Opening the essay with personal experience proves to be an efficient introduction. The author starts the novel with the story of his first favorite sports teams at the age of two or three. He then jumps to the description of his high school games and the first time paying attention to mascots. From the point of view of storytelling, it catches the audience’s attention with relatable experience. The topic of mascots is gradually implemented through a story of one’s childhood. The narrative develops bit by bit from the first experience with mascots to their analysis after years of working for colleges and universities. The author does not load the reader with various mascot names and categorizations but instead intertwines them into the story from his own perspective. The personal experiences combined with scientific explanation and personal reflections make A note on Mascots a successful work.
As the essay goes into the thorough analysis of mascots’ nature, the author explores the concept through abstract phrases. He states that we use animals as mascots for their incredible energy because of their spiritual importance. The author skillfully manages to prove his point through various examples. The essay contains listings of the categories of mascots and what they represent. Thus, the abstract concept of spiritual importance gets supported by practical application and examples. It allows for a more in-depth understanding and makes the reader question the importance of the posed question.
The whole story builds up from the simple observation by a kid to the analysis of the underlying idea by a professor. The author intends the reader to take the issue of mascots seriously and understand that they are more than just people’s friends and cheers for sports games. To achieve this effect a literary device of a sudden change of tone in the essay is used. The playful intonation of the work changes to a moving conclusion to create a dissonance in the reader’s perception. Such a conceit once again underlines the idea the author wanted to convey and leaves a definite aftertaste of what mascots genuinely are.