In the poem “Girl” written by Jamaica Kincaid, she expresses how many people in society see woman as only fulfilling certain roles. While much of this has changed over the years and many feel that a woman can be and do anything that they desire, others feel that it is a woman’s place to take care of the home, cook, and make life more comfortable for the man of the home. Kincaid does not appear to disagree or find the feminist lifestyle irregular. In this prose poem the girl’s mother is educating her daughter on her role as a woman. Although and possibly because Jamaica Kincaid came from Antigua and is an immigrant voice, she appears to support the theory that a woman’s place is in the home. There are many different beliefs on the proper behavior of a woman; in this poem the author condones a feminist lifestyle for women. …show more content…
Many of the things are common directives such as, eat with manners, the proper way to sit, how to sweep, and how to cook certain foods. Other things that the mother directed the daughter on were not as common such as not walking barehead in the sun, hemming a dress, and choosing cotton that does not have gum in it. Then there were those few things that the mother kept repeating; such as, “don’t sing benna in Sunday school” and above all not to “look like the slut I know you are so bent on becoming” that made me think that maybe this was not just the mother teaching a young daughter the proper way to behave, but perhaps a mother that was not too pleased with some past behaviors of the daughter (1627). As I read the poem, I thought that maybe the mother and daughter are talking in perhaps a place in which the daughter cannot escape, so she is trapped and has to listen to the mother nag about her version of the proper way to
The essay will consider the poem 'Practising' by the poet Mary Howe. It will explore how this poem generates its meaning and focus by analysing its techniques, metaphorical construct and its treatment of memory. The poem can primarily be seen to be a poem of missed opportunity. In this way is comes to form, alongside other poems of Howe's a study about a certain kind of loss and the recuperative efforts of memory, alongside the certainty of the failure of this recuperation. The paper will begin by giving a context to the poem with regard to Howe's life and work and will then proceed to analyse it directly, drawing attention to how it can be seen to fulfil this thesis about its content and meaning.
Jamaica Kincaid is an Antiguan-American writer, who was once lived under British rule in Antigua. The women, who were under British rule faced patriarchy. She grew up with a love of books, and wanted to further her education. Unfortunately, as a woman she was unable to have that opportunity. In Kincaid’s, “Girl” there is a sense of denouncing women.
“Nikki-Rosa” Poem Analysis In the poem “Nikki- Rosa,” Nikki Giovanni writes with diction and imagery to prove that’s she had a happy childhood in spite of her family’s hardships. Giovanni creates a poem, that although short in words, provides a lasting effect on the reader. Giovanni’s creative use of language and descriptive words, the distinction of black culture from white culture, and memories of average times that made her childhood unique and happy made this poem distinct and exceptional. Giovanni frequently references to her happy childhood in her poem using words and phrases that create an image in your mind showing you that her childhood was in fact a happy one.
“Poetry Is Not a Luxury” (1982) intertwines feminism and poetry together. Author Audre Lorde says that for women, “poetry is not a luxury, but a necessity of our existence” (Lorde, 1982, pg. 281). In today’s society, women’s opinions aren’t really expressed, because it’s not widely accepted in this man-built world. Lorde’s quote “poetry is not a luxury, but a necessity of our existence” means that women should use their voices and channel their energy into poetry. Since poetry is accepted, women aren’t being deviant.
Countee Leroy Porter was born on May 30, 1903. His exact birthplace is unknown, but his possible birthplaces are Baltimore, Maryland; New York, New York (based on his claims); and Louisville, Kentucky (based on his references on legal applications).When he was nine years old, he was brought to Harlem and looked after by his grandmother. She looked after him until she died in 1918. At age fifteen, Countee Cullen was looked after by Reverend Frederick A. Cullen, a preacher who eventually became the president of the NAACP. He became the main figure in Countee’s life due to his acts for fighting for African-American rights.
