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Imperative Sentences In Girl By Jamaican Kincaid

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Imperative Sentences In Girl By Jamaican Kincaid
“Girl” by Jamaican Kincaid, written 1983, is a short story that consists of one single sentence said by one character to another. The sequence of imperative sentences is interrupted twice by the second character to defend themselves and to ask a question, otherwise, the first character expresses advice and scolding in the sentences. The speaker lists instructions on how to behave properly, how to act around others and how to do household chores such as cooking, setting the table, sweeping and ironing clothes. Furthermore, the speaker teaches the second character about the things they must know and do to become a respectable woman and how to uphold a good reputation.

We hear an unknown mother’s voice that speaks to her preadolescent daughter.

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