Girl: the Cultural Conflict “Girl” written by Jamaica Kincaid, an Antiguan writer, narrates a mother’s advice to her daughter. Arguably, it depicts the mother’s inner conflict and the conflict between the mother and the daughter from two arguments. To some extent, these two conflicts can be understood as a cultural conflict between Britain and Antigua. First of all, the story uses a second person point of view to render readers know more about the mother’s inner conflict and motivation for offering the daughter advice. Despite her doubt about the usefulness of the advice, the mother insists on teaching the daughter how to act properly within the British culture, as she is responsible for making the daughter a good Antiguan woman.
The reason Uhmma acts this way with her kids is because she wants them not to be stressed and weak.Uhmma said in the beginning of the when she was talking to Young Ju, “Look at my rough hands. Do you think I always had hands like these? Do you want to end up like this?”(18). Meaning she doesnt want her to have that kind of life style. While this book progessed so did Uhmma, i feel that she new that Apa wasnt good but until the end when he turned on his own daughter she finally new that its
According to Farrell, the story is being told by her mother and suggests that Dee may not really be the bad person that everyone claims she is (179). Farrell goes on to explain that the perceptions told by Mama are filtered through her mind and Mama’s views of her daughters are not to be accepted uncritically (179). Farrell’s approach to this piece was to try and take the reader to a different level of understanding and offer some other ways to view the heritage of both Mama and Dee. Issue In Susan Farrell’s essay, many questions are brought up about the interpretation of the story “Everyday Use”. One question Farrell brings up during the essay is, what is the true understanding and relationship between Dee and her mother?
In “Girl,” by Jamaica Kincaid, the author portrays a mother’s concern for her daughter’s behavior and upbringing in her community. The story portrays life from Kincaid’s childhood in Antigua during the 1950s.This short story warns of the dangers of female sexuality and the importance of the power of domesticity. Throughout the the story, the mother, who is also the main narrator, seems to teach her daughter important lessons, but also scold her on her improper behavior. This story expresses the importance of female domesticity. The mother figure in the story makes a list of tasks she is teaching her daughter.
She gives her instructions on how to speak, act, cook, clean, and how to carry herself as a lady. The way that the daughter is spoken to is not in a gentle manner filled with love. The mother speaks down to her child telling her such things as, “this is how to behave in the presence of men who don’t know you very well, and this way they won’t recognize immediately the slut I have warned you against becoming” (Kincaid 44). This statement can lead to the belief that perhaps the girl within this story had done something that her mother had considered very slutty and she wasn’t going to let her daughter get away with thinking it was acceptable behavior. It can be assumed that this daughter probably just started her monthly period, from the line towards the beginning to “soak her little clothes right after she takes them off” (Kincaid 43).
The speaker’s thoughts and phrases are on occasion interrupted with italics used to indicate the possible inner thoughts or spoken voice of whomever is being spoken to in the story. Line after line of instruction invokes a vision of a small child struggling to follow a hurried, exasperated and perfectionist mother through the activities of everyday life. She is a good mother with many lessons to teach and cares enough to guide her daughter into societal acceptance. She is also a selfish mother who is overly concerned with appearances. The lack of paragraphing and indentation gives the work a sense of being rushed to finish before this day becomes tomorrow.
Tita confronts her abusive mother, she not only grows to understand her responsibilities as a daughter, but lives the excitement of chasing her ambitions as she experiences true love. Upholding tradition, Tita, the youngest daughter of the De La Garza family, is subject to the duty of caring for her mother without any opportunity to marry. Throughout the story, Tita’s opposition is expressed by her resilience and submissiveness in her relationship with Mama Elena. With her reserved right to love or find a sense of independence, Tita is compelled to conform to her traditional duty. “Are you starting with your rebelliousness again?
Essay: The Orang-utans and the Angry Woman “The Orang-utans and the Angry Woman” is a short story about three women and their way of raising their children. Sheena, who is the main character, raises her two boys without punishment, but by their own intuitions of right and wrong. The second mother in the story is being introducing as the angry woman, it is because she is very aggressive in her way of raising her daughter. Finally, we have the orang-utan mother who is raising her baby by let him learn by his own mistakes. Sheena, who is an ordinary middle-aged woman, raises her children on a casual way.
At the end due to the inability of Abby to succeed in her liberty, she witnesses lack of strength and the fear her mother has at the Blarney Stone. In Morrison’s Sula, the mother’s emotional and nurturing detachment from the daughters through generations helps all of them create a female-self identity. This lack of nurture may be a direct result of the maternal figure's focus on survival, as Eva can't take time to show love for her children but is able to sacrifice a leg to ensure physical endurance. In her mind these acts confess her love for them while in Hanna's head, the emotional connection that she needs from her mother is not present. As Hannah becomes a mother herself and a mother being the first model of love that the children experiences, she emotionally detaches herself from Sula as she was detached from her mother.
“I am going to make you talk you sissy-girl.” Kingston stated to the girl that she picked on during school and tried to make her talk because she did not speak to her. Kingston wanted her to yell stop or say something because she could not stand the fact that the girl did not stand up for herself. She could not face her because of how weak she presented. Kingston does not believe that women should be fragile. From my personal perspective, women should be able to speak up for themselves and should be treated equal to that of a male.