Sparkle Vs. Girl

           After several hours of researching I was finally able to connect one of the stories to a form of media.  Certain scenes from the movie “Sparkle” featuring Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks depict the mother’s advice to the daughter in “Girl”, by Jamaica Kincaid.  In the movie “Sparkle”, an authoritarian mother name Emma (Whitney Houston) has three daughters by the name of Sister (Carmen Ejogo), Delores (Tika Sumpter), and Sparkle (Jordin Spark). The storyline of the movie is supposed to resemble that of the 1960’s. Emma is extremely protective and strict with her daughters, especially Sparkle. She as a certain guideline that they must follow since they all live under her roof. They are not allowed to watch television pass a certain time, they had to attend bible study, go to church, dress proper like respectable young ladies, not allowed to go out pass a certain time, and behave properly in public. The most absolute rule that the mother forbid all the girls to do is singing unless it is with the church choir. Emma was extremely displease when she discovered that her daughters were in a singing group that perform in clubs and work for the entertainment industry. Due to the vulgar and crude reputation of the entertainment industry and Emma’s personal experiences, she did not want her daughters to be involved in it. This caused Emma to believe that her daughters were not innocent and seek to correct them, but the method backfired and at the end Sparkle defended her reason for wanting to be a singer and followed her own path.

        “Girl” is similar to “Sparkle” in the sense of a mother’s expectation for her daughter(s), and the multiple advices that the mother provide to the daughter in order to follow social norms and be considered a respectable woman. In “Girl”, the mother suspected that the daughter is not following her words of wisdom and scorned the daughter by continuously repeating “like the slut you are so bent on becoming”. This is presented in “Sparkle “also, Emma thought her children were impure and basically pushed them away. She did not even attend any of their performances until the end when she went to Sparkle’s first solo performance. Finally, in “On Girl”, the speaker’s decision to create her own path instead of following the advice of the mother is related to Sparkle’s decision to pursue a career in the entertainment industry despite her mother’s protest and corrosive judgments.

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/photos/stylus//2258059-jordin-sparks-sparkle-617-409.jpg

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/17/movies/movie-review-sparkle-with-whitney-houston-and-jordin-sparks.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k49K3b4vuwE (The Trailer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAVCKbAETg8 (Shows the mother's strictness)

Only household chores

  In Jamaica Kincaid's “Girl,” the nameless protagonist is powerless. Her antagonistic mother scolds her by telling her how to act, how to behave, and that she should be worried about things pertaining to the house. "This is how you set a table for tea,...wash the white clothes on Monday...," these are some of the words that were delivered to the main character via her mother. In "Girl," it can be seen that the mother is from a very strict background where women are only valuable when it pertains to domestic trials. I am positive that if the protagonist were to wash her whites on a Tuesday instead of a Monday, her mother would have chest pains.



                                                              

"Girl," was written in the late 1900's. However, it still relates to situations in modern society. Back then women represented domesticity, and sadly they are still being portrayed that way. Today's representations of social roles can be seen in the form of commercials. In modern day advertisements, women are always cleaning  up spills or bringing in groceries. Why can't a man be seen in the Swiffer commercials or the dishwashing liquid commercials ? Men aren't seen in these commercials because society's eyes are trained to see women in these roles.  Most individuals would find it quite odd to see a male wiping the counter in one of the many paper towel commercials that adorn television screens.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S62sl-qWEqohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S62sl-qWEqo

Through reading Kincaid's interview, it is revealed that the mother's control can be related to that of England's on the Caribbean islands. The girl represents the islands who are under strict watch by England. England didn't fully believe that the islands could survive by themselves. Even though the antagonist instructs her daughter on what she should and shouldn't do, she doesn't fully believe that her daughter is capable of successfully completing all the duties as she was told. This all ties back into the commercials. By clicking the attached link, one can see what I mean. In the Visa section of the commercials, a woman is seen vacuuming. While she cleans, a male sits on the couch creating a mess. He tells her that she missed a spot while he does nothing but create an even bigger mess. That commercial shows that the man didn't fully believe in the woman's capabilities to vacuum the house. The majority of commercials portray women domestically, not all but most.

What's your number?

           Reading “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid instantly reminded me of a movie called “What’s Your Number?” In the short story, the mother gives a strong lecture to her daughter about fitting into social norms. She does not give her any advice or encouragement about being her own person. Instead she is told how to dress, act, cook, etc. She basically banished – in my perspective – any form of rebellion for her daughter to partake in. In the movie, the main character, Ally, is a recently unemployed, single and over thirty. She feels like her mother, an over bearing woman, thinks of her as a failure because of these developments. When Ally brings an old, successful flame from her past to her sister’s wedding, her mother is elated because she believes this man is her ticket to success for herself. While watching the movie and reading the book, at first I felt that both mothers were over bearing to their children to ensure that they were the shining example of what society expects.

