Questions tagged [jamaica-kincaid]

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4 votes
0 answers
76 views

Why would something bad fall on you because of a bad fish?

In part of Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl", these pieces of advice appear: this is how to catch a fish; this is how to throw back a fish you don’t like, and that way something bad won’t fall on ...
Mithical's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
264 views

What's the significance of the baker not letting her feel the bread in Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl"?

Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl" ends like this: [..] this is how to make ends meet; always squeeze bread to make sure it’s fresh; but what if the baker won’t let me feel the bread?; you mean to ...
Mithical's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
272 views

Why are the mentions of being "bent on becoming a slut" repeated like this in Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl"?

Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl" has several mentions of "the slut you are bent on becoming": always eat your food in such a way that it won’t turn someone else’s stomach; on Sundays try ...
Mithical's user avatar
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3 votes
0 answers
83 views

How does the style of Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl" affect the way it's read?

Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl" is written in a very distinct style. The story is made up of one very long sentence, with different phrases separated by semicolons, each phrase giving a different ...
Mithical's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
708 views

Is there a real-life inspiration for these death-scenes in Kincaid's novels?

Annie John, Kincaid’s 1985 novel, contains a description of the death of Annie’s Uncle Johnnie. When he fell ill, his mother was convinced that traditional (obeah) medicine was the way to cure him, ...
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2 votes
0 answers
89 views

What's the significance of spitting up into the air in Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl"?

Part of the advice given in Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl" is on how to spit: this is how to love a man, and if this doesn’t work there are other ways, and if they don’t work don’t feel too bad ...
Mithical's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
441 views

What "might not be a blackbird at all" in Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl"?

Part of Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl" goes like this: don’t pick people’s flowers—you might catch something; don’t throw stones at blackbirds, because it might not be a blackbird at all; this is ...
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0 votes
0 answers
67 views

Why isn't the line about "how to love a man" split up in Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl"?

In Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl", there's this line towards the end, about "how to love a man": this is how to love a man, and if this doesn’t work there are other ways, and if they ...
Mithical's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
279 views

What's up with the mentions of "singing benna" in Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl"?

In Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl", there are repeated mentions of "singing benna", in a sequential pattern: [...] soak salt fish overnight before you cook it; is it true that you sing ...
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