The Plastic Pink Flamingo AP Prompt Writing a Thesis Statement and Chunked Paragraph Response

Deconstructing the Prompt The passage below is an excerpt from Jennifer Price’s recent essay “The Plastic Pink Flamingo: A Natural History.” The essay examines the popularity of the plastic pink flamingo in the 1950’s. Read the passage carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze how Price crafts the text to reveal her view of the United States culture.

Deconstructing the Prompt The Subject: Jennifer Price’s recent essay “The Plastic Pink Flamingo: A Natural History.” The Concrete (technique found in text): how Price crafts the text The Abstract (author’s purpose): to reveal her view of the United States culture.

Forming a Thesis Statement The Concrete: How does Price craft the text? The Abstract: What is Price’s view of the United States?

Forming a Thesis Statement The Concrete: How does Price craft the text? Price crafts the text by setting up contrasts between geographical locations, socioeconomic groups, and America’s treatment of plastic vs. real flamingos. The Abstract: What is Price’s view of the United States? Americans are superficial, trading sacred, natural beauty for temporary status symbols.

The Thesis Statement In her essay “The Plastic Pink Flamingo: A Natural History,” Price crafts her essay by showing contrasts between socioeconomic levels, geographic locations, and treatment of flamingos, suggesting that Americans are superficial, trading sacred, natural beauty for temporary status symbols.

The Chunked Paragraph Topic Sentence Concrete Detail Commentary Conclusion

The Chunked Paragraph Topic Sentence (TS) – A reason that supports your thesis statement. Concrete Detail (CD) – evidence, examples to support your topic sentence. Commentary (CM) – your analysis and explanation of the concrete detail to connect it to the topic sentence. Commentary – a continuation of analysis/explanation. Concrete Detail – another piece of evidence/example. Commentary – analysis and explanation of the new concrete detail. Commentary - a continuation of analysis/explanation. Conclusion – a sentence relating the new information back to the thesis statement.

The Chunked Paragraph #1 Beginning with her opening paragraphs, Price traces the rise to fame of the plastic pink flamingo and its descent from the height of social status to the bottom. She notes that in the 1910s and 1920s, flamingos were “synonymous with wealth and pizazz,” but by the 1930s it was cheapened to a souvenir for vacationers, and by the 1950s it was a lawn ornament for the working-class. Although, the flamingo continued to be highly sought after, its symbolic nature degraded over time. It became associated with the flashy, temporary decadence of Las Vegas and cheap motels and consumer products. The working-class brought the flamingo from “Florida’s cachet of leisure and extravagance” to “[inscribe their] lawn” when they returned home to New Jersey. While Florida is associated with luxury retirement homes and vacation resorts, New Jersey produces images of industrial, working-class neighborhoods. By tying social status to particular states, the author reinforces the declining reputation of the bird. The flamingo’s association with urban industrial sprawl compared with the relaxing, sparkling beaches of Florida is laughable. Price’s sarcastic treatment through contrasts of socioeconomic status and region, prove that she finds the trinkets to be ridiculous.