Girl short story kincaid. Girl (short story) 2022-10-29

Girl short story kincaid Rating: 6,1/10 467 reviews

In the short story "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid, the narrator is a mother who is imparting a list of instructions and expectations to her daughter. Through this list of "rules," the mother reveals the societal expectations and gender roles placed upon women in her culture.

The mother begins the story by telling the daughter how to behave in order to be a good wife and mother. She instructs the daughter on how to cook, clean, and care for children. The mother also emphasizes the importance of being obedient and submissive to her husband, stating that the daughter's "goodness must come from [her] obedience."

Throughout the story, the mother touches upon various gender roles and expectations placed upon women in their culture. For example, she advises the daughter to always keep her body clean and to never let anyone see her sweat. This reinforces the societal pressure for women to maintain a certain level of appearance and attractiveness.

Additionally, the mother advises the daughter to be careful about what she says and does in order to maintain her reputation. She warns the daughter that if she does not follow these rules, she will be seen as "wanton" and will bring shame upon herself and her family. This reveals the societal expectations for women to be modest and chaste, and the consequences that can result from not adhering to these expectations.

Overall, "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid highlights the gender roles and expectations placed upon women in a specific culture. Through the mother's list of instructions and expectations for her daughter, we see the pressure for women to conform to certain behaviors and appearances in order to be considered good and worthy.

Short Story Girl By Kincaid

girl short story kincaid

Initially, this is practical domestic advice about washing and drying clothes, as well as cooking tips, such as how to cook salt fish. At the young age of seventeen, Elaine left her home in St. Verse relies on specific recurring patterns in sound and rhythm to create specific musical-like effects for the reader. The mother also finds ways to establish this belief through assumptions and negative interpretations about the girl and her activities. She also says that there are many kinds of relationships and some never work out. In contrast, most fiction books are likely written in prose, which uses narration and dialogue to tell a linear story.


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Short Story Girl by Jamaica Kincaid

girl short story kincaid

Even more significantly, it separates ideas into sentences. Just like in The Yellow Wallpaper where the main character indicates a feeling of tiredness at being manipulated and repressed, the protagonist in Girl who is a young girl receiving countless reminders answers back her mother for berating her every move, but ends up being castigated more. It reads like a video clip from Youtube. A woman had to follow the rules of the Cult of True Womanhood to be considered proper and wife material. This short story limits to what women are able to do and what they cannot do.


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A Comparative Girl Jamaica Kincaid Analysis Of Two Short Stories Essay Paper Example

girl short story kincaid

These texts also investigate the idea that women are treated differently from men and some impacts that growing up in a sexist and single minded society can have on the youth of the community. Thus a clear reason for the mother to sway her daughter from such ungodly musical banter, as it is not religious in nature and could cause more harm than good in trying to teach the daughter. Most of the story reflects what the parent says about what the girl should do and not do. The mother also assumes the daughter wants to become a 'slut,' even though there is no proof or reason given for why she thinks this. The real cultural instruction she is being given is not to bring Antiguan culture into European places. Throughout the story, it is only twice that the girl responds to her mother. Don't use plagiarized sources.

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Jamaica Kincaid Short Stories

girl short story kincaid

The repetition of the phrase is important to note as it centralizes sexual reputation as one of the most important pieces of advice for the entire poem. In her work, she also seeks to combat the negative effects of discrimination, detrimental environmental policies, and spread of AIDS, which killed her brother in 1996. In The Yellow Wallpaper, the husband-wife relation is amiable. These practical instructions also lead into those pertaining to relations with men in general. What are some of the effects of this decision? She describes her mother as a literate woman who struggled against her poor circumstances, eventually feeling bitterness toward her children because of all her problems.

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GIRL, a short story by Jamaica Kincaid

girl short story kincaid

Okra from the Okra tree that must be kept away from the house. We have all done this on occasion, mocked someone by repeating what they said in a very disrespectful tone of voice. Kincaid also wrote in a way that made each time reading it, a new thing to infer or attach to as a reader. We learn a great deal about the characters and the culture just from these lines, and it is repeated over and over about what kind of woman the girl will become. All of the lines are memories, mostly of things her mother or grandmother said to her as she was growing up.


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Girl: Full Plot Summary

girl short story kincaid

Summary A prose poem reads like prose, but it follows the rules of conventional poetry. While Kincaid did exceptionally well in her early school years, girls at the time were not permitted to higher education, meaning she had to leave her home of Antigua to continue her education. The story is mostly told in the second person. Jamaica Kincaid is a strong woman who pursued her dreams, despite the difficult relationship with her mother, she was able to use this to her advantage in her writing. Girl narrator had many literature concepts like Imagery which is to use symbolic language to represent objects, actions, and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses.

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Plot, Analysis, & Themes of Girl by Jamaica Kincaid

girl short story kincaid

That tends to make use read it that way, with pauses, but no sentence-ending tones. She imposes these behaviors on the girl, who is expected to obey and conform. There is a lot of discussion from the mother about how the daughter must interact with people as well as how to behave in a romantic relationship with a man. She came to New York at age seventeen, taking a job as a nanny for a rich family and met New Yorker columnist George S. The mother's directions build from simple life lessons such as washing clothes to the more complex theme of male-female relationships.

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Jamaica Kincaid's Short Story "Girl"

girl short story kincaid

She concludes in her story the final thought about female perspective in our society. Some of the instructions relate to the practical aspects of life, such as laundry, while others relate to moral and ethical dimensions, such as attending church. Not only does she bring to attention how many women and girls are voiceless but also why they are that Alicia Who Sees Mice Essay 691 Words 3 Pages Growing up in a very traditional family I have experienced a patriarchal system in which my father is making the important decisions without consulting to the rest of the family. When the daughter says that she never sings benna in Sunday school, the mother ignores the young lady and just continues giving instructions and rules, without much consideration for the possibility that the girl actually does not sing benna in Sunday school. She spends significantly more time on behavior, making sure to point out what the girl should do and what she shouldn't do.

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“Girl,” by Jamaica Kincaid

girl short story kincaid

It is also parental advice along the lines of not walking bareheaded in the hot sun. During the story, her mother's voice sounds somewhat condescending and critical when speaking, suggesting that the girl is likely to become a "slut. Kincaid also points to social issues, such as sexism or sex discrimination, gender stereotypes, and the effects of societal pressure on personal development. In contrast, Girl uses the mother-daughter tandem to illustrate the common practice adopted by most cultures of ingraining good manners, blind obedience, and prescribed roles to female members of the family. The story is also notable for its use of grammar: it consists of a single sentence, most of which is spoken by a mother who is giving advice to her daughter.

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