Character vs Society: “Girl” and “Theme for English B”
How can two completely different texts convey the same message while covering different issues? In this paper I will argue that “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid and “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes are both addressing the same issue but in different ways. I will look at the similarities of characters, symbolism, and structure in the stories. Even though the texts are different, they both reveal social issues found in society. “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid is a short story that consists of two characters, a mother and daughter that are having a conversation. The conversation is very one sided, where the mother is telling the girl everything she needs know in order become a proper woman. …show more content…
“Girl” focuses on the unattainable ideal of a woman that society places on young girls, pressuring them to fit into a mold. If failed to reach the ideal, women are stripped of their title and replaced with “sluts and whores”. Essentially forcing women to believe their self-worth is based on an unrealistic expectation. On the other hand, “Theme for English B” indirectly explains the pressure put on African-Americans in society, where they must leave their roots and blend into the white culture. Even then, once completely conformed into society standards, they still aren’t considered equal to the rest of the population. Their self-worth is non-existence since even when they abandon everything that makes them different to please society, they still won’t be considered a whole person but a person lacking because their skin is a different …show more content…
The mother then responds “are you really going to be that kind of woman who the baker won’t let near the bread” (Kincaid 233), this highlights the main problem girls face. That if they don’t live up to a specific image of a woman, then they are given labels and looked down upon. Again, in “Theme for English B” the poem is structured to have the character pose a question towards society. The poem starts off with the narrator trying to understand the unclear directions given by the teacher. He then transitions to explaining how he and the teacher aren’t so different. After the narrator explains all the similarity they share, he poses the question “So will my page by colored that I write” (Hughes 175). With one question, everything the narrator built up with comparing himself to the teacher is all thrown away with the truth, that although they are similar, he will still be seen as
How can two completely different texts convey the same message while covering different issues? In this paper I will argue that “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid and “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes are both addressing the same issue but in different ways. I will look at the similarities of characters, symbolism, and structure in the stories. Even though the texts are different, they both reveal social issues found in society. “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid is a short story that consists of two characters, a mother and daughter that are having a conversation. The conversation is very one sided, where the mother is telling the girl everything she needs know in order become a proper woman. …show more content…
“Girl” focuses on the unattainable ideal of a woman that society places on young girls, pressuring them to fit into a mold. If failed to reach the ideal, women are stripped of their title and replaced with “sluts and whores”. Essentially forcing women to believe their self-worth is based on an unrealistic expectation. On the other hand, “Theme for English B” indirectly explains the pressure put on African-Americans in society, where they must leave their roots and blend into the white culture. Even then, once completely conformed into society standards, they still aren’t considered equal to the rest of the population. Their self-worth is non-existence since even when they abandon everything that makes them different to please society, they still won’t be considered a whole person but a person lacking because their skin is a different …show more content…
The mother then responds “are you really going to be that kind of woman who the baker won’t let near the bread” (Kincaid 233), this highlights the main problem girls face. That if they don’t live up to a specific image of a woman, then they are given labels and looked down upon. Again, in “Theme for English B” the poem is structured to have the character pose a question towards society. The poem starts off with the narrator trying to understand the unclear directions given by the teacher. He then transitions to explaining how he and the teacher aren’t so different. After the narrator explains all the similarity they share, he poses the question “So will my page by colored that I write” (Hughes 175). With one question, everything the narrator built up with comparing himself to the teacher is all thrown away with the truth, that although they are similar, he will still be seen as