The story would look entirely different if it were advice from a father to a son due to parental differences when raising a female rather than a male child. In the text, Girl, Jamaica Kincaid highlights the unique parenting styles of raising a young Caribbean girl, revealing that mothers can sometimes be harsher with their daughters. Kincaid reveals this to us by sharing her mother’s harsh rules and expectations for her, allowing us to explore the difference between a girl’s and a guy’s upbringing. The advice would look different for boys in numerous ways, there wouldn’t be as many rules given, the rules wouldn’t be fixated on the outside appearance, and it is less likely to include rules incorporating cleaning after others. It’s also less likely for a son to be told to not talk to females but actually encouraged. Lastly, the male child is less likely to be addressed as a “slut” or “hoe”, neither is any concern usually ever expressed about who a boy is dating.

 If the story included advice from a father to a son, there would be a lot fewer rules present, for example, being told “Don’t squat down to play marbles– you’re not a boy” wouldn’t be a rule. Using phrases like “you’re not a boy” implies that only boys should be playing. While reading this I immediately recognized the difference between a boy’s upbringing and a young girl’s, connecting it to my childhood. I can clearly recall my parents giving my sister rules that were never given to me. I never had to be cautious about my posture or playing too rough. The text highlights the difference in communication when raising a young girl, making it more likely to use words like “hoe” or “slut”. For example, some of the rules given include “on Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming” and “this is how to hem a dress when you see the hem coming down and so to prevent yourself from looking like the slut I know you are so bent on becoming” revealing the harsh usage of words like “slut” when referring to her daughter, showing us the difference in female upbringings. 

Lastly, if the story included advice from a father to a son, the rules would be less likely to include cleaning after others. The text states “This is how you set a table for lunch; this is how you set a table for breakfast,” and “This is how you iron your father’s khaki shirt so that it doesn’t have to crease” revealing that boys are less likely to be given the task of cleaning and caring for others

All in all, the story would look entirely different it were advice from a father to a son. 

The differences in advice suggest that we’re more likely to expect more from women than men after giving them more rules and restrictions. This is shown by the way they’re spoken to and the harsh usage of words like ‘slut”, and is also demonstrated by receiving a lot more rules and many responsibilities as a girl, including caring for others.