“Incident” by Natasha Tretheway brings to life the horrors African Americans faced during the time the Ku Klux Klan was rampant in the United States. Fear and secretiveness was an everyday part of African American lives. They were unable to live like white Americans were due to the racism they faced. This poem, however, symbolizes the idea that life continues through the fear of it crumbling. The narrator is still alive to tell his or her story; therefore, this is evidence that life continues.
"Lessons for a Women" by Ban Zhao is an insightful telling of life lessons and clever advice that any young women can apply to their life. The author is Ban Zhao who is seriously ill and not sure if she 'll live so she feels the need to teach her daughters things they have not yet been taught. "I am now seriously ill, life is uncertain. "
“The women in Harwood’s poems are always shown as victims of a male-dominated world. Discuss.” Throughout her poetry, Gwen Harwood often revisits and challenges the statement that women are victims of a male dominated world. The expectation that women would only serve as domestic housewives and child bearers is thoroughly rejected as Harwood identifies the repressive and restrictive cultural and social ideologies in which women were restrained too.
Judith Butler’s Gender Troubles emphasizes gender as the constant repetition of non-existent ideals to uphold a masculine-dominant culture. Likewise, “Body Politics” highlights this belief within the overtly feminine qualities of city women. As a whole, the poem contrasts idealized feminine “city women” with a “real woman” who possesses both feminine and masculine qualities. The mother figure challenges both the gender binary and the patriarchal order by rejecting the feminine gender norms of the society. This feminist reading of the poem makes many valuable and probable claims, however the feminist approach contains some weaknesses.
Growing up in a very traditional family I have experienced a patriarchal system in which my father is making the important decisions without consulting to the rest of the family. I also face pressure by my parents and the community to conform and become a housewife which requires learning how to cook properly and be submissive. I persistently defy my parents and what the communities see “best” for me by pouring all of my energy into education, which they do not support. This correlates to the vignette, “Alicia Who Sees Mice,” in The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. Throughout the essay, it will discuss the patriarchal system and societal expectations and it’s a detrimental effect to numerous of women in the book.
Throughout history women have challenged patriarchal norms, changing the standards. In the book, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, women are constantly told what they should do, and what they should want. Ness should want to work inside the house, Abena should want to marry for power, and Marjorie should want to be asked to prom. However, unlike other women characters in the book, these three characters challenged their assumed positions as women and in doing so gave their families and men in their lives a new perspective. Every generation made strides in women’s rights, but even as rights and laws adapted to new times, there were still limitations on women that they needed to overcome.
Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” is a very interesting story. In short it is about an unspecified guardian giving life advice to a young girl; the range of this advice varies from dress and grooming to medicinal recipes. The older woman, also referred to as the “guardian”, is not censored about this advice either. While people may think that “Girl” is a minor tale of verbal abuse, I prefer to think of it as story of tough love as well as hope that the girl will do better in life then the adult.
As one can see, many mothers in today 's society would not be nearly as picky and constructive as the mother within "Girl" written by Jamaica Kincaid. Young girls almost always look up first to their mother for guidance and instruction on how to be a woman. Although the advice used in this story was used to help the young girl, it was also used to scold her as well. The mother 's strong belief in a woman having domestic knowledge is what drives her to preach the life lessons of a good woman to her daughter. It is through these lessons that she hopes for her daughter to be respected within her own home and by her community as well.
From the outset, literature and all forms of art have been used to express their author’s feelings, opinions, ideas, and believes. Accordingly, many authors have resorted to their writing to express their feminist ideas, but first we must define what feminism is. According to the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, feminism is “the belief that women should be allowed the same rights, power, and opportunities as men and be treated in the same way, or the set of activities intended to achieve this state”. As early as the fifteenth century is possible to find feminist writings. Centuries later, and although she never referred to herself as one, the famous English writer Virginia Woolf became one of the greatest feminist writers of the twentieth
During the 1890’s until today, the roles of women and their rights have severely changed. They have been inferior, submissive, and trapped by their marriage. Women have slowly evolved into individuals that have rights and can represent “feminine individuality”. The fact that they be intended to be house-caring women has changed.