Often I read pieces from other time periods or areas and I don't think much of it. I recently read the short story "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid. The short story was written in the 1970s but represents the author's childhood in Antigua. Knowing not much more than this I did not really take into account the cultural differences of the time and place. After first reading the piece I developed my own opinions and analysis based off of the text alone. After doing background research on both the author and culture of when and where she lived my perspective definitely changed on the short story. On first read I developed a harsh view on the mother of the story after doing background research however I can better understand why the mother acted the way she did.  

Jamaica Kincaid's, "Girl" encompasses the relationship of what appears to be an mother and her daughter. The short story is told from the perspective of the daughter and is almost entirely advice or insults from the mother. A lot of what the mother is saying is about teaching etiquette or how maintain a household. In essence, she is teaching her daughter what seems to be how to be the "proper woman".  For example, "this is how you sweep a corner- this is who you sweep a whole house; this is how you sweep a yard; this is how you smile to someone you don't like too much " The mother's blunt and direct tone leads me to believe that she sees no wrong in what she is doing to her daughter. The way she phrases her remarks seems to belittle the daughter and assume she does not know how to do anything. Also, the author's choice to continuously repeat the mother's guidelines for almost the entire piece leads the reader to believe the mother always find the need to correct the daughter.  The mother is further portrayed as a negative character when she says, "On Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like a slut you are so bent on becoming " This remark demonstrates how low the mother views her own daughter. I think it also shows that the mother seems to care a lot about what people think about her and her family. A lot of what she is saying has to do with outward appearance and making a good impression on others. The author paints the mother as someone who cares more about how society views her than how she treats her own daughter.

In my research I first looked for a secondary source to get a broader overview of the atmosphere the author was living in. I was able to discover a lot about the author's upbringing and the culture that she lived in. I learned that she grew up in poverty, which I think contributed to her mother's insistence on acting proper. The culture of Antigua at the time also was still very sexist which I think is partially why her mother focuses so much on how to do things like cleaning and ironing. Although I still do not agree with the mother's expectations of her daughter I think the background information definitely changes my view. For example, in today's society in America a mother would almost never say those things to her daughter.

 After reading many secondary sources I then turned to primary sources to get an even different perspective. I decided to focus more on primary sources from when Jamaica Kincaid wrote the story rather than when the story took place. Hence I looked into the events that were occurring in America in the 1970's that may have triggered Jamaica Kincaid to write this short story. I found that there was a lot going on in the 1970's in America but I think the most significant was the culture change occurring. The civil rights movements encompassed the 1960's but after making progress the movement was not as prevalent in the 70's. Hence, equality in society was improving especially with the election of Jimmy Carter 1976. Along with more steps towards equality technology was also making huge strides. Jamaica Kincaid would have witnessed the landing of Apollo 11 along with the start of Microsoft. I think this changing environment influenced her to reflect on her past.

By researching background information on Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl" I was able to further analyze the text and hence gain a deeper perspective. I now think that Jamaica Kincaid wrote this story after coming to America because she saw how women acted here and wanted to show sexism was still so prevalent at her home, Antigua. Further, although I still think she did not have a good mother I do believe given the circumstances most of the statements her mother made were not that absurd and surely other women around her were doing the same. Although sexism was/ is prevalent in America Jamaica Kincaid lived during a time when feminism was very strong. Feminism was not yet present in Antigua so she grew up in a more "traditional" culture. During the 1970's America was trying to pass the Equal Rights Amendment so she would have witnessed a lot of feminist protests. For example, the famous picture of First Lady, Betty Ford showing her support for the amendment. Betty Ford was an active feminist she even said, "The heart of the battle is within We have to take that 'just' out of 'just a housewife' part of the pattern in our society that has undervalued women's talents in all areas." and "Being ladylike does not require silence.", in her address in 1975 on the importance for the ERA ratification. I find these quotations very important because they directly contradict what Jamaica's mother told her as a girl. Hence I think her new life in America and hearing significant figures like the first lady say women are equal caused her to address her childhood in "Girl".

In conclusion, I think Jamaica Kincaid's short story "Girl" says a lot about her life but also about our society. Perhaps if she had never moved to America she would never have written "Girl" and become a famous author. Or even if she had come to America before the feminist movement this story may have not been written. I often forget to take into account the history difference when reading but I now see from this story how it can really change the story.

