Gender Criticism Analysis/updated

Gender Criticism Analysis
My critical analysis
Girl
　 　 In my analysis of Girl by Jamaica Kincaid I will be using the Gender Criticism
Theory that we have discussed in class. I would like to start by describing the attitude of
the narrator’s point of view, which seems to be a voice of an authoritative such as a
mother figure of sort. The narrator’s point of view is not scolding the girl in this short
story but merely shaping her into how a well behaved young women should act. I feel this
sets the tone of the short story, the simple structures of a growing women is becoming the
women she is supposed to be in the authoritative figures eyes. All the how to do this and
that and what not to do and what she should be doing. The whole tone sets the setting for
me it is a year of conforming to be a good little women by learning to sew and cook like
women should be. However this is not the case in today’s society. Also in this story there
is a pattern, a repeating of the words “this is how you” preparing the girl for and or
training her as if she were involved in an arranged marriage. And through out the short
story there seems to be a very interesting style and it builds up the entire theme of the
narrator’s point of view. Some general examples of how a real lady should behave with
proper mannerism and grace would be when stick guidelines were given to girls to sit up
straight, ware skirts below the knew and not to chew gum because it wasn’t lady like.
It reminds me of private school, I never attended but was often treated like I was
by my grandmother, she would always tell me to pull my hair back so that it wouldn’t get
in my food on my plate. She picked out clothes for me that only she would ware and
made a big deal when I became a woman. I guess I would have to say that there are
positive and negative impacts due to some of the text. Like the narrators’ point of you
always nagging on the girl, could cause for the girl to rebel and not enough guidance
could cause her to become the girl she is not supposed to be. Overall I feel that the tone
sets the theme and the setting for both the written and the video, I watched it and it was
interesting but very different from the actual text it’s self. by Jamaica Kincaid

Gender Criticism Analysis

My critical analysis
Girl
　
　
In my analysis of Girl by Jamaica Kincaid I will be using the Gender Criticism
Theory that we have discussed in class. I would like to start by describing the attitude of
the narrator’s point of view, which seems to be a voice of an authoritative such as a
mother figure of sort. The narrator’s point of view is not scolding the girl in this short
story but merely shaping her into how a well behaved young women should act. I feel this
sets the tone of the short story, the simple structures of a growing women is becoming the
women she is supposed to be in the authoritative figures eyes. All the how to do this and
that and what not to do and what she should be doing. The whole tone sets the setting for
me it is a year of conforming to be a good little women by learning to sew and cook like
women should be. However this is not the case in today’s society. Also in this story there
is a pattern, a repeating of the words “this is how you” preparing the girl for and or
training her as if she were involved in an arranged marriage. And through out the short
story there seems to be a very interesting style and it builds up the entire theme of the
narrator’s point of view. Some general examples of how a real lady should behave with
proper mannerism and grace would be when stick guidelines were given to girls to sit up
straight, ware skirts below the knew and not to chew gum because it wasn’t lady like.
It reminds me of private school, I never attended but was often treated like I was
by my grandmother, she would always tell me to pull my hair back so that it wouldn’t get
in my food on my plate. She picked out clothes for me that only she would ware and
made a big deal when I became a woman. I guess I would have to say that there are
positive and negative impacts due to some of the text. Like the narrators’ point of you
always nagging on the girl, could cause for the girl to rebel and not enough guidance
could cause her to become the girl she is not supposed to be. Overall I feel that the tone
sets the theme and the setting for both the written and the video, I watched it and it was
interesting but very different from the actual text it’s self. by Jamaica Kincaid

Ruftdraft

Neva Huber

English1B

3/4/2011

                                                            Spider-Women

            A spider weaves a very intricate web that has many woven lines, it is used to catch their prey then they make their move. In the novel The Flowers by Dagoberto Gilb you can find out what it might be like to see how a spider gets their prey. There is an interesting story about Sonny who is a thirteen year old boy and Cindy, a nineteen year old blonde girl who is more or less the spider and Sonny is the prey that gets trapped and entangled in her spider web. Sonny is the step son of a racist stepfather named Cloyd, who puts Sonny to work at the apartment complex that Cloyd owns. Sonny tries to keep to himself but it is hard not to get involved with the tenants when he is outside sweeping. There Sonny is seen by the other residents and persuaded by some of them to open up and get to know each other.  That’s when Sonny meets Cindy, she entraps him with her looks and Cindy places him in several pretty messed up situations. Sonny finds out what it is like to be with a bad girl, and he will never be the same.

