Language_Analysis

LANGUAGE ANALYSIS – MATERIALISTIC, NARCISSISTIC, UNREALISTIC: CHILD BEAUTY PAGEANTS’ A DISGRACE In the news article, Materialistic, Narcissistic, Unrealistic: Child Beauty Pageants’ a Disgrace, which was published in the Avonlea Scrutineer on the second of February this year, the writer J.Rodd critiques the major issues of beauty pageants for young children. In a mostly reasonable and calm tone, J.Rodd contends that Child Beauty Pageants a disgrace. J.Rodd’s status as the columnist of Avonlea Scrutineer, presents her views on young children entering beauty pageant contests in a well-mannered and reasonable tone, which allows for Rodd’s target audience, which are the parents of these young children, to agree on her judgement of this issue. Her argument is further endorsed by the two separate images of cartoon characters dressed as princesses with a strong statement which leaves the readers feeling sympathy. In order to give the readers an idea about the article, Rodd opened the article with a rhetorical question which straightaway gives readers an idea that this article has something to do with either body image or beauty itself. The phrase “important truth” was used in such a way to brighten the awareness of the self-evident truth behind “We’re all beautiful in our own special way” saying that most people go by. Rodd claims that it is a truth we would do well to remember in an era increasingly obsessed with glitz and glamour. It positions the reader to view the writer as someone who knows a lot about the changing era that most individuals are living with at this point of time. Rodd gives an example of how the young children were judged, “children were judged on looks, poise, confidence, and talent” This leaves readers in disgrace as it is terrible to imagine little children being judged upon their looks and figures at such a young age. This can also lower some of their self-esteem. However, words and phrases like “masquerade” and “miniature adults” develops concern in the reader for those children ‘acting’ as young adults. In the sentence where Rodd referred to those people who defend ridiculous beauty pageants, they claimed that in order to be the “perfect” pageant girl, she needs to enjoy dressing up and feeling “special”. To some readers this may seem ridiculous because most young children love to dress up and feel special, which shows that if young children loved to do this, it doesn’t make them part of the beauty pageants. Using the word ‘perfect’ to describe what a successful pageant girls needs is very disturbing to readers as we all know that no one is perfect. It also encourages those young girls to dress up and become more adult-like rather than just enjoying being a young child. Whatever the situation is, every young child deserves to feel special excluding being part of a beauty pageant contest. When those parents or ‘mums’ who are allowing their young children to enter the beauty pageants, they are failing to take into account that beauty pageants are “expensive time-wasters”. This phrase was purposely used to persuade Rodd’s readers that beauty pageants really are time-wasters. The words ‘rivalry’ and ‘recrimination’, in other words keen competition and mutual blame, describes the environment of the pageants, which is quite negative. Rodd leaves her readers feeling frightened when she claims “Notoriously, pageant “mums” can turn very nasty when their own child does not win.” And then in an upsetting tone, Rodd reveals the brutal truth that not every child can be a winner, this sadly puts the parents of these young children in despair of their children. In order for Rodd to support her argument or opinion, she includes an expert opinion from William Pinsof, a clinical psychologist and president of the Family institute at North-western University which he states that “Being a little Barbie doll says your body has to be a certain way and your hair has to be a certain way”. To make things more clear, being or wanting to be part of a beauty contest is very complex to stick by, especially when there are strict guidelines. The image which is accompanying the article, was deliberately used as an anecdote as the statement beneath the image “sometimes I’m the only one who appreciates my specialness”, it leaves readers and the parents feeling sympathy for those children who are not successful. A sentence that supports the overall contention of this article, referred to the consequences of beauty pageants also coming from the psychologist, William Pinsof, explains “self-experiences that can lead to eating disorders and all kinds of body distortions in terms of body image”, the thought it leaves in the readers mind would probably be condescending. In contrast with its cost, Rodd points out to readers and mostly to the parents, that beauty pageants costs you a heap, “the whole pageant industry seems like just a cynical exercise in marketing”. Rodd shocks her readers when she emphasises that over a thousand dollars might be spent on a particularly extravagant evening dress. In the tone of disgust and sarcasm, Rodd begins to question her readers to try and highlight the horrible decisions being made by parents, which is rather disappointing. The tone in the last paragraph becomes agitated when Rodd claims that those children are being robbed of the innocence of childhood and dumped straight into the distorted and “pretentious” world of beauty pageants. The tone slowly changes into sadness towards the end of the article, which is deliberate to persuade her intended audience. Rodd also includes another image of a cartoon character dressed as a princess to support her argument; it is also an example to all readers of how those children are being transformed to. The article ends with an anecdote, which is also aimed at leaving readers feeling sympathy for those young children who were never told that they are ‘pretty’. In conclusion, J.Rodd’s use of persuasive techniques was quite useful and effective in some cases. It appeals to common sense and rationality as well as the audiences responses being emotional.