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Gender Inequality In Jamaica Kincaid's Girl

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The world is a vast dwelling of individuals with several different principles and cultures. However, a principle that seems to be prevalent in the world is gender inequality. Gender inequality is a term used to represent the mistreatment and unfairness of individuals based on their gender. Many have brought awareness to the issue, like writer Jamaica Kincaid. Jamaica Kincaid is a writer from Antigua in the British West Indies who was rejected by her family because of her career choice. In 1978, Kincaid published the short story Girl, which gave insight on a female’s perspective in a male-dominant world.
In the short story Girl, Kincaid expresses the expected responsibilities of an Antiguan woman through dialogue with her mother. She continuously lists orders given from her mother. “this is how you smile to someone you don 't like too much; this is how you smile at someone you don 't like at all; this is how you smile to someone you like completely…” (Kincaid, 1). Kincaid’s over use of “this is how you” depicts the excessive demands of her mother’s beliefs on how a female should act. Kincaid is attempting to convey the disproportionate amount of pressure women have to sustain an appropriate …show more content…

As can be seen, gender politics is an evident topic of discussion internationally. Females are typically the victims of gender inequality and Kincaid portrays the issue through the short story Girl. When the expectations of women are not met there is a pandemonium followed by a series of consequences. Kincaid has experienced the negative feedback as a woman. The shorty story Girl is only a small depiction of the lives of women. Also, the story encompasses much relevance to the effect on society. Gender roles hold a significant amount of power. For instance, the gender roles in the job field are a prime example of how gender holds such power in society. As has been noted, Kincaid has expressed the prominent issue of inequality in gender and the excessive anticipations for

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