Preview

Jamaica Kincaid Girl

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1230 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Jamaica Kincaid Girl
In this analysis of "Girl" I wanted to look at the way women are portrayed by their class and how it affect their gendered actions. In doing this I wanted to look at what these women do professionally. By doing this I want to look at how Kincaid uses the words slut and lady. In this analysis I wanted to reflect on education and how it could potentially play into this story by looking at the different types of education the different classes receive. I also want to look at how this all plays into girlhood. When looking at this story after just reading it for the first time you see how the narrator is most likely a teacher or mother who is telling a young girl how to cook and clean. Throughout this I mainly just want to look at the two different types of classes Kincaid presents in this short story and why she chose what she did to perceive these two classes.
We can see how women try to portray themselves as a different class then they are actually in. We see this in the short story when Kincaid says "On Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like a slut you are so bent on becoming"
…show more content…
We see this in how the story talks about how girls of different classes are treated differently. We see this by looking at the education that is taught to the two different classes, the type of girlhood they had, and the types of words that are used to describe who these girls will eventually become. The way the author uses the words slut and lady really show how different bother of these types of classes are. Also the way the author uses the repetition of "this is how" shows how a girl is taught to become the women she will eventually be. In this story though we can connect how all these things that I have stated work together to show how gender can be classed. The way slut and lady are used in this short story go with how these girls are taught to do these things which reflects what their girlhood is

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Gina Barreca in the story of “Be Like One of the Guys? Why?’ describes how women don’t appreciate or associate with their gender group. She talks of women feeling smart when compared to male gender. Women feel sufficient when told they are one of the boys. On the other hand, when told that they are just like other women they feel weak and insufficient.…

    • 227 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    amaica Kincaid in Girl is trying to show readers how hard it is to be a girl in the culture that the narrator is a part of. The narrator lists all the things that a girl is required to know how to do and when and how to do them. There seems to be many little things that a girl is required to know how to do and by listing all, or maybe just a few, of these things readers get a sense of how hard it may be to become a good and respected woman in the culture that the narrator is a part of.…

    • 293 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Discuss the representations of female characters in No Sugar. How do female characters in the play challenge and/or reinforce traditional gender discourse?…

    • 1159 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the beginning of both the poem and story the authors give a very visual description of the women. They are both considered to appear on the outside as if they are "a faerys child" - beautiful. But when you look into their eyes a sense of being "wild" is within them. The wildness that the men see in their eyes foreshadows their merciless nature. The wildness alludes to and foreshadows the womens animalistic and heartless actions. In both storys the women seduce multiple men with their physical attractiveness in order to gain control of them and make the situation benefit them. The authors use imagery in their texts by explaining in detail the womens outstanding physical features in order to make the reader picture the women in the same way that the narrator does. Steinbeck and Keats effectivly project the images of the women into the minds of the reader.…

    • 667 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the story women don’t seem to be “respected” in the society. People don’t think that they are capable of things. The view of people about women do not seem to be that great. It is shown in the story that Waverly is trying to win against male dominated activities such as chess. Bobby Fischer who was a chess champion, says, “There will never be a woman grand master." "Your move, Bobby,” in a magazine caption. This shows that people think that women are not capable and do not have the power to win at anything against men. Waverly proves him wrong by becoming a national chess champion. Waverly also notices one day when she goes to the park, “I saw a group of old men, two seated across a folding table playing a game of chess, others smoking pipes,…

    • 334 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    We as Americans reminisce on history to see and understand the advancements we have accomplished and the same can be said of not only the advancement of women but also the image of how women are portrayed. Although in today’s day and age, their figures and beauty are scrutinized but also exploited. For instance in both Tennessee Williams motion picture, “A Street Car Named Desire” and Lorraine Hansberry A Raisin in the Sun you are able to see the evolution of the not only the portal of women but also the advancements they accomplish.…

    • 508 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Women have always played a major role in society. They play very essential roles such as the carrier of the life cycle. They were created to be a companion of man. Overtime women have varied their roles in today’s society. As seen in the novel’s The Crucible by Arthur Miller and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, women can travel outside of society’s norms. Women also played major role in both novels. These stories were written by totally opposite authors but the settings of these stories are the same, the Puritan era. Both authors portrayed the strengths of women while also portraying their downfalls too.…

