Kincaid By Thomas Hardy

A lack of perspective on any subject matter often muddles one’s understanding and sense of sympathy in regards to the conditions and personal experiences of others. Without this exposure, it makes it more difficult to remain educated on the issues some people may not have to face, which can lead to the disenfranchisement of these voices. However, even when someone is unable to directly relate to what is being said to them, the capacity to listen remains, allowing the other party to ponder how and why these advantages and disadvantages are placed, especially when there are societal conditions, such as gender, that create this distinct divide between people who are and are not effected by certain attitudes on a daily basis. Literature, as well
as other mediums of artistic freedom, has the ability to let readers have accessibility to these different perspectives, thus creating a diverse representation of unique ideas and experiences. For one Jamaica Kincaid, her poem “Girl” gives readers a view into the life of a young girl or woman growing up a considerably restrictive environment. Subtle yet powerful, the poem is organized in a deliberate way, putting the focus on the themes of patriarchal values placed on women, all while presenting the poem through a non-specific, inclusive point of view: these together exhibit the struggles women are expected to accept in an impactful way.

Upon first glance, it would be difficult to immediately see Kincaid’s work as a poem due to the lack of a traditional poetic structure. The poem’s look is akin to standard prose, continuous writing that is carried over from line to line. Instead of line breaks, the poem uses semi-colons to divide the different lines; semi-colons are often used to include a clause that adds to the previous clause, be it for elaboration or to continue a list. The latter option may to be the more plausible scenario because each item relates to the other; in that, they are all commands directed to either one’s self or to someone else entirely. The idea of the poem being a list fits in conjunction to how the poem is structured. The lack of line breaks allows the reader to continuously go from one thought to the next with minimal interruptions to consider line breaks or the like. Because the poem is written as a list of commands, the poem reads in a similar fashion to a stream of consciousness with how each item relates to the one preceding and proceeding it. Instead of making the poem appear drawn out, this specific structure allows readers to move along with relative ease, which benefits the delivery of the poem’s central themes.

The poem’s greatest strength is Kincaid’s ability to deliver her message about growing up as a woman in an impactful, personal way. The list of commands throughout align with some patriarchal values women are often expected to adhere to. The poem exists as a seemingly ordinary list of chores, but the tone shifts when one of these instructions says, “this is how you hem a dress when you see the hem coming down and so to prevent yourself from looking like the slut I know you are so bent on becoming” (15-17). This list of simple tasks are now outright attempts to police this young girl or woman in question in a bold and ruthless manner, seeing how slut is often used as a derogatory and misogynistic towards women. This phrase specifically is repeated throughout the poem, either to reinforce the meaning or to add urgency to the line with every repeat. Moreover, there are more examples in this poem that give blatant examples of policing women on how they should act: “don’t squat down to play marbles—you are not a boy, you know” (33). This introduces a key idea that there is a seemingly clear difference on how boys and girls are supposed to act and how girls do not get the luxury of any leisure that boys get. Kincaid’s intention in the poem is to give the reader a very personal look into the point of view of a woman who may realistically experiences this in their daily life. The more inquisitive detail, however, is to consider from whose perspective this is in regards to the narrator.

Due to the poem’s structure being akin to a list of commands directed at an unknown recipient, the identity of the narrator not explicitly told to the reader.
Therefore, there are different possibilities the reader could interpret, and there are multiple options that still support Kincaid’s writing. First, aligning with the nature of a list of commands, the narrator could be through the perspective of those that surround this young woman in her life, offering advice or demands to keep her within the confines of what a woman is supposed to be like. This is further supported by how the poem often breaks up from its flow, interruptions indicated by the use of italics: “…but I don’t sing benna on Sundays at all and never in Sunday school” (12-13). These interruptions could possibly be this young woman that is on the receiving end of these commands in an attempt to speak up and better her genuinely taxing position. Having the poetic narrator be a person or group of people who are significant to this girl’s life enforces the message of how women are often policed to act a certain way. Second, taking influence from the poem’s structure, the poem could be from the girl’s point of view. It is not a far-off idea to have the girl repeat this list of commands to herself. Taking this into account, it harkens back to the poem’s layout, eliminating line breaks, fitting a stream of consciousness on the narrator’s part. This makes the lines that refer to her dress being as if she were a slut
all the more impactful because these are now messages she has internalized. These are messages of surviving as a woman during this time, as indicated by how she is told to “make ends meet” (45), but the themes of misogyny cannot be erased. This elusiveness surrounding the narrator’s identity allows each reader to interpret the poem a different way, a useful tactic regarding a poem this exposed and raw.

The poem’s effect on the reader will vary because each reader will carry a different history with them; a different level of privilege.
However, this should not inhibit the reader’s ability to comprehend the poem’s themes or to potentially learn from them, either by gaining a new insight on these matters or to have something to relate with. Kincaid seemed to have purposefully left details of the narrator out to strengthen any account of relatability readers may have with the poem because she knew that the contents of the poem would connect with people in one way or another. A poem of this caliber benefits from every decision the writer has made whilst writing it, particularly regarding the poem’s structure, or lack thereof. Excluding line breaks allows the reader to go through the poem with minimal interruptions, expediting the chance of engaging the reader, which greatly benefits Kincaid as a content creator. Aside from writing a well-written and powerful poem, Kincaid managed to deliver important themes to her readers, themes that could potentially stick, develop, or educate readers, and that type of success is a feat all on its
own.