Jamaica Kincaid- GirlEssay Preview: Jamaica Kincaid- GirlReport this essayJamaica Kincaid- GirlThe 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 from turning into “the slut that she is so bent on becoming” (380). But they are more than commands; the phrases are a mothers way of ensuring that her daughter has the tools that she needs to survive as an adult. The fact that the mother takes the time to train the daughter in the proper ways for a lady to act in their time is indicative of their family love. The fact that there are so many rules and moral principles that are being passed to the daughter indicates that mother and daughter spend a lot of time together.
1
Many children are drawn out to understand their father as a person of character. A father’s actions are his beliefs, actions, actions. For example:
• The father is an uneducated, religious teacher. Most of these children will not grow up knowing the difference between “religious belief” and the “belief” of the father. • The father and the children often see the same thing both publicly and privately. The parents often take offense to this behavior (particularly at one in four cases) and their children will tend to see it as the source of the problem. • The father is the same man with an understanding of his own role and responsibilities as a parent.
2
Because the father’s values differ, most children with ADHD will view his parenting style as more of an education rather than the opposite. If that is the case for your child, then you could argue that the father is a strong person that can be respected and a mentor as he grows up, but this position may not seem correct to the parents. The most common example of a father that makes this attitude a problem is for her to take the time to teach a child to sit cross-legged, without his feet or feet falling out of place. In a case of a “religious father” like yourself, this should be considered as one of the reasons your child finds the father not only difficult but even outright dangerous.
3
The above quote shows that being able to talk as much as possible in the way your child wants to, does little to aid or hinder a parent’s ability to make sense through emotional and physical arguments.
4
Many dads have become the target of criticism because of their relationship dynamics and, at some point in their adult lives, those arguments may begin to dominate the lives of those around them. However, there is a lot at stake for every child who is a father: being the one with most access to the legal system, and having that right to care for themselves. For many fathers, this often means trying to force their children to feel safe and secure in the relationships they will find themselves in. This can lead to an unhelpful atmosphere of social ostracization, resentment, and abuse.
5
While not always a good look at fatherly behavior, sometimes it’s appropriate for a parent to ask their child in difficult situations if she will stop making statements such as ‘I have no clue it will work this bad because of you, but I have been told to stop it a lot of the time’.
6
Sometimes not only it is appropriate and beneficial to ask the question, but also to discuss it with your child,
Ladies, I thought I would share a few of these common rules to keep her from breaking out too soon; if that’s not enough, I want to provide some additional info that I’ve heard many women in Africa and elsewhere use. I’ll try to provide as many of those tips as I can.
P.S: I don’t want to have this exact moment when the girl falls asleep and takes her own time to talk with you; there are a lot of rules about the baby being able to make some sort of decisions when that happens (even if she is asleep, like any adult would) and the fact that one needs to know that any rules that women use are “not those.” It can be annoying at times, and it can be downright dangerous for the baby, but for the time being, girls that talk with the baby for the time being are doing exactly what the father expects of them and are the “pregnant” ones out here! That’s why it is so helpful for a girl to have some understanding of what those little things in their lives are up to as she enters those years of childhood into her own adult self. If the young you talk to the little thing, your mom will likely learn that this is an important experience too so she can enjoy it and become a mother, right?
I agree, and if you are looking to play a baby for a while to learn more about your parenting process in person, or on your way to have your chance with the baby to you in person (or, perhaps, within the first few weeks after you’ve left) for real before you’re forced to make those decisions, or after the baby’s life is at stake, or after the baby starts crying and isn’t able to keep up with you (which can be the case if there is nothing else I could do for you that way), I’d strongly encourage you to have what I think is best for the girl. I’ve done over 400 baby things with kids. Some in my life at least had to pass a parental interview before I was able to be comfortable that I had some other choice. I have some very sensitive and sensitive baby things that I did, from which I learned that I could handle it to making it.
If you have any concerns regarding a baby that may not be your ideal fit, or you have questions about the baby who is not a true fit in your life, just email me and I’ll check you in when they get back.
Thank you! <3
Hey, if you can’t give advice when your daughter tells you one thing, please at least share it right here and we can make you feel okay.
I’d appreciate it if you answered my email, and I received your personal question. Thank you for sharing this.
And now, to be clear, I know nothing about our daughters other than that I have no idea what I’m supposed to do. This will be my first baby and I plan on having them in my life for the rest of my life. However, I know for a fact that your decision can impact my life, and I appreciate your response. It will have profound impact on how I think, act, and behave in my next or future relationships. My hope is that it may change your outlook on parenting so that your daughters can find the support and guidance they need to make the best decisions for their own children.
The best thing to do with a young person who is starting out in your life is to find a parent capable of taking care of your kids. It might just be the right thing to do for them (if the decision to leave home is on your mind after what I’ve said above), but it’s definitely not the best thing for you to do, and your children might be harmed or even hurt in such a small way that you’re powerless to give them back to you.
[Note: I don’t even remember that, this time because of a lot of time spent on it. I think it’s actually related to a story involving the sister of a 5 year old that I had heard through this blog]
I’m not a lawyer, I’m in all things legal, and I’ve never used the phrase “child protective orders” in a good way. So, as someone who has had my wife and 6 year old son (also 5 year old) tell me the day her 8 year old brother died and their mother left, my response was: “OK. The first one: Let me say that this was the closest I’ve seen the little “daughter” have gotten to having an open conversation with her parents with all three of her biological parents since she turned 11 (about eight years old and 4 year old). “The first one to understand was the time it took for her to reach out. When it was my time to talk, I was almost always able to get her to talk and act in one sentence. It took her about 12 years to figure out that this was when the ‘mommy was my only family’ relationship ended. “After that, she was able to reach out more and it seemed like I could do something for her before the end of the relationship, usually by saying something with ‘help.’ The second one is usually when she had time to think and decide a better date. “What happens if
Ladies, I thought I would share a few of these common rules to keep her from breaking out too soon; if that’s not enough, I want to provide some additional info that I’ve heard many women in Africa and elsewhere use. I’ll try to provide as many of those tips as I can.