            Sonny is just trying to mind his own business, until he meets Cindy, and bam he is lured into her web of sin. Sonny states “She lit up one of her mota cigarettes. Then passed it to me...” (124). Cindy is the young wife of a drug dealer named Tino who is almost always working. Sonny describes Cindy’s room in this quote “drying pizza slices were curling up as they tried to escape the box…” (123) Bored with being left alone each day in her filthy apartment, Cindy is defiantly the opposite of Cinderella. Cindy is more like a poisonous spider waiting to catch her pray in a tangled web of destruction. Cindy invites Sonny in to her cluttered domain for refreshments, like marijuana and wine coolers. After she gets Sonny lit, she makes her move, she knows Sonny is a virgin and takes total advantage of him and his man hood. In this quote Sonny proves Cindy is a vulture and robs him of his innocence “She dropped my pants and she rolled us and got on top of me…” (124). There are other reasons to Cindy’s intentions but what about Sonny’s intentions. Sonny lets this vixen intoxicate his body and his life with drugs and alcohol, isn’t this wrong.  Sonny said “I didn’t want that. But I went into her apartment” (160) Sonny shows in this quote that he doesn’t want to continue to be a part of Cindy’s sinning ways.

            Cindy the snake that she is convinces Sonny with her body rather than her brains.

Sonny said “She was in something low- cut and she wasn’t wearing a bra.” (160)  Cindy says “Sonny, I’m broke. I’m lonely, I’m bored” (161). Which is Cindy’s cry for attention or in this case the bait that lures Sonny in to the web. The web symbolizes Cindy’s sinful ways and her selfishness. Cindy said “kiss me” (72) then Sonny said “she put her tongue in my mouth…” (72) Right here in these quotes is a great example of Cindy taking what she wants. Cindy is a bad influence on Sonny she smokes marijuana with him but in this quote it seems Sonny does it only to fit in. “Mostly I didn’t want it to seem like I was afraid to get high, so I did what she did”(71). Why does Sonny let Cindy do these things to him, he wants to fit in and be a man. But there are consequences to Sonny’s actions like when he said “I was scared too about what we did. What if someone saw? What if that Tino dude…” (87). Right there in that quote was when Cindy and Sonny had messed around and the door was wide open to her apartment, what if Cindy’s drug dealing husband walked in? Another issue is what if Cindy gets pregnant she already admitted to having an abortion with Tino’s child. Cindy said “but this time I had an abortion” (44). Well that proves Cindy is not very responsible when it comes to save sex.

Sonny is getting involved way over his head, but seems to like the sexual attention. Sonny states “so up there it made me feel both old enough for this…” (86) He is still very immature but very much wants to be a man. When Sonny said “I wanted to show God how I was a man…” (37) This shows he takes things into his own hands without talking to anybody about what’s going on in Sonny’s world.  Sonny sets himself up by falling for Cindy’s innocent girl act; it is almost like he wants to lose his virginity to Cindy for practice.

Idea paper

              I have had a lot of ideas for the essay. It is hard to pick just one. So, I finally decided to write       about the female perspective regarding Sonny and Cindy, the whole bad girl good girl thing. I am hoping to open up a lot of interesting ideas from the feminine perspective. Coming from a female view this essay should be very interesting for both me and the readers. I want to discuss things like how Sonny and Cindy kind of use each other to get what they want. And how Cindy, takes Sonny and shows him what she knows. I would also like to concentrate on how Sonny and Cindy both take risks when they are in the bedroom.  Overall it should be a great paper, I just have to start writing it.