Danbi's Deliberations

Quotes referred to in the blog post: Quotation 1: Girl by Jamaica Kincaid p1: “ when buying cotton to make yourself a nice blouse, be sure that it doesn’t have gum in it, because that way it won’t hold up well after a wash; soak salt fish overnight before you cook it” Quotation 2: Girl by Jamaica Kincaid p2: “this is how to behave in the presence of men who don’t know you very well, and this way they won’t recognize immediately the slut I have warned you against becoming; be sure to wash every day, even if it is with your own spit; don’t squat down to play marbles—you are not a boy, you know” Jamaica Kincaid’s Girl successfully displays both the benefits and negatives of generational experience and tradition. The first quotation’s contrast with the second quotation displays the benefits and issues with a mother teaching her daughter about how to act. Both two quotations are an example of a mother giving her daughter advice she feels is helpful and has lived her own lif...

"And if the prettiest doll, Barbie's MOD'ern cousin Francie with real eyelashes, eyelash brush included, has a left foot that's melted a little---so? If you dress her in her new "Prom Pinks" outfit, satin splendor with matching coat, gold belt, clutch, and hair bow included, so long as you don't lift her dress, right?---who's to know" (Cisneros 2). Sandra Cisneros' "Barbie-Q" is a tale of two young girls who adore these culturally iconic Barbie dolls but cannot afford them. As a result, when the two girls go to a flea market and find a bunch of Barbie dolls selling for cheap because they are damaged from a fire, the girls are delighted and are able to buy two new dolls. While reading "Barbie-Q", I felt especially moved by the closing lines of her short story. With her story "Barbie-Q", Cisneros shows the idealistic way that society views women and the materialism of the world. Barbie dolls have long si...