The poem "Girl" by author Jamaica Kincaid shows love and family togetherness by creating microcosmic images of how mothers raise their children to survive. Upon closer examination, the reader sees that the text is a series of images in the familiar practices of the Western Caribbean. Jamaica Kincaid took the common advice that daughters constantly hear from their mothers and tied them to a series of commands that a mother uses to prevent her daughter from turning into "the slut she is so determined to become" (380). But they are more than simple commands; phrases are a mother's way of making sure her daughter has the tools she needs to survive as an adult. The fact that the mother takes the time to train her daughter in the correct way for a woman to act on her time is indicative of their familial love. The fact that there are so many rules and moral principles that are passed on to the daughter indicates that mother and daughter spend a lot of time together. The reader gets the impression that the advice the mother gives her daughter has been passed down through many generations of women. The advice of the centuries allowed their daughters to endure hardship and avoid making the same mistakes they had made, such as planting okra far from home because it attracts fire ants. There have been some women in the past who learned this lesson the hard way and included it in the litany of advice for future generations. But "Girl" also shows the hostility and familial dissension that women suffer from. The world of women is not just about setting the table for tea or deciding on which day to wash white or colored clothes; there is a darker side to their lives. The most... center of the card... skillfully performed tasks such as washing laundry on a rock, ironing her family's clothes, or cooking pumpkin pancakes in very hot sweet oil. When I first read "Girl" I was amazed at how much work young women had to do in the early 1900s. We can definitely say that the role of women has changed over the years in the United States. We don't have to do so many grueling tasks to get through our daily lives. Today mothers teach their daughters to be more independent. Women in third world countries don't have the luxuries that we have. They still have many rules that prevent them from being themselves. Works Cited Jones, Gertrude. Personal interview. April 15, 2006.Paul. Ephesians 5:22-23. Life Application Study Bible. Jamaica Kincaid. Vanessa Pupello. Fall 1997. Emory University. April 15, 2006. http://www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/Kincaid.html