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Generational Trauma In Frying Plantain By Zalika Kara Davis

981 Words4 Pages

Sticking out like a sore thumb because you look different, feel different, and, are different from the rest, is an awkward and belittling feeling. As if you’re a needle in a haystack, you are so small and alone, even with the people that you are supposed to find similarities, you are different from them. Frying Plantain written by Zalika Reid-Benta follows a young Kara Davis through several essays over a decade of her eventful youth. Author Zalika Reid-Benta explores the themes of systematic and generational trauma in our children by putting the reader in the shoes of Jamaican-Canadian Kara Davis, giving non-minorities a point of view on what life is like for someone dealing with these traumas. School can be a challenge for many kids, especially …show more content…

But what Eloise really might have done is confuse Kara, her childhood leaving her with identity issues and a fear of her mother. Kara did not have many friends she found similarities with, or any at all, she was the odd one out, maybe because of her mother. Eloise's choices of putting Kara in schools outside of their neighborhood or being so intensely strict stopped a young Kara from developing an idea of who she might be. But this only would stem from Eloise’s fear of continuing generational trauma, so maybe it is good Kara was a protected and guided child. Kara struggles to choose friends who are supportive and similar to her, when she starts dating “The Boyfriend” she doesn't even understand how to tell if she loves him, and she lives in fear of disappointing her mother. So guided it was as if her hand was being held by her mother every passing second. This parenting style did protect Kara, got her into every university she applied to, and kept her a well-rounded person. This parenting style also leaves Kara not connecting to her Jamaican heritage and causing incredible amounts of identity issues. It is a mother's instinct to protect her child but Eloise took it so far she left her daughter clueless about who she

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