes only human, and wants us to be even more.