• Engelsk
  • Uddannelse: HHX
  • Karakter: 10 tal
  • Ord: 1114

Indledning
We’re living in a time where greater or lesser parts of our lives are on display on social media, and the saying “If it’s not on Instagram, it didn’t happen” is getting more and more real.

The trend of throwing extravagant events and afterwards posting perfect pictures of it on social media has now reached kids’ birthday parties as well.

But how much is too much? This is the question Meagan Francis asks in her article “Kids birthday parties are out of control. It’s time for the adults that throw them to get a grip.” for NBC News.

With the topic being kids’ birthday parties, Meagan Francis’ article is written with an intention of rooting out the idea that kids’ birthday parties must live up to certain - often unachievable - standards.

Optimer dit sprog - Læs vores guide og scor topkarakter

Uddrag
Francis appeals to her audience’ feelings when describing how her own 10-year-old daughter feels after attending a simple, thrown-together birthday party:

“That was the best party I ever went to,” she sighed happily.” (page 3, line 34) With this statement, she tries to convince her audience that simple, thrown-together parties equal happy, balanced kids.

By including an emotional statement from a child, Francis uses pathos as a form of appeal. Meagan Francis also makes use of linguistic features to clarify her opinion and beliefs in relation to the topic.

For instance, she uses similes to point out how costly gifts kids receive at birthday parties nowadays: “(..) a pile of gifts that collectively represents the cost of your car payment” (page 3, line 21-22)

Francis compares the cost of gifts given at kids’ birthday parties with the cost of a car payment. This, she does with the intention of underlining how unreasonably costly, she believes, gifts given at kids’ birthday parties are.

Regarding circumstances, the article is written at a time characterized by the great influence from social media.

The article reflects this societal tendency that everything we do must be shown on social media, and that we are highly affected by what we see thereupon.

Meagan Francis sets out how the pressure of ‘achieving’ on especially Instagram has contributed to the idea that kids’ birthday parties must live up to certain standards.