Propaganda Posters

This poster is not very convincing and does not effectively encourage people to join a car-sharing club. The poster has the words "When you ride alone, you ride with Hitler", and there is a picture of a man in a car with Hitler by his side in the background. The poster wanted to encourage more people to join a car-sharing club through arousing their hate for Hitler.

It wanted to convey the message that riding alone in a car is similar to Hitler sitting in the car with the driver. As many people disliked Hitler and does not want to have anything to do with him, they would naturally want to avoid driving alone. However, the poster would not be very successful.

Driving alone has no connection to having Hitler sitting by your side. The two scenarios are totally unrelated so people may not take the message of the poster strongly, since it has committed the fallacy of post Hoc by trying to link the two unrelated issues together. Thus, the poster is not a very convincing or successful one.

The poster has a criticising tone towards president Barrack Obama and wanted to show that he is arrogant. The aim of this was to get people to stop supporting Obama and vote for the opposition parties.

The poster shows Obama holding his head high, and seem to look down on the people. The word "Snob" is in front of Obama and is used to imply that Obama is arrogant and proud. There is also the words "it's an elitist thing, you wouldn't understand" at the bottom of the poster. This appears to be said in Obama's voice, suggesting that Obama is being proud by calling himself an elitist, and does not respect other people.

The poster uses both visual image and words in order to convince viewers that they should stop supporting Barrack Obama as president, as he is very arrogant.

This poster encourages soldiers to stick to their food rations, and avoid taking more than their fair share. It wanted more soldiers to become satisfied with their food rations and not take more than enough, in order to ensure enough food for everyone else.

There are the words "Do with less so they'll have enough" on the top of the poster with an emphasis on the word "they'll". This wanted to convey the message that soldiers to stick to their regular food rations to avoid a shortage of food for their fellow soldiers. There is an emphasis on the word "they'll" in order to remind the soldiers of their fellow friends who are also fighting with them, so that they will become more considerate and avoid taking more food at the expense of others.

Additionally, the background shows a soldier holding a cup containing his rations. The soldier is smiling and appears to be satisfied with his food rations. It wanted to tell soldiers that they should be happy with their food rations and not ask for more, as it is enough. Thus, the poster wanted to encourage more people to stick to their food rations and not take more than that.

This poster wanted to encourage more Americans to continue the fight against the Japanese during World War 2, in revenge for the other Americans that the Japanese killed.

The poster actually show a newspaper article about the Japanese torturing and killing as many as five thousand and two hundred Americans in the war. Additionally, the background of the picture shows an American being brutally beaten by a Japanese soldier. There are also other Americans being forced to march by other Japanese soldiers. This shows some of the ill-treatment by the Japanese towards American soldiers. The aim of this was to stir up anger among the feelings of fellow Americans, and wanted them to fight the war in revenge for their fellow countrymen.

Additionally, there are the words "What are you going to do about it?", with an emphasis on the word "you". The aim is for the people to have a reaction to the poster, for them to do something about the war - to join in the fight against the Japanese. It wanted them to take some action after looking at the outrageous facts of how fellow Americans were treated. The words "Stay on the job until every mudering Jap is wiped out" also further prompted them to support the fight against the Japanese in the war. Therefore, it managed to convey the message for Americans to join in the fight against the Japnese in World War II.


This picture has a very convincing tone to encourage more Singaporeans to enrol in the army. It conveys the message that one would become more decisive, strategic, and will also gain leadership skills if that person joins the Singapore army.

The poster actually shows a scene of the Singapore armed forces in action. There is evidently a leader in front of the rest of the soldiers and he is giving them certain hand signals. The leader looks very impressive with the other soldiers following his order without question. There are also the words strategy, leadership and decisiveness in the poster, suggesting that one would gain these qualities if they join the army.

Additionall, there are the words "Some things you just can't learn in a classroom", suggesting that there are much more things to learn in the army. It encourages one to venture out of their "classrooms" and experience life in the army first hand. It convinces people that in order to gain certain qualities, one must join the army and learn from there.

With the combination of the impressive picture and the influential texts, the poster is very effective in convincing people to join the Singapore army.

Logical fallcies

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/new-wp-candidate-breaks-down-at-unveiling.html
"Worker's Party new candidate Watson Chong broke down during a press conference on Sunday, saying he was afraid joining the opposition would "bring his family down".

In this case, Watson Chong committed the fallacy of appeal to sentiments. Instead of talking about his qualifications and informing the public what he can do for the people, he tries to invoke their sympathy by breaking down. He went on to talk about how his family was afraid that joining the opposition would be a great threat to him, and how they risk for his safety. He expressed his anxiety for the welfare for his family, and talks about the frustrations he is having.

