Week #2 Blog Post

Hi, Karen Chau here.

In "Girl," Kincaid structures the story as a list composed of fragments as opposed to full sentences. This creates the effect of a list of tasks that is never ending, as symbolized through the use of semi-colons rather than periods. The fragments appear in clusters that relate to each other, such as the beginning section that describes the act of washing clothes and the middle section that describes how to set a table for different circumstances (307). Between certain sections, Kincaid inserted comments on these tasks and bolded them. Apart from the bolded italics fragments, the tone of the story was neutral and of acceptance. The author presents the things that should be done by a girl, indicated by the title of the story. However, there is a sense of challenge and change in the author's tone when she says, "but I don't sing benna on Sundays at all and never in Sunday school;" (306). Having these statements scattered throughout the story and bolded, their importance is highlighted both literally and as a subtext to the author's feelings about a girl's tasks.