Will you stop telling me what should I do and what should not I do? From my childhood till now you are keep saying what I should do, how should I do and why should I do. Even if it was not my fault you keep blaming me for everything. If I did not understand something you never tried to make me understand that, you just said do not do this and that. You keep neglecting me every time. You do not tell me anything anymore because I am a grown up person now and I know how to deal with all the problems.

Will you stop insisting me not to become the person that I already am? I have become the person that I always wanted to be even that you made it so hard for me. May be I could not be the one that you always wanted me to be and maybe it was because your expectations were too high. If you would have lower expectations you would see I had grown up almost perfect.

Will you stop showing that I was born to be neglected and ignored? I am happy to be a girl; I am glad that I am not the boy. If I am a grown up woman than I know how to deal with my man and I appreciate your help but I believe that I am a grown up woman. If the baker does not let me feel the bread than that means he is cruel and could not be as kind as I am.

“Girl,” by Jamaica Kincaid, is an article that describes socially constructed norms that women have to follow to fit into the society. The author also writes about the role women are expected to take on during their journey of growing up. In the “Girl,” by Jamaica Kincaid, is an article that describes socially constructed norms that women have to follow to fit into the society. The author also writes about the role women are expected to take on during their journey of growing up. In the beginning, the author writes. “Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap; wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry.” Most individuals are most influenced by their environment. Growing up, most girls are likely to see their mothers doing the majority of chores and it makes an impression on them that women ought to do what their mothers do. Women are not only encouraged to do most of the chores, but also expected to take care of their family. In the essay, Kincaid writes how to take care of their children and their husbands: making medicine, and making pudding etc. They are also expected to do all the other things learning how to behave in the presence of men, and always eat your food in such a way that it won’t turn someone else’s stomach. It restricts women ability to focus on matters that are really important for their future. They ought to be more comfortable doing things that they enjoy instead of focusing on what the society tell them to.
beginning, the author writes. “Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap; wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry.” Most individuals are most influenced by their environment. Growing up, most girls are likely to see their mothers doing the majority of chores and it makes an impression on them that women ought to do what their mothers do. Women are not only encouraged to do most of the chores, but also expected to take care of their family. In the essay, Kincaid writes how to take care of their children and their husbands: making medicine, and making pudding etc. They are also expected to do all the other things learning how to behave in the presence of men, and always eat your food in such a way that it won’t turn someone else’s stomach. It restricts women ability to focus on matters that are really important for their future. They ought to be more comfortable doing things that they enjoy instead of focusing on what the society tell them to.

I am not the girl that you keep insisting that I am. Your constant degrading of me has had a profound effect on me, despite what you may think. The life that you want me to live is not the life I am seeking out. Your constant reminders on how to be a lady do not resonate with the ideals I hold. How can you expect me to follow your strict rules? “This is how you present yourself… This is how you socialize… This is how you conduct household chores”. You provide me with no freedom to experience life in my own way. I long for the mother-daughter relationship that I see my friends have with their mothers. I highly doubt they scorn their daughters like you do to me.

I find that I often have trouble keeping up with the high standard that you have always held me to. Something as simple as going to the bakery now seems as an ever impossible task in which I need to conduct myself in a manner that would suit your liking. The other kids in Sunday school do not have the same responsibilities that you give me. I understand that you have always wanted the best for me, but I wish you could lessen your hold on life. In my future, I will always remember the lessons that you have taught me. However, when I have a daughter of my own one day, I insist on letting her experience life as she wishes to do so.

I do everything that you ask me to and still you tell me it’s not correct. You are always telling me how to wash clothes, how to behave and how to present myself. I sometimes feel like you think I don’t know the importance of having clean and tidy clothes. You are always worrying; everything has to be done your way. I am never allowed to play and have fun; I always have to worry about household work. Questions race through my little mind, why does she keep referring to me as a slut? What have I done this time to deserve her horrible and demoralizing remarks? How many times will I have to tell you that I am innocent and have no intent to do anything bad? How will eating fruits outside make flies follow me? Where do you get your facts from? They do not even make sense. These restrictions are suffocating and overbearing for me.

