Greg Vogt
Prof. Christina Deka
ENG. 102
March 6, 2015
Rhetorical Analysis “A Small Place” Jamaica Kincaid, an author and poet, was born May 25th, 1949. She is native to Antigua, an island in the West Indies, located in the Caribbean Sea. In her nonfiction book, A Small Place, Kincaid discusses how her native country has changed and become worse because of its British colonial legacy. Kincaid expresses her opinions and feelings about Antigua. She elaborates on government corruption, the tourist's point of view on visiting the island, and greed. In the piece, Kincaid wants to inform the reader, about the hardships that the natives struggle with everyday, while discussing how tourists view this place. Most tourists do not realize the darkness of Antigua. Kincaid conveys her message to the reader through second person. Throughout the piece, Kincaid uses reality verses illusion to describe traveling to Antigua, but seems biased to western countries on her native home being a travel destination, and the tourist not caring for the island. In the first chapter of the book, A Small Place, Kincaid goes on to explain what a tourist would do when visiting her home country of Antigua. She uses great imagery, such as detail of her words to tell the reader of a tourist visiting. Her argument is that tourists see a country, or a place they want to visit as a place to relax, enjoy the water, and take their mind off of their home. What she is trying to say is that a tourist is seeing the good side of a county. They see the glistering waters of the Caribbean, but they might not know that their food might be from the country, shipped to another, then sold back to the same country, and eaten by the tourist. What tourists don't see is the bad side of their vacation spot. They don't see how the county suffers, or even of the citizens suffer. They don't see the corruption of the country. Tourists just come and go without caring for the people that live there. Kincaid wants to inform the reader about how this is happening to her home country. She wants to inform people who have traveled, who do travel, and who have the money to travel. That instead of just visiting a country for a vacation, Kincaid encourages her readers to learn a little about the place. Then maybe help out the country/ citizens, instead of just viewing this place as a getaway, and how this place is suffering. Also, Kincaid uses second person to target the audience, and make them more involved in her writing. Maybe even trying to persuade the reading in making an effect. When reading this chapter in this book, things come the mind as Kincaid seems to point most of her frustration towards the tourist. Her essay gives the reader an overview on what a tourist would do coming to Antigua on a vacation. From the beginning of the chapter; arriving at the airport, to seeing the blue waters of the Caribbean, the journey to the hotel, mining the surrounding environment that surrounds Antigua, and seeing other tourists visiting the country. As she writes, it's seems to be harsh. Showing negativity to the tourist without necessary stating she hates them. Now coming from Kincaid's position, she is an American novelist, essayist, and has taught at colleges in North America. Also an award-winning writer. So she has great credentials for writing and can be trusted for her work. So when reading this essay, you can believe her writing, as not being false or not logical. She was born in Antigua, that's her homeland, so her frustration is brought forth when reading the essay. She will forever have a connection towards her home, and wants others to see how this country can barely thrive, instead of just have Antigua be viewed as tourist destination. That there is more than the rich environment, glistering waters, and a place of paradise. Which Kincaid states “What a beautiful island Antigua is-more beautiful than any of the islands you have seen, and they were very beautiful, in their way”
One-Way Communication Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” consists of pieces of advice and admonishments a mother gives to her daughter. The fragments are compiled into one long sentence, separated only by semi-colons, which allows the piece to be governed by the mother’s overwhelming sense of duty. It is this duty that makes communication between the mother and daughter virtually impossible in this piece, which is shown through the format of the story itself as well as through the mother’s fear-mongering…
Dianelis Almonte Essay #2 Draft “Girl” By Jamaica Kincaid uses a unique narrative structure which conveys a long list of commands to show that the mother’s domestic actions to highlight her understanding and authority. The mother who is the main speaker worries that if her daughter continues with her current behavior, will turn out to become a “slut”. The mother wants the daughter to be able to run a household and live a respectably life. The way the structure of this poem is presented…
Stepan. B ENG 102 Prof. Davidson Peter Meinke “Advice to My Son” and Jamaica Kincaid “Girl” The Rules to Picking a Good Wife The poem Advice to My Son by Peter Meinke, is a perfect example of how old sayings do not always reflect life. In this poem Meinke is giving his son advice on choosing a wife; he advises his son to “Therefore, marry a pretty girl after seeing her mother;” “To be specific, between the peony and the rose plant squash and spinach, turnips and tomatoes; beauty…
Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” is about a mother giving her daughter advice. She tells the girl about cooking, cleaning, men, and life in general. She calls girl a “slut” rather freely through the whole story. It’s almost as if she sees her daughter becoming a slut, rather than the woman she intends her to be. “Girl” is something different then I have ever read before. It’s almost as if you’re reading a set of instructions with very few responses of the girl who is receiving them. “Girl” not only reads…
story analysis of Girl by Jamaica Kincaid Have you ever wished that someone had given you a guide on how live the right way? Jamaica Kincaid does just that in her short story, Girl. The narrative is presented as a set of life instructions to a girl by her mother to live properly in Antigua in the 1980’s. While the setting of the story is not expressly stated by the author in the narrative, the reader is able to understand the culture for which Girl was written. Jamaica Kincaid seems to be the passive…
Bryan Connelly Professor Julie Iromuanya English 203 17 September 2014 Contrasts in the Postmodern Short Story “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid and “Happy Endings” by Margaret Atwood, while not challenging in and of themselves, did have me questioning whether the postmodern short story can indeed be called story at all. Upon reading “Girl”, I hurriedly dismissed it as a non-story. A poem at best. A list at worst. Yet when I read “Happy Endings”, I was enthralled. And though I was enthralled…
it is definitely not sarcasm;a professional work that begins with sarcasm is a rarity. Jamaica Kincaid’s A Small Place is one occurrence of these phenomena, in which her acrid tne and biting contempt ally to create a unique argument against colonization In her essay, A Small Place, Jamaica Kincaid, an author from Antigua, discusses how her country has gotten worse since experiencing British colonialism. In the essay Jamaica Kincaid describes how British colonization has had many harmful long term effects such as corruption…
Maddie Overholt Professor Ablard The Island: Caribbean History September 26, 2014 A Small Mind from a Small Place “You are ugly” (Kincaid pg 14). Some might find this statement rather blunt, but when writing about the injustice her people have faced, Jamaica Kincaid spares no one. Kincaid reveals the ugly truth about Antigua. While the eighty-some page rant about her misunderstood home is negative in tone, the purpose—serious suffering, poverty, and mistreatment of her people comes across loud and…
Analysis of the short story Girl Jamaica Kincaid’s short story, “Girl,” (1978) describes a mother that is simultaneously berating her daughter and teaching her what’s expected to be and do as an Antiguan woman. There's no traditional plot, no action, no character descriptions, and no setting. Only two voices, and it takes us a while to figure out that they are mother and daughter. The girl only responds twice to the mom and thats to ask, “but what if the baker won’t let me feel the bread?,”(Kincaid 484) and also to defend herself by saying…
MLA Research Paper The short story “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid maintains a lot of value to women and their culture. The short story is about a young girl being raised by her mother into the woman her mother wants her to be. The girls mother comes off incredibly strict with very little affection in her long list of demands and responsibilities this young girl is supposed to carry out. The mother is attempting to teach her daughter proper cultural actions and the proper social, ladylike behavior she…