With Christmas Eve and Day just around the corner, parents all around the world are searching for the perfect presents for their little ones, Lydia Millet discusses how the extinction of favorite animals may possibly affect the presents given to little ones. With comparisons to the dinosaurs of days long ago, the growing number of animals that are going extinct are sure to have an impact on future child. Millet proves her point that of through the use of imagery, diction, and details throughout the article. With these devices Millet convinces the reader that the extinction of foreign and exotic animals will affect child in many different ways.
Through the use of imagery Millet takes the reader back to their childhood days and makes them feel connect to the point that she is trying to prove. To capture the readers attention in the first paragraph the author sets the scene of a typical Christmas present that the readers have grown accustom to, "By then the regular troops were weary, though still stalwart, still brave. Some had lost limbs, others an eyeball" (para 1). This intrigues the reader to continue reading and sets the stage for the topics to come. Millet also uses the description of foreign animals to appear to the senses of readers and to acquaint them with the beloved animals that may cease to exist, "They had claws or shells or impossibly long necks; they had spotted fur, manes like halos. They had soft pouches to carry their babies in" (para 3). The familiar idea of these animals makes the reader feel, no matter what age, the familiar ping of their childhood memories creeping back into their minds. The author sets to prove that without these exotic animals, child will miss out on parts of the imagination that child before hace been able to access.
Through the use of imagery Millet takes the reader back to their childhood days and makes them feel connect to the point that she is trying to prove. To capture the readers attention in the first paragraph the author sets the scene of a typical Christmas present that the readers have grown accustom to, "By then the regular troops were weary, though still stalwart, still brave. Some had lost limbs, others an eyeball" (para 1). This intrigues the reader to continue reading and sets the stage for the topics to come. Millet also uses the description of foreign animals to appear to the senses of readers and to acquaint them with the beloved animals that may cease to exist, "They had claws or shells or impossibly long necks; they had spotted fur, manes like halos. They had soft pouches to carry their babies in" (para 3). The familiar idea of these animals makes the reader feel, no matter what age, the familiar ping of their childhood memories creeping back into their minds. The author sets to prove that without these exotic animals, child will miss out on parts of the imagination that child before hace been able to access.
The diction found in this article also helps persuade the reader toward believing the point the author is trying to make. The use of animals to teach lessons is one aspect that Millet believes children will miss if more animals face extinction. "We read our children stories starring elephants and monkeys and bears to teach them about nobility, curiosity and courage", by using the words "nobility", "curiosity", and "courage" the author choose these words that would evoke emotions from the reader (para 4). These traits are all traits that parents want their children to embody and to prove her point, this diction is used so that readers, as parents, can see the importance that these animals have to the character development of children.
Finally, the author uses several different details to makes the reader see the importance of saving animals on the verge of extinction. By comparing animals such as lions, tigers, and monkeys to a familiar extinct animal, the reader is given a distinct parallel that can be related to. "If the dinosaurs are any indication, there’s a place in our pantheon for the extinct" though this doesn't directly show negative effects, the implication that parents draw through this comparison proves Millet's point (para 8). This detail, shows firsthand what some possible effects would be if animals became extinct. Millet also discusses the alternatives to child playing with these warm and cuddly stuffed animals, "Will Barbies and robots be enough for those future children? The hybrid monsters of fantasy video games, the fossil-based reconstructions?" (para 10). These toys tend to have a negative connotation and not always a parent's first choice. This once again, makes readers lean toward the savior of exotic animals for the children of the future.
Through the use of details, imagery, and diction, Millet proves to the reader how important it is to save exotic animals from extinction. Through showing the effects that child could face from not being able to fantasize about these animals, the reader finds a new-found respect for the importance of creating a safe and diverse environment.
Gabriella, I really enjoyed the article you chose! The quotes you gave even convinced me that these exotic animals are important in childhood. I like how you pointed out that the author linked these animals with words like courage, curiosity, and nobility. I think this was a very smart move on the authors part because it makes the reader think about how important these animals truly were in teaching their kids life lessons. Another thing you pointed out that I found interesting was that the author points out that without animals the kids always have barbies and robots to play with. I think this strikes a fear in parents because from their prospective animals teach their kids better lessons than these other toys. Especially since many people feel Barbies give children impossible standards for beauty. Another thing I like that you did was that you had a good opening paragraph to draw the reader in then you gave your examples of diction,imagery, and details in 3 seperate paragraphs. You also had a good closing paragraph which made for an overall well organized essay. I don't really have anything you could have done better except maybe explain the article better in the beginning.
ReplyDeleteIn your opening paragraph, I think that it’d serve you well to be a little more specific than simply saying ‘diction, imagery, and details’ and I also feel like your thesis is a little vague. What effect is the author trying to convince us of? I’m not sure it’s enough to just say there will be an effect. Your diction paragraph feels a little underdeveloped, and I think it could do with another piece of evidence, or at least a different one. This is just my impression, so take it with a grain of salt, but my understanding of diction is a little less overt than the examples you’re using. It’s less an author using actual words and their literal meanings as a piece of evidence and more of a word that gives a general sense of approval or disapproval through connotations. I also think you could go more into the ‘robots and barbies’ point the author makes, and the point you were making from it.
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