INTERMEDIATE READING JOURNAL: GIRL BY JAMAICA KINCAID

 

Summary

This story is written based on Antigua parenting culture. There are a mother and a daughter. It tells about how the mother tells daughter life rules. About how to be qualified lady which means has good behavior.

Reading Responses (10 out of 15)

1. Main Characters Description

This story has two characters which are really different each other.

-          Mother: a controlling figure who curbs her daughter too much

-          Daughter: a surrender child which is a bit disturbed by her mother’s rules, but can’t do anything because that’s the normal parenting culture there.

2. Ending Prediction

Since this story is written by true story, so the mother will be controlling machine and the daughter will always say yes to her mom

3. The Story Problem

It’s about the rooted parenting culture that’s hard to be changed. Since nowadays we know modernism maybe it can be solved because people fixing, they behaviour to be better than before

4. What the Writer Teach Us

From this story, I can’t 100% say that this parenting way is wrong. But there will always be a better way than a way where you use cruel word, as:

on Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming

5. Story Changing

Not at all.

6. Story Recommendation

It’s the best way to make it an example for myself. It’ll be a good reflection to prepare good parenting strategies for my future children

7. What Characters Learn

Since this story doesn’t have specific ending, personally:

-          The mother should re-arrange her parenting way to be better

-          The daughter should share her thoughts so it’ll be balance

8. The Characters Changing

There’s no changing on this story characters.

9. Words Describe Characters

-          Mother: old-fashioned (too much rules and rude)

-          Daughter: surrender (she can’t do anything but always obey her mother)

10. Story Point of View

First person:

-          soak your little cloths right after you take them off

-          but I don’t sing benna on Sundays at all and never in Sunday school