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Contradictions Depicted In Jamaica Kincaid's Girl

427 Words2 Pages
In “Girl”, Jamaica Kincaid describes the situation of a girl whose mother explains her her duties as a woman. Within the text, Kincaid uses a lot of enumerations to stress how many duties women have. It does not only illustrate the good sides of being a woman, but also how hard it is, how men will treat a girl, and what a woman can do against it. The story includes many contradictions of what a girl should and should not do, moreover, it provides the reader with a wrong image of women, which is made up by a worried mother, who tries to prevent her daughter from any harm. There is a contradiction within the text and the tasks; on the one hand, a girl is prepared to be good at doing the household, but on the other hand, she is
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Jamaica Kincaid stories ‘’Girl’’ and Anna Quindlen ‘’Between The Sexes A Great Divide’’ have many Literary devices, but two literary devices that stand out are which are hyperbole and metaphors, Both of these literary devices show the author 's point The View on gender. In ‘’Girl’’ Jamaica Kincaid point of view of gender was showed in a metaphor that talks about a man allowed a woman to have a physical relationship with him. Kincaid writes, ‘’ always squeeze bread to make sure it 's fresh; but what if the baker won 't let me feel the bread? ; you mean to say that after all, you are really going to be the kind of woman who the baker won 't let near the bread?’’(Kincaid page 1).Kincaid writes this because it shows that she has a view of gender that uses literary devices such as a metaphor. Kincaid uses a metaphor to show that women need to serve man.

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The Talk-Funny Girl by Roland Merullo has many critical approaches within it, but the gender approach was one consistent approach with its three concepts of gender roles, masculinity and femininity, and patriarchy and matriarchy. From the beginning of this reading, the gender roles concept was frequently used to compare characters and their roles in the story. As a punishment, Marjorie would be forced to act like a boy by her parents, who referred to it as “boying” days. “On boying days there would always be a job to do, a house repair project usually…it was almost as if he really did want a son there to help him” (Merullo 74). As a female, it was as uncommon for one to participate in house repairs and outdoor work, so the roles of gender were altered in this setting.

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This illustrates how gender stereotypes shape societal expectations, leading to Minnie living in the confines of submissive roles for women, ultimately constraining their autonomy. Similarly, in Girl by Jamaica Kincaid, Girl is subjected to many societal norms, set up by her gender. For example, “This is how you smile to someone you don’t like very much; this is how you smile to someone you don’t like at all” (Kincaid 43). This further proves the gender stereotype that women are almost always pleasant and nice, leading to the social expectation that girls should behave accordingly and put politeness first, even if it is not implied. Suppressing her feelings and true self-expression,

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Imagery In Jamaica Kincaid's Short Story Girl

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Short stories are a piece of literature that holds a lesson in a small story, it has meaning behind it and with a large amount of imagery shows a picture of what the writer is trying to say. Short stories have been a very important piece of modern and past literature and always will, each story over the generations shows an evolution of not only english but also life in general. The story girl is an amazing short story by Jamaica Kincaid which has a deeper undertone of freedom while the mother explains how to be a lady. In the short story girl the mother explains how to be a lady, however with a deeper meaning of freedom behind it using a few key lines such as calling her daughter a slut.

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In the story “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaide shows that the authority figure’s advice is having a negative impact because she’s forcing the girl to conform to social norms. Throughout the entire story the speaker is reading off a list of things the girl has to do. The only time the speaker brings up a fun topic she turns it into something negative when she says “don’t squat to play marbles- you are not a boy, you know;” This is telling the girl that she cannot have any fun because she is a girl. Telling girls to act in a certain manner can affect their self esteem in a negative way. When someone is forced to conform it is a rejection of individuality which leads to a lack of respect and appreciation for that person.

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The Slut Jamaica Kincaid Analysis

294 Words | 2 Pages

There are countries in the world where men and woman both are equal in all phases of life, however, the third world countries still have woman who are fighting and rebellion against the injustice towards them. Kincaid writes this story very efficiently in only one sentence thus two page long; the story lists what to do and what not to. An advice from the adult mother to her adolescent girl to live unto the expectations of the community; the mother warns her daughter about the “slut” she thinks her daughter is bent upon becoming. What would a world look like if the genders were more equal and, in social terms, women were given the same freedoms men take for granted? Equality and freedom to choose how to behave is the right of every individual without any discrimination against the gender, the race or the caste; the message very well displayed in Jamaica Kincaid’s

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Culture and Women In “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid and “ How to date a Brown girl, Black girl, White girl or Halfie “ by Junot Diaz, both authors elaborate on culture and how it shapes outlook on women. In Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” a mother enforces her culture’s strong beliefs on her daughter. As the result, she displays her parental authority with a sequence of short commands influenced by her culture. A sense of judgment can be seen in the young girl, after questioning her mothers’ request.

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Social Criticism In Jamaicaaica Kincaid's Girl By Jamaica Kincaid

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In the story “Girl”, Jamaica Kincaid illustrates the talk given to a young Antiguan girl about what is expected of her in order to make a point about the cultural pressures and unfair social boundaries that come with being a girl in the Caribbean. The author plays with word choice and sentence structure in a way that makes this unconventional writing style enjoyable and metaphorically resonant. Though it is possible to read this prose as a mother talking directly to her daughter and the daughter interjecting, it is actually indicative of a larger conversation between a Caribbean society and its young women; this can be most clearly seen in the discussion of Benna, of plant, animal, and human life, of promiscuity, and of manners. Benna is a musical genre similar to calypso; its lyrics often discussed British political scandals and had lewd double meanings. The daughter is instructed not to sing it in church, because the songs are about sexuality, politics and open rebellion - however, this instruction has a much larger societal meaning.

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1130 Words | 5 Pages

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In the short story “Blackness” by Jamaica Kincaid, the narrator’s consciousness develops through a process of realization that she does not have to choose between the culture imposed on her and her authentic heritage. First, the narrator explains the metaphor “blackness” for the colonization her country that fills her own being and eventually becomes one with it. Unaware of her own nature, in isolation she is “all purpose and industry… as if [she] were the single survivor of a species” (472). Describing the annihilation of her culture, the narrator shows how “blackness” replaced her own culture with the ideology of the colonizers.

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1071 Words | 5 Pages

Jamaica Kincaid writes “girl” A story or poem that is something like a lecture from a mother figure to a daughter figure. There is an enormous amount of ways to present the tone. The tone of “Girl” is loving, caring, but strict. Jamaica uses literary devices to achieve the tone. She uses characters, setting, plot, point of view and style to establish a tone.

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The Theme Of Female Sexuality In Jamaica Kincaid's Girl

554 Words | 3 Pages

The short story “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid was published in 1978. The entire story has to do with mother talking to the daughter. The daughter does not say much. The subject matter of “Girl” has to do with being a female and how one should act. The theme of female sexuality is used throughout “Girl” to show the danger of female sexuality, power of domesticity, and sexual reputation.

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The role of women in literature crosses many broad spectrums in works of the past and present. Women are often portrayed as weak and feeble individuals that submit to the situations around them, but in many cases women are shown to be strong, independent individuals. This is a common theme that has appeared many times in literature. Across all literature, there is a common element that causes the suffering and pain of women. This catalyst, the thing that initiates the suffering of women, is essentially always in the form of a man.

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