The Duality of Tradition and Experience
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”
There is nothing wrong with the mother’s beliefs, nor offering her advice to her daughter, but instead, the mother
chooses to inflict them on her daughter by offering demands instead of advice. If the mother was slightly less definite in the
way she offered her cultural view, she would not tightly constrict her daughter but instead, allow her to make well thought out decisions
about how she wanted to act in her life. More frivolous is the mother’s demand to her daughter about how she should
not squat and play marbles. While not important as the way she tells her daughter to act around men, it would likely make it
even more painful for her daughter to be demanded not to do something as simple as play marbles because of her gender.
These traditional gender requirements do not have any place in modern society, as it should be the daughter’s choice about
how she wants to act.
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 life by. The mother does not distinguish between the different types of advice she gives
her daughter: the functional advice from the first quotation (“soak salt fish overnight”) and the more cultural advice she
gives in the second quotation (“don’t squat down to play marbles—you are not a boy”). The mother clearly believes
that all types of advice are equally valid to share with her daughter, and is clearly trying to be genuinely helpful.
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 life by. The mother does not distinguish between the different types of advice she gives
her daughter: the functional advice from the first quotation (“soak salt fish overnight”) and the more cultural advice she
gives in the second quotation (“don’t squat down to play marbles—you are not a boy”). The mother clearly believes
that all types of advice are equally valid to share with her daughter, and is clearly trying to be genuinely helpful.
However, there are several differences between the content in the two quotations. While the information in the first
quotation is extremely helpful, as the mother passes on her experience to her younger daughter, she also constrains her
with her more “old-time” or “conservative” views on gender and sexuality. This divide in the usefulness of information
between the two quotations represents the duality of relying on the advice and norms of the older generation. While
they are wiser and have more experience and knowledge to build their ideas on, they are often to be more likely entrenched
in the traditional cultural expectations that lead to creating a difficult life for women who are not happy repressing
themselves and acting exceptionally feminine. Specifically, the mother shames her daughter for not repressing her sexuality,
using the derogatory term, “slut,” to try to prevent the daughter from behaving how she wants to.
quotation is extremely helpful, as the mother passes on her experience to her younger daughter, she also constrains her
with her more “old-time” or “conservative” views on gender and sexuality. This divide in the usefulness of information
between the two quotations represents the duality of relying on the advice and norms of the older generation. While
they are wiser and have more experience and knowledge to build their ideas on, they are often to be more likely entrenched
in the traditional cultural expectations that lead to creating a difficult life for women who are not happy repressing
themselves and acting exceptionally feminine. Specifically, the mother shames her daughter for not repressing her sexuality,
using the derogatory term, “slut,” to try to prevent the daughter from behaving how she wants to.
There is nothing wrong with the mother’s beliefs, nor offering her advice to her daughter, but instead, the mother
chooses to inflict them on her daughter by offering demands instead of advice. If the mother was slightly less definite in the
way she offered her cultural view, she would not tightly constrict her daughter but instead, allow her to make well thought out decisions
about how she wanted to act in her life. More frivolous is the mother’s demand to her daughter about how she should
not squat and play marbles. While not important as the way she tells her daughter to act around men, it would likely make it
even more painful for her daughter to be demanded not to do something as simple as play marbles because of her gender.
These traditional gender requirements do not have any place in modern society, as it should be the daughter’s choice about
how she wants to act.
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