There we go again with you telling me what not to do, but I honestly just want to play with marbles and pick people’s flowers! However, to be honest I do enjoy you teaching me to cook. At least I will be able to make your secret recipes for myself. I guess I can also learn how to make effective medicine for a cold but what do you mean by “good medicine to throw away a child before it even becomes a child”(Kincaid, 2)? Sometimes I don’t understand what it is you ramble on and on about. Oh no, you have brought up the topic of the baker. You are obviously going to have something to say about that. I know you love me deep down and are preparing me for the future but I would love to be a child before the real world becomes a reality.

The short story, Girl, seems like a personal story of the author that addresses and describes multiple young girls across all race. In the story, Kincaid talks about how a typical young girl would spend her day. She said “wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap; wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry; don’t walk bare-head in the hot sun; cook pumpkin fritters in very hot sweet oil.” The author also seems to recalled life in her early childhood and apply it to women and poor people. Kincaid explains what should be done before cooking a salt fish. And she further advices in what way to eat so it can’t offend other people who doesn’t have it. Those statements are about what a young girl should do in the presence of poor people.

The author also talked about abortion and how to keep a man. She said “this is how to make a good medicine to throw away a child before it even becomes a child;” and she describes how to behave in the presence of men. These seem like inner struggle she was going through and wanting to express it in the next person or second person point of view.  This story shows a strong connection between the author’s inner struggle and how she perceived other young girls to be.

I am only a little girl.   Why must there be so many rules, I don’t want to learn how to set the table.  I want to roam free and be able to squat down and play marbles with the boys.  Why is it if my hem is short I am a slut, who says I don’t want to be a slut.  I want to be who I want to be not what a “girl” should be.  This isn’t fair always being taught something, maybe I want to learn something on my own.  Life isn’t fun with all these rules.

I am only a little girl.  I do not want to iron father’s pants, who cares if there’s a crease. If I want to sing at Sunday school, I am going to.  I am tired with being unhappy my mother will never be proud.  Everything I do is wrong, there is nothing I do right.  I just want to be accepted for the girl I really am.  I want her to stop trying to change me to be like the other girls.

I am who I want to be.  I will not set the table or cook or clean or hem or get cotton.  I will play marbles with the boys and wear my skirt shorter then it should.  I will sing benna at Sunday school.  I will eat fruit on the street and do every other thing you made a rule for me to follow.

Then my mother snapped at me and kept going with the list of rules.  It was all just a dream I would never say that to my mother.  I must be the “girl” she wants me to be.

Helen Oliver Adelson is a contemporary artist who has created several prominent works and large scale portraits. “Her paintings are as much about the figures and places they portray as they are about the negative space, the void surrounding them. HOA’s landscapes are places looking back at us whilst her portraits express a person’s inner landscape, questioning what’s behind the mask/façade.(http://staging.artslant.com/9/events/show/401439-ghosts)”
Helen Oliver Adelson’s paintings are portraits that express inner lives of the subjects by magnifying the aspects of the subjects such as emotion and their facial expression. In most of her paintings, the artist attempts to put less emphasis on subjects’ appearances and attires. Instead, she attempts to project the pore inner lives of the subjects by focusing on the facial expression and body language. When I first saw the painting, it struck me how simple the painting is painted but shows all the emotional aspects of the subject. I first noticed the way the subject holds her hand as it signals fear and obedience. In this particular painting, we can conclude that the subject express negative emotions such as fear and sadness by analyzing her body language. The hand gesture of the subject projects that the subject is fearful and her eyes portrays the sadness. The artist put minimal detail for the other part of the painting such as the body of the subject and the background. As she uses large stroke to paint the background and body, its effect allows viewers to focus on the subject’s inner landscapes.