Girl-Humans - Book Report/Review Example

We live in a world full of “do’s” and “don’t” because this is how we function, this is how we survive. As humans, we are psychologically programmed to follow a set of instructions. Animals live their life by their instincts. Their instincts dictate how their bodies should react to certain circumstances. Animals can be trained to understand very little. People on the other hand do not live by instincts. They have them, and they should consider them. However, humans are capable of using reasoning. People learn reasoning from what they hear from others. They learn how to follow instructions. People write about these instructions, we read about them. We sing them, we draw them, we play them and best of all, we pass those instructions, rules, and life lessons down to our next of Kin. Humans, and society, cannot function unless we are guided. The rule of thumb and security says that if we follow, success will come!

In “Girl” by Kincaid we see that an authority figure is giving a list of rules, and regulations to a young girl who seems to be just coming into her own character. She is growing up but is unsure what to do. She is between a teen and an adult and is being influenced by her peers.

This loving person gives advice and love. She understands what the world is all about and regardless of the circumstances, she is able to lend a hand in the verbal fashion. Her advice resonates and transcends itself in all forms. This poem aims to assist young children and children who are older by giving the council. Without a council in one’s life, it is easy to be misleading. Especially at such a tempting time period, the teens who read this poem know that they too can have someone who I willing to take the time to be there for them.

This poem gives great advice in prose. Kincaid uses humor, love, and insight to bring to light some of the most basic and obvious issues in a young girl’s life. The poet wants to inspire and inform the young girl. She goes from giving advice on laundry and cooking vegetables to falling in love and knowing how to love a man. Because Kincaid can relate to all the aspects in her own poem. The lightness of this particular poem creates a feeling that soothes the soul. It allows people to dig deep inside themselves which creates a fortress they can hold onto. When one has a guide or someone who will help them through life, someone who will prepare them for success, all else becomes less important.

This poem appeals to women and girls all around the world. Advice is needed and without advice, rules, and regulations, it is hard to exist. This world is preordained by something more powerful than us all and we would not know how to function in this world if there were no set of rules. Even those who are not religious, and do not believe in anything in particular can be easily guided. Just words of simple advice. It's just a simple conversation between a mother and a daughter. It’s a small dialogue between a grandmother and her grandchild. It could possibly even be a warning not from a father to his daughter who is getting older and getting ready to leave for college. A note from a friend to another friend is also a common thought in this poem. But the main theme is advice no matter how you look at it. Some people take a negative approach to advice in general. Others embrace advice and allow it to positively affect them. This gives them a choice and a reason for change. If we fail to embrace advice, especially from someone who knows more than we do because they have lived through more, we will surely come out on top. If we choose to be angered by suggestions and advice, and knowledge from the higher authority, we are only setting ourselves up for failure. Analyze what is being said. If we follow the rule of thumb, success will come!