Culture of Jamaica

important relationships for a daughter is the one between her and her mother. In the past this relationship was more so to prime and prep the daughter to grow up and become a proper woman and mother. This can be seen in the short story “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid’s where the mother is literally teaching and molding the girl the way the mother thinks a women should be, and the daughter listens obediently. But in the short story, “Saving Sourdi” by May-Lee Chai you see a mother-daughter relationship…

Dee, who has a new found appreciation of her culture and heritage, truly believes the best choice is her, because she will hang it up and keep it in good condition. The quilts are now to, her, these priceless artifacts, that she is worried Maggie will ruin by overusing them, and that they will eventually…

A Fearless Girl Who Only Cares About Her Heritage “Everyday use” text is about a short story written by Alice Walker in the 1970s. As, “Everyday use” a film version by Bruce Schwartz released in 2005. In the “Everyday Use” text Mama is telling a short story about a single mother with two daughters. In the text Mama explains, that her two daughters are quite different from each other. Dee a young wild woman who is willing to search and make a vivid image of her heritage. Maggie a shy,…

In the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” American writer, Joyce Carol Oates, introduces the readers to naïve Connie, a self-absorbed teenage girl, who refuses to comply to her mother’s wishes and live up to her responsible older sister, June. Oates skillfully implements the fictional element of symbolism, connecting an object to an underlying meaning in a way to represent ideas or qualities, in order to stress her message to the readers of her work. Joyce Carol Oates…

In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an autobiography by Maya Angelou, Ritie (Maya), the main female character, is raised mostly by other female characters, who each teacher her how to cope with different situations and problems in life. Ritie’s relationships with her three strongest, female relatives help her grow up to be a survivor, because they each teacher her to have a characteristic of themselves; Momma teaches Ritie to be disciplined and moral, Grandmother Baxter teaches Ritie about…

The slam poem I chose is Shrinking Women by Lily Myers. This is a poem about the importance of teaching positive family values, self-worth, and the result of societal pressure on women. It is an introduction into the narrator’s life, and the generations of women who are trained to be quiet and not take up room. It spreads awareness about these issues, and hopefully inspires people to think differently or make a change. This poem weaves in its message with the narrator’s own experiences with…

Despite the fact that it may be short, Girl by Jamaica Kincaid, is fierce and strong. Easily, it is definitely high on the “most book-throwing” stories list. I rank it at number one on the list. The short story touches home base with me and other women as well, I am positive. Which is what makes it so interesting. Throughout the long winded sentence of a story, the narrator lectures and instructs her seemingly young daughter on what to do domestically and in public to not be deemed a “slut.” The…

Aibileen, who implements characteristics of being a thoughtful and inspiring role model through teaching Mae Mobley life lessons which are risky leading her into deep trouble. She teaches Mae Mobley to see the better side of life and equality. Aibileen expresses unique short stories towards Mae Mobley such as the one about the “one girl had black skin, one girl had white ... how come your skin be so pale, how come your skin be so black … you got hair, I got hair … I got a noise, you got a noise…

“Girl” By Jamaica Kincaid starts off with the girl listening to her mother who’s advising on life and becoming a woman. From the daughter point of view I can see the mom is very harsh, angry and frustrated with her because she believes her daughter is going down the road towards promiscuity and wants to prevent that. The mom is very wise and knows how to clean and cook as well as knowing social decorum, in which she’s trying to instill that in her daughter at an early age. I think her mother…

The title “Annie John” is just the main character’s name. The whole story is told through her and her different stages of life. Throughout the entire book, she doesn’t say her name until later on in the book because even she herself doesn’t know who she is, she’s just a shadow trying to find her inner self. The narrator is Annie John. Annie John is also the main character and the protagonist, Annie’s mother Mrs. John is the antagonist. They interrelate because when Annie is the…