He is trying to gain support from sympathy by the public, and did not explain why he should be fit to be in the government. He is appealing to people's sentiments and has committed a great fallacy.

http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/04/11/lim-boon-heng-cried-on-tv-when-asked-question-on-pap-groupthink/
Minister Lim Boon Heng CRIED on TV when questioned

Similar to the previous case, Mr Lim Boon Heng also committed the fallacy of appealing to sentiments. Instead of answering the questions that were thrown to him by reporters during the media conference, he just broke down and cried. Firstly, he evaded the questions by crying and not answering them at the end of the day. He also tried to evoke the sympathy of the public when he expressed his emotions.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/sembawang-grc-unveils-500-million-renewal-plan-172638043.html
Sembawang GRC unveils S$500 mil renewal plan

In this article, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan also responded to comments by the the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) that he was "mixing religion with politics". He addressed the issue and stated that it was not true. His arguments were valid and made a point. However, when he mentioned "But I'm just stating I am a Buddhist. What's wrong with that? Are they shy to talk about their own religion?", he committed the fallacy of dicto simpiciter. He assumed that people were generally not shy to talk about their religion, and that it is acceptable for one to speak of his religion openly.

Religion is a very sensitive issue as different people have different traditions and beliefs. In some cases, individuals do not even want to mention their religion in public, not because they are shy, but because they are cautious. For example: If a person has Muslim friends, and he himself is a Christian, it would not be logical for him to announce in front of them "I am a Christian". This may cause an uproar among them and lead to serious consequences. As I mentioned, religion is a very sensitive issue, and people may easily get offended by it. So this should be taken into thought before assuming everyone is okay with mentioning their religion in public.

Let kids rule the school

Can students be given the autonomy to develop their curriculum?

The idea of students planning their own education, having the freedom to learn whatever they want, does not seem very viable in the modern society. If they were to plan their own education, they might not learn skills and knowledge necessary for them to survive in the world. This is a misconception that when kids plan their own education, it means that they would not learn anything beneficial and will only play games throughout their school lives. However, does having the freedom to learn something they wish - having fun - means that they will not benefit at all?

In fact, contrary to some beliefs, it may actually help the students to develop their potential and improve their skills. If kids had the freedom to learn what they want, they will have the motivation to learn even more than normal. They will be very interesed in the topics they chose and will not complain if they are asked to learn much more, as they will actually like it. This will enable them to pursue their favourite topics and improve their skills in these areas. This will not only motivate them to learn, and will also help them develop their overall skills and knowledge.

However, if they are being taught something that is not to their liking, no matter how beneficial the subject is, they will not absorb it. They may also feel very bored at the topic and lose their interest in going to school altogether. If this was to happen, they will not learn anything much in school. Thus, this will not benefit them at all. There is a huge difference between having fun and not learning anything.

If the children are allowed to learn their favourite topics through fun ways, this will encourage them to learn further. This will help them learn some skills that may be useful in the long run. So why don't we change the impression that schools are very stressful and not a very fun place to go to?

Gunfire echoed throughout the battlegrounds. Screams and wails of fear and pain can be heard from a mile away. The smell of gunpowder and blood lingered in the stale air, rendering breathing even more difficult. A sea of blood stretched to every part of the battlefield, staining anything in its path a sickening crimson red. As I watched the nightmare unfold bit by bit, I wonder: Must we really resort to this? Hundreds of bodies litter the grounds, some beyond recognition. Occasionally, the sound of an artillery shell crashing down could be heard, followed by more screams. The sight of people wailing, crying out for their loved ones, crying pathetically in fear of death, melted our hearts. Nearby, a mother was lying in a pool of blood, her eyes fixed in death. Her orphaned child sobs beside her, embracing her body, hoping that a miracle would happen. At such a young age, it was too cruel to separate him from his only source of love and care. As he mourned the death of his parent, others could not help but also shed tears. This was too much to bear. Wrecked buildings hovered over us like giants slowly crumbling to their death. The walls were partly covered in red, as if in a middle of a renovation. This was completed with a final touched – with horrendous bodies decorating every corner of the dead buildings. That dreaded colour, red, was visible from a mile away, as it covered a great deal of the surrounding areas. People, human beings, desperately sought for cover. I could make out a few civilians cowering behind a once glorious tank, which was now nothing but a lump of scrap metal. Empty bullet shells overflowed into the battlefield. We were engulfed by thick smoke and a sense of dread in the air, damping our spirits. The lucky ones managed to hold out till this long, attempting to dodge yet another wave of murderous pieces of lead. Only a handful was still able to put up a brave front; many people were already burying their heads in their hands, praying that they will be able to pull through. Cheers echoed throughout the entire battleground as the enemies finally put up a torn and tattered white flag. Hope began to restore itself in the eyes of the people still alive, and blood returned to their veins. Everyone’s face could show that they manage to cheat death, against all odds. However, it was bitter-sweet. People whose death could have been avoided were now covering the entire battlefield, never to wake ever again. Although we were the victors of this battle, it does not seem like it. The loss of so many lives, for one insignificant conflict, was not worth it.