            However, after further evaluation, it occurred to me that maybe, these mothers did not think of themselves as being over bearing. In fact, maybe what they were thinking is that they were trying to advise and guide their daughters for their best interests. Both women want what is best for their daughters in term of social status, form, and availability. Although from very different time eras, the idea of woman fitting a social idea has yet to dissipate. In fact, now more than ever, the idea of women fitting into society’s perfect image has been a war against woman. Feminism is at all time high now. It is shown through movies such as “What’s Your Number?” It shows a woman who breaks through the idea that a woman can be sexually active but still find a man who will be with her despite her past infidelities.  Merely a decade or so ago, the idea of a woman who engaged in pre-marital sex was about as sinful as a murderer. However, with these new books and films about woman taking control and making an identity of themselves, such ideas and conservative beliefs will be less overwhelming to women.

Django

Django, just like Dave in The Man Who Was Almost A Man,  began the story as a slave. Dave was having complications with himself, his self imagine and his persona. Just as in Django, his self image is automatically shown when we first meet him. In a line of slaves, he is seen as an object more than a man. He is kept it line, like cattle, with chains on both his hand and feet marching towards the distance. Like Dave, I see that Django has something to prove to someone, especially since they feel like objects in their position. Dave decides that a gun is what is going to give him power; just as Django begins to feel power when he receives a gun for the first time.  As the story continues, both in my opinion share the same aura of innocence. When Django is in the bar waiting for the police to come, the look on his face is priceless; his face is the epitome of innocence. When both are faced with death for the first time, especially at their own hands, they have equally similar expressions. In the story when Dave finally takes his gone, and shoots Jenny the farm girl he is in shock. He does not realize this weapon he has been carrying around actually had the capacity to kill someone. He finds her, accidentally shoots her, and tries to hide her body. In Django with his first death he felt very similar. He was very awestruck by killing a man near his son, especially for the price of money. Near the end when both have done terrible things, again there is a similarity although they both decide to handle them differently. Dave runs away on the train the moment he has the chance. Django has to escape after he is captured but returns to collect his wife and finish killing the several other people who has wronged him and his benefactor.

"Video"

     When reading the short story "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid, I automatically thought of the 2002 four-time Grammy nominated single "Video" by India.Arie. Both had similar meanings to me as they both discussed how society viewed women and their differed views from society. "Girl" was essentially the advice a mother is giving her daughter, the protagonist who was not given a name, on how to be the proper woman. The mother shares what one must to do to fit the role of a woman in their culture. Though the daughter does not speak, I made my own assumptions and sensed that the girl felt skepticism or rebellion towards these traditional roles. As I read the commentary about the short story, On "Girl," Kincaid shares how the mother is doubtful that the girl will be able to live up to these standards. I believe the mother is doubtful because she can already see that the daughter is displaying traits of being her own person, despite the norms society is attempting to place on her; the girl is essentially "unconquered."     In the song "Video," India.Arie shares how she doesn't fit in with the social norms or of being a woman in today's world, yet she's learned to accept it and be her own person. It's expressed clearly in the chorus, where she sings,"I'm not the average girl from your videoAnd I ain't built like a supermodel,But I learned to love myself unconditionally,Because I am a queen..."     These lyrics are a clear indication of how she loves herself although she is different from what society views as acceptable. Throughout the song, she advocates for having confidence in oneself and freedom. India.Arie and Jamaica Kincaid both exposed the adversities women face to break away from the traditional and cultural stereotypes. Both women, in my opinion, are encouraging and trying to send a message to young women to be themselves regardless of what others may think; that just because one does not follow the norm, or role, of what society views as a woman, does not make them any less of one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq86e4Fhja0

The Search for Power

            After reading and analyzing the short story “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” by Richard Wright, I found a connection between Dave Saunders, the protagonist of the story, and Antonio Montana from “Scarface”. Both of these men were in search for power, which ultimately led them to their downfall.

The story “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” is about seventeen-year-old Dave. He is convinced he is “almost a man” and hopes to someday own a gun to get the respect he thinks he deserves from others. “Scarface” illustrates the life of Antonio Montana, a political refugee from Cuba who is better known as "Scarface".  The movie portrays the journey of Antonio’s search for power as one of Miami’s wealthiest and most famous drug dealers. Like Antonio, Dave has a strong desire for power. He believes that owning a gun will get him what he wants. Both protagonists crave authority as a result of bad life experiences and the lack of social and economic supremacy earlier in heir lives. Dave is constantly over-worked and looked down upon by other people. He feels like he is trapped in a world that denies him freedom, and believes that such gun will grant him the liberty he is in search of. Antonio escapes Cuba, where everyone is poor and mistreated by the government, and is focused on obtaining the authority he never had.

Despite Antonio’s rise to fame and fortune, his selfish thirst for power puts him in great danger, which eventually leads to his demise. Although Dave did not die, his quest for power brought him very unfortunate consequences. After accidentally shooting and killing his boss’s mule, Dave was punished for his reckless actions and ended up running away from his family as a way to escape the retribution he brought upon himself.

