Roles Of The Woman By Jamaica Kincaid s Poem, Girl, A Woman

Roles of The Woman â€Å"Prevent yourself from looking like the slut I know you are so bent on becoming†. - (Kincaid 385) What actions define a woman to be considered a â€Å"woman†? - (Rose) Women roles in society have been to take care of their families, and do what is required of â€Å" a woman†. In Jamaica Kincaid’s poem Girl, a mother is giving her daughter advice on how to be a woman; simultaneously, reminding her if she does not obey these duties, she will be considered a â€Å"slut†. The mother is explaining to her, the role women play in society, how to act around a man, take care of your spouse, and how to never act less than a woman. Reading Kincaid’s poem alongside the academic article titled, The Female Breadwinner: Phenomenological Experience and Gendered Identity in Work/ Family Spaces, I have concluded that women’s roles in society are outrageous; however, they are improving. This poem has more to do with gender roles and less to do with the pride, integrity, and self worth a woman feels internally as a result of the things she has been taught. A mother teaches her daughter at an early age about values and morals. Most lessons reflect society’s expectations about what it means to be a woman. Throughout Kincaid’s poem titled Girl, I noticed the use of â€Å"how to†, followed by â€Å"duties† of a woman. Kincaid’s poem is flooded with variety of emotions, and I feel a personal connection to it. Reading the poem the time setting was in the past days. Women did not take a stand, and feltShow MoreRelatedA Literary Analysis Of Girl By Jamaica Kincaid1927 Words   |  8 PagesLanguage, Culture, and a Mother s’ Influence: A Literary Analysis of Girl by Jamaica Kincaid Girls, young women, and mature mothers. Society has consistently given women strict guidelines, rules and principles on how to be an appropriate member of a man’s society. These rules are set at a young age and enforced thoroughly into adulthood. When not followed accordingly, women often times too many face reprimanding through means of verbal abuse, physical abuse, or social exile. In the midst of allRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Girl By Jamaica Kincaid1629 Words   |  7 PagesThe poem â€Å"Girl† by Jamaica Kincaid is a lengthy poem describing society and the social structure in the early 50’s from what it sounds. The short story â€Å"Girl,† deals with the experience of being young and female in a poor country. This poem describes a time when stereotypical gender roles where a huge part of society women had duties that only women could do such as clean, cook, wash clothing, watch the children and ect. And the men were head of the house hold and pre served as high and mighty, theRead MoreVoices of Women Writers Lesson2028 Words   |  9 PagesParents play a crucial role in the development of children, varying from culture to culture. Although imperative, the mother and daughter relationship can be trivial. Many women writers have exercised their knowledge and shared their feelings in their works to depict the importance and influence of mothers upon daughters. Jamaica Kincaid, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Kiana Davenport are only three of the many women writers who have included mother and daughter themes in their texts. These writersRead MoreJamaica Kincaid- Girl Essay1079 Words   |  5 PagesJamaica Kincaid- Girl The poem Girl by author Jamaica Kincaid shows love and family togetherness by creating microcosmic images of the way mothers raise their children in order to survive. Upon closer examination, the reader sees that the text is a string of images in Westerner Caribbean family practices. Jamaica Kincaid has taken common advice that daughters are constantly hearing from their mothers and tied them into a series of commands that a mother uses to prevent her daughter fromRead MoreThe Victimization of Teenage Girls1553 Words   |  7 Pagesmean to be a girl according to society? How does society see it? In many countries, a girl is seen as powerless, uneducated, and too emotional to handle a man’s job. For example, women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to drive. In the past, writers used to describe a woman’s role as the victim of many forms of discrimination in the United States of America. In other words, women were only involved in things that men thought were not important. For instance, women did not have any other role than beingRead MoreAn Analysis Of Rick Moody s Boys 1153 Words   |  5 Pagesessays. The authors utilize different forms of writing to convey their intended focus to the audience. I found each story relative to one another in that t hey all seemed to touch of the subject of the roles of different genders in our contemporary society maybe even across different cultures. Rick Moody s short story Boys is written with a distinct style. The author uses a form of a stream of consciousness to convey the purpose at hand, which encompasses writing as if without hesitation or editingRead MoreGender Double Standards1530 Words   |  6 PagesGender Double Standards According to Christian doctrine: In the Beginning, God created man and woman. In older times, before Christ, women and men were designated roles in the Holy Bible. Men were expected to be the head of the household, while women were expected to be the body. This means that men were to produce for their families while women are to run the family. Now years later, although society has much changed, there is still an unspoken expectation that should be reached by both sexes. AlthoughRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Son Laughs 2088 Words   |  9 PagesThis poem is written entirely of images describing icicles and the son s reaction to them. When we first see the icicles frozen and suspended from the railing and are shown in their different shapes and sizes and the way they collect and reflect light. We hear the sounds of the icicles breaking off as the sun begins to change them back to liquid form. The son laughs and breaks one off and touches his lips with it. The poem is full of ima ginary that affects our senses of sight, hearing and touch