This text is about the problems and
developments of the Miss America Pageant. It relates feminism to the pageant’s
development, showing how the pageant has developed over the years, changing the
expectations and the goals of each woman. Amanda Litman wrote this piece.
Amanda Litman is a feminist – that’s why she wrote this piece. The fact that
she is a feminist gives her credibility in this piece because she has a defined
viewpoint. She is also an established author, with many pieces of writing under
her name.
The audience of this essay is
feminists who don’t know much about the developments of the Miss America
Pageant. I say this because it placates the female activists by assuring them
that the pageant has become less superficial. The contestants are scored on
more than just their looks. This essay was written a day before the two
thousand eleven Miss America Pageant. Because the pageant was coming up, it
must have been on the author’s mind.
The biggest rhetorical device was
used at the very end of the essay. Litman wrote, “Do you agree?” Asking a
rhetorical question at the end of a piece makes the audience really think about
what they just read. It helps them understand to form an opinion, instead of
just passively reading. I think using this rhetorical question at the end of
the paper helps Litman achieve her purpose because it makes the ideas shared
really resonate with the readers.
I think the author’s purpose is to
reassure her audience that the competition is not as degrading as it once was.
I personally do not think Amanda Litman achieved her purpose. Instead of
reassuring me that Miss America has developed for the better, I found myself
thinking that it raised the bar instead of lowered it. Now, instead of
superficial beauty, of a certain kind, Miss America contestants must be smart,
talented, and involved in societal issues. While these may be good things to
be, it only raises the bar of society’s expectations for women.
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