Girl | Use of Language and the Mother-Daughter Relationship
In the following essay, the author discusses the use of language, the mother-daughter relationship and the significance of African cultural heritage in "Girl."
The mother/daughter relationship
Jamaica Kincaid's short story "Girl" is the opening piece in a collection entitled At the Bottom of the River. Critics have noted that the use of language in "Girl,’’ as well as in the other stories of this collection, is one of its most notable features. "Girl'' is unusual in that it is a short story written in the "second person'' voice, meaning that the narrator addresses the reader as "you.'' The narrator here is a mother giving advice to her daughter, who is the "you" in the story. Kincaid's use of language in this story is...
[The entire page is 1786 words long]
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