Ty Morris
English IV DC
09/09/2013
" How I Lost the Junior Miss Pageant” Stylistic Analysis Cindy Bosley's " How I Lost the Junior Miss Pageant” contains numerous literary� elements that, if left undiscovered, prevent the reader from truly understanding and� appreciating the work as a whole. For example, Bosley's use of connotation, such as " My� mother had secret hopes. Finally divorced for the second time from the same man, my� daddy, she sat with me and gave me her own commentary about who was cute, who smiled� too much, who would find a handsome husband, ” (3) gives the reader subtle background� information and insight into Bosley's mother's way of thinking. Saying that her mother had� " secret hopes” is a negatively connotated way of describing her mother's hidden agenda� and wishes for her daughter. Although most parents would want their children to participate� in the activities of their choosing, Bosley's words indicate that her mother had a selfish� desire to see her daughter succeed, despite her daughter's own desires or aspirations. Bosley also uses imagery and diction, such as " From my viewing seat on a green� striped couch in my parents' smoky living room where the carpet, a collage of white, brown, � and black mixedshag, contrasted so loudly with the cheap 70's furnishings that it� threatened my attention to the television set” (1) gives the reader additional understanding� into Bosley's own background and raising, and also prefaces the cultural references and� allusions that are to come later in the narrative. By providing this information, Bosley places� the reader into her own situations and circumstance.
One element the author uses to convey her messages to the reader is allusion. In� order to " set the stage” for her audience, Bosley writes about such things as "[the] Kmart� down the road” and the " Target all the way across town” and mentions that " This was the�
Ty Morris
English language IV POWER
09/09/2013...