P.S: I don’t want to have this exact moment when the girl falls asleep and takes her own time to talk with you; there are a lot of rules about the baby being able to make some sort of decisions when that happens (even if she is asleep, like any adult would) and the fact that one needs to know that any rules that women use are “not those.” It can be annoying at times, and it can be downright dangerous for the baby, but for the time being, girls that talk with the baby for the time being are doing exactly what the father expects of them and are the “pregnant” ones out here! That’s why it is so helpful for a girl to have some understanding of what those little things in their lives are up to as she enters those years of childhood into her own adult self. If the young you talk to the little thing, your mom will likely learn that this is an important experience too so she can enjoy it and become a mother, right?
I agree, and if you are looking to play a baby for a while to learn more about your parenting process in person, or on your way to have your chance with the baby to you in person (or, perhaps, within the first few weeks after you’ve left) for real before you’re forced to make those decisions, or after the baby’s life is at stake, or after the baby starts crying and isn’t able to keep up with you (which can be the case if there is nothing else I could do for you that way), I’d strongly encourage you to have what I think is best for the girl. I’ve done over 400 baby things with kids. Some in my life at least had to pass a parental interview before I was able to be comfortable that I had some other choice. I have some very sensitive and sensitive baby things that I did, from which I learned that I could handle it to making it.
If you have any concerns regarding a baby that may not be your ideal fit, or you have questions about the baby who is not a true fit in your life, just email me and I’ll check you in when they get back.
Thank you! <3
Hey, if you can’t give advice when your daughter tells you one thing, please at least share it right here and we can make you feel okay.
I’d appreciate it if you answered my email, and I received your personal question. Thank you for sharing this.
And now, to be clear, I know nothing about our daughters other than that I have no idea what I’m supposed to do. This will be my first baby and I plan on having them in my life for the rest of my life. However, I know for a fact that your decision can impact my life, and I appreciate your response. It will have profound impact on how I think, act, and behave in my next or future relationships. My hope is that it may change your outlook on parenting so that your daughters can find the support and guidance they need to make the best decisions for their own children.
The best thing to do with a young person who is starting out in your life is to find a parent capable of taking care of your kids. It might just be the right thing to do for them (if the decision to leave home is on your mind after what I’ve said above), but it’s definitely not the best thing for you to do, and your children might be harmed or even hurt in such a small way that you’re powerless to give them back to you.
[Note: I don’t even remember that, this time because of a lot of time spent on it. I think it’s actually related to a story involving the sister of a 5 year old that I had heard through this blog]
I’m not a lawyer, I’m in all things legal, and I’ve never used the phrase “child protective orders” in a good way. So, as someone who has had my wife and 6 year old son (also 5 year old) tell me the day her 8 year old brother died and their mother left, my response was: “OK. The first one: Let me say that this was the closest I’ve seen the little “daughter” have gotten to having an open conversation with her parents with all three of her biological parents since she turned 11 (about eight years old and 4 year old). “The first one to understand was the time it took for her to reach out. When it was my time to talk, I was almost always able to get her to talk and act in one sentence. It took her about 12 years to figure out that this was when the ‘mommy was my only family’ relationship ended. “After that, she was able to reach out more and it seemed like I could do something for her before the end of the relationship, usually by saying something with ‘help.’ The second one is usually when she had time to think and decide a better date. “What happens if
The reader gets the impression that the advice that the mother gives her daughter has been passed down from many generations of women. The advice of the ages has enabled their daughters to endure hardships and to avoid making the same mistakes that they had made, such as planting okra far from the house because it attracts red ants. There were some women in the past that learned this lesson the hard way, and included it in the litany of advice for future generations. But “Girl” also shows the hostility and family dissension that the females suffer.
The world of the women is not comprised solely of setting the table for tea or determining which day to wash the white clothes or the colored clothes; there is a darker side to their lives. The mother gives the daughter advice on how to handle men and how to make an abortion-inducing drug, indicating that there are times in their lives when they must resort to unprincipled means to deal with the problems in their lives.
There is an undertone of fatigue that may be a result of the endless list of tasks that the women must perform. The story does not give evidence that men help the women with their chores, and this may also give women cause for dissension and hostility. One of the major points of dissension in the story is the daughters two interjections into her mothers recitation. At both points, she tries to gain advantage over her mothers advice by offering objections to her mothers words. Both times, the mother merely continues her barrage of words without validating the girls interjections. The mother, too, constantly hints that the girl is intent upon becoming a slut, which creates even more dissension and hostility between the two. At times in the story it seems as if the mother does not like the daughter and is only giving her advice because it is her duty. It is hard to determine from the dialogue anything other then the fact that the mother has placed intense demands on her daughter, but that she does not feel that the daughter will become anything more than a slut.
As far back as bible times women and their daughters were taught to submit to the head of the family for the rest of their lives. Ephesians 5:22-23 states:
“Wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.”
The bible emphasizes the equality of wives to husbands but did not advise the overthrowing of the head of the family. Still today in many other religions the wife is submissive to her husband.
The citizens in other countries still have these every day grueling tasks. For example, Jamaica Kincaid was born in the West Indies in 1970. The ideas that she uses are probably