In the story “The Plastic Pink Flamingo: A Natural History”, Jennifer Price explains the influence of “plastic pink flamingo phenomenon.” Furthermore, she also delineates the lavish nature of real flamingos. However, Price’s purpose is not to enlighten the readers of either real or artificial flamingos. In fact, Price attempted to introduce her own view of the United States culture. By talking about these plastic flamingos, she gets a point a crossed to the readers. Price has incorporated certain rhetorical devices, such as strong diction, anecdotes, rhetorical questions, and irony to reinforce her arguments about the United States. Jennifer Price’s use of diction reveals how the “plastic pink flamingo phenomenon” reflects the cultures of America in the 1950’s. She uses the word “bold” frequently to illustrate he pink flamingo’s “splash” into the market. She also inquired that the flamingo stands out “strikingly” in a desert “Anyone who has seen Las Vegas knows that a flamingo stands out in a desert even more strikingly than on a lawn.” Her use of such vehement words let …show more content…
The thought of the flamingo representing wealth is ironic, because in Florida in the 1800’s flamingos were hunted to near extinction while now they are thought to be luxurious. In places like Mexico and Egypt, they were thought to be rare and not to be harmed. The second use of irony is in the last paragraph where the plastic flamingo is said to be “better than a real one.” The most obvious piece of irony is the title, “The Plastic Pink Flamingo: A Natural History” Plastic is anything from natural. So in creating the title, she set up the tone for the whole story. Price continued her ironic and mocking tone when she says that the flamingos “feed in flocks on algae and invertebrates” which does not present an image of wealth and extravagance like it is thought to