    • 529 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    However, in the new culture of the 20th century, the tides begin to change. Instead of men being privileged women now lead in social superiority. This is a result of overcompensation. A specific place where this new gender bias is illustrated, can be found in chapter 18 of To kill a Mockingbird. Mayella Ewell sits before the judge, and tells her alibi (238-254). Because of her feminine touch to the situation the jury end up letting her go. Mayella lied to the jury, and got away with it. Many would say that this was because she was white, but there may have been a twinge of gender bias in the jury’s decision. The reality that gender bias could hurt both men and women is slowly creping up on…

    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cook Kincaid Summary

    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages

    I agree with your analysis of each narrative being representative of gender being socially constructed. In Kincaid's Girl, it shows the weight of tradition being a heavy component in the construction of gender identity. "Cook pumpkin fritter in very hot sweet oil," "Soak salt fish overnight before you cook it, " (Kincaid) and so on, are all traditions relating to a Caribbean upbringing. The tone of her narrative emphasizes the imperativeness of cooking being that of part of a woman's expectations. I am not sure how gender plays into one's character traits and abilities as far as whether or not one has been raised with boy or girl siblings. I find it confusing. Case in point: I have two older brothers and one younger sister.…

    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When reading “Girl,” the reader must make inferences based off of hints in the text. This will bring them to the conclusion that the person speaking is indeed a mother talking to her daughter. Not once in this short story does Kincaid use the words mother or daughter, instead she uses subtle hints to inquire that this is so. For instance, at the beginning of the story the mother states “soak your little cloths right after you take them off” (202). The use of the word “little” helps the reader understand that the person being spoken to is small and more than likely a child. It is also mentioned that the daughter must learn to “iron [her] father’s khaki pants,” at this point it is almost made positive that the person being spoken to is a child that is growing up and will need to take on her mother’s chores soon (200). The reader can also make the assumption that…

    • 1306 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I found two pretty alarming examples of sexism in the book. The first is one of the rules of Galveston’s Garden Club, a luxurious beauty spot that included tennis courts, a dance pavilion, even a small zoo. The rule was that women weren't allowed…

    • 573 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    It can be said that society has always been quite judgmental, and at times misguided when it comes to women. The negative perceptions that society has towards females are often times directly related toward her actions. What a female does seems to degrade her identity and capabilities in the eyes of some men. In the poems “The Lady’s Dressing Room” and The essay “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift, we can see both authors use of tone, form and style to develop their works. These poems are mainly driven by men’s attitudes towards women. A man’s perceived opinion about women can negatively shape society’s views and perceptions of them.…

    • 1388 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kincaid Girl

    • 572 Words
    • 3 Pages

    While reading all the commands the little girl needed to know, I was appalled at how the talk was and demands were. To me in this excerpt some of the themes that I came across were race relations, representation of women, gender roles and sexuality. All of which during this time frame were suitable and women understood that.…

    • 572 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    “Girl” & Barbie Doll

    • 2455 Words
    • 10 Pages

    In contrast, the short story “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid suggests that women are sentenced to patriarchy as a result of socially constructed gender stereotypes. She criticizes the idealized patriarchal norms and pressures which overshadow the lives of women. Starting early on in their childhood, little girls are explicitly exposed to the pressures and expectations of how they should live. As a result of gender stereotypes, young girls are brainwashed to believe that their role as a woman is a domestic homemaker and that they should always be kempt and maintain a feminine outer appearance. Kincaid ultimately criticizes how women and girls are trapped under a system of patriarchy that can not be erased.…

    • 2455 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Racial Identity

    • 331 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Be sure to incorporate the concepts from the readings: sex vs. gender, sexism, sex roles, Patriarchy, Glass Ceiling, the Second Shift, institutionalized sexism, feminism, etc. Answer some of these question within your essay exam. Again look for a good ‘hook’ and a clear thesis for your…

    • 331 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays