Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl"

Reading this piece I thought it was incredibly unique. I have never read anything of this kind before and actually really enjoyed it. What I liked about the piece was that it was short, sweet, to the point, and sort of interesting to read. When I read it, the first thought that came to my mind was, "Wow, this mother is incredibly 'old fashioned'," but I guess reason I thought this was because I did not realize the origin of the piece and te influences of the culture.

This piece, although I really enjoyed reading it, gave me a negative vibe. It was very, "do this and that and don't do this, or else." I was kind of scared for the girl because her mother simply listed what she couldn't or shouldn't do, and did not tell her all the great things about growing up and becoming an adult. This coming of age that the mother presents to the daughter in the piece is more of a scary and unpleasant time in life rather than something with positive aspects as well. Another thing I really did not like about this piece is that the young girl is being forced into her coming of age. Just because she has hit a certain milestone or age, I do not feel that it was right for her mother to expect her to change over night. Adolescense is a difficult time for most people and having being given a list of "To-Do's" only makes the time scarier for the girl.

When we heard the piece in class, read by Jamaica /Kincaid herself, my feelings toward the piece and the negative aspects of it only got stronger. The tone was extremely strong, but at the same time it added to the dynamic of the work. Hearing the author read how the piece should sound and be read allowed me to in the shoes of the young girl listening to her mother speak about "growing up."