Girl vs Not Afraid

Not Afraid by Eminem remind me of “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid because she was being told in the story how to live her life according to her “role” and by those who were in power, her mother. In the story, Jamaica’s mother looks down upon her in a way because in the end she doesn’t believe she will amount to anything besides a “slut.” She did not agree with the way of life that was thrust upon her so she moved to America to take a stand and create her own self and future. She then uses her writing of “Girl” to show others that they don’t have to live a certain way just because society deems it so. I thought of this story when I heard the song Afraid by Eminem because he raps about how he took a stand to make himself a better life. This was shown through the lyrics “I'm not afraid, to take a stand.. and I just can't keep living this way, so starting today, i'm breaking out of this cage, i'm standing up,...i've had enough, now I'm so fed up,Time to put my life back together right now.” In the lyrics “all those who look down on me I'm tearing down your balcony” He doesn’t let those who looked down upon him keep him down, he persevered and took control of his life again by getting clean. The typical “role” for a rapper is to drink and do drugs to make music and he did not want that life style anymore and decided to get clean. Eminem also uses his song to show others that there is a different way of living. Even though the situations between the two are vastly different, they both escape the control of something to be able to live how they wish to live.

Link to song lyrics : http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/eminem/notafraid.html 

Don't be afraid of the Dark is similar to "The Yellow Wallpaper"

      As I read the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” I instantly thought of the horror movie called Don’t be Afraid of the Dark. The writer from the story was taken out from her original home and taken away somewhere to this grand old house.  It had a marvelous garden and the house was filled with many spacious rooms but needed plenty of work done to it. In the movie a young girl named Sally is uprooted from her home as well to live with her dad and his girlfriend. They head off into the middle of lot with a huge haunting home that was still having work done to it. Sally explores all over the house into ever crevice as well as in the garden that goes for miles long. Although when it is time for bed she begins to her voices speaking to her, saying that they have been waiting for her. Creatures that live within the walls and floors of the home appeared. Sally was not scared but intrigued to follow them and learn about what they are and what they want before anyone else could. Eventually she saw these small creatures that pretended to be her friend but eventually turned on her and began to frighten her. 
       She tried to tell her dad and his girlfriend but they would not believe her. They thought that she just wanted all of the attention because she is unsatisfied with the move. As the movie progresses the dad’s girlfriend comes in contact with the creature and tries to tell the father but he still will not budge. I saw that as a connection that there was a higher male authority in the movie as well as the story. Young Sally was in a sense alone in that big empty house not knowing what to do. The father always left the home to go to work just as in the story the husband left to take care of his duties. The end of the movie pertains to the family fighting off the demon creatures but the girlfriend gave up her life to safe them and became a part of the house with the creatures. Both characters were losing their minds and were both trying to break free from their lifestyles even though it ended unpleasantly.

Girl and Candance

When I initially read “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid I came to the conclusion that these were instructions given to the character in the story on how to be a young lady. After reading the commentary further and discussing the book in class I realize that this could actually be the way that the girl perceived the instructions. It was very common for many girls in the authors time, and area- Antigua-to hear these type of instructions. This was because they had certain criteria that they had to follow. Certain ways that they were expected to live their lives. These ways were instilled into each of them and they were expected to be followed.

I connected this piece of literature to the media clip of Disney’s Phineas and Ferbs song on how to be a lady. In both pieces the women are given valuable knowledge that teaches them how to act like a lady, or in Candance situation- a princess. Although it may vary from culture to culture, or generation to generation there seems to have always been a universal standards that all women are expected to follow. Whether it’s to sit up straight and don’t slouch or to how to cook food appropriately. This is reflected in both of these pieces, because they came from different time eras and different parts of the world. Also one thing that I find funny yet not necessarily important is that at the end of “Girl” she asks a question, and at the end of the Phineas and Ferb video she asks a question too. Although the messages may not always be the exact same in the end its still represents the same thing- the expected role or way of life that women all around the world are expected to incorporate into their lives and act upon every day.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJGqAOF3p9E``````````````````````

Get Rich or Die Trying

The short story “A Man Who Was Almost a Man” by Richard Wright left me with a few different views on it. I felt as though Dave did not feel like a man because of the color of his skin. He wanted to buy a gun so he could have a form of authority thus making him feel like a man. While reading this short story, I found myself thinking about the movie “Get Rich or Die Trying” starring 50 cent. The protagonist in “Get Rich or Die Trying” is African American just like the main character in “A Man Who Was Almost a Man.” The connection that I found between this short story and movie goes deeper than just the race of the main characters.

In “Get Rich or Die Trying,” 50 cent has a very bad home life, which resulted in him buying a gun to basically help him get what he wants. In “A Man Who Was Almost a Man” Dave does the same exact thing. He purchases a gun in order for him to feel like a man. Even though 50 cent and Dave bought guns for two different. At the end of “Get Rich or Die Trying” 50 cent is not afraid to be who he wants to be. At the end of “ A Man Who Was Almost a Man,” Dave hops on a train to go somewhere where people will think he is a man. Although this isn’t the same ending, Dave and 50 cent both do something that was completely unexpected in the beginning of the story.