Article Analysis Essay on Affluence and Poverty

Introduction

According to Singer, absolute poverty is the state where there is insufficient income in the form of cash or any kind that helps in meeting the basic biological needs such as shelter, food, and clothing. It is a condition where there is a miserable state of life which reflects the lack of adequate food, clothing, shelter, sanitation, education, and health services. The people subjected to absolute poverty can barely survive and live a life that exhibits human decency (Singer, 2010). A contemporary example is the rural regions in Bangladesh, where a significant portion of the population lives below the poverty threshold as per the World Bank's description of absolute poverty. That is, living on US$1.9 or below on a daily basis. Currently, 12.9% (approximately 46 million people) of the total population still live below the $US1.9 despite the efforts that the country made in the past years to improve the living conditions for its citizens (Schreiner, 2016).

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On the basis of the World Bank's definition of absolute poverty, which is somewhat similar to that of Singer's, most of the people in the rural areas in Bangladesh live below the poverty line since they can barely meet their basic biological needs. There is a lack of enough food to feed on and the prevalent conditions include malnutrition among the children, high child mortality rates, and reduced life expectancy. The eventual results include poor child growth and development, abject misery, and deaths (Singer, 2010).

There is a phrase by Singer that states, "The absolute poor are severely deprived beings struggling to survive" (Singer, 2010). The statement outlines that the people living in absolute poverty face conditions that deny them access to income that can enable them to get access to basic needs that are essential for a decent human lifestyle. The quote helps in understanding and appreciating the effects of the absolute poverty on the lives of individuals as well as getting a clear picture of the living conditions which such people face in their daily lives.

In contrast to absolute poverty, Singer argues that affluence is the state where people have more than enough of what they need to have a decent life. Therefore, it is a moral obligation for such a person to give the extra of what they have to the poor after satisfying their basic needs. In his argument, Singer holds that absolute poverty is bad for the society. There is some degree of absolute poverty that people can help prevent without necessarily sacrificing anything of equitable significance. Therefore, based on Singer's point of view, people have a moral responsibility of improving the lives of the absolute poor to the level of human decency by providing them with the basic needs they require.

"Life at the very margin of existence" is a statement that depicts Singer's perception about absolute poverty (Singer, 2010). According to the quote, it is an indication that the extremely poor only have the treasure of life, but they lack the basic necessities that facilitate the continuity of their lives. The significance of the phrase to provide an illustration and emphasis on how critical the poverty situation is. People have a moral obligation to take action and provide the required help to promote the living standards of the poor people to the level of human decency without sacrificing or foregoing something of a comparable significance.

References

Schreiner, M. (2016). Simple Poverty Scorecard Poverty-Assessment Tool: Bangladesh. SimplePovertyScorecard. com/BGD_2010_ENG. pdf, retrieved, 2.

Singer, P. (2010). The life you can save: How to do your part to end world poverty. Random House Incorporated.