🌦️ Unit 1, Lesson 2: "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid
Let's read the following story and answer the following questions.
Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap; wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry; don't walk bare-head in the hot sun; cook pumpkin fritters in very hot sweet oil; soak your little cloths right after you take them off; when buying cotton to make yourself a nice blouse, be sure that it doesn't have gum in it, because that way it won't hold up well after a wash; soak salt fish overnight before you cook it; is it true that you sing benna in Sunday school?; always eat your food in such a way that it won't turn someone else's stomach; on Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming; don't sing benna in Sunday school; you mustn't speak to wharf-rat boys, not even to give directions; don't eat fruits on the street—flies will follow you; but I don't sing benna on Sundays at all and never in Sunday school; this is how to sew on a button; this is how to make a buttonhole for the button you have just sewed on; this is how to 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; this is how you iron your father's khaki shirt so that it doesn't have a crease; this is how you iron your father's khaki pants so that they don't have a crease; this is how you grow okra—far from the house, because okra tree harbors red ants; when you are growing dasheen, make sure it gets plenty of water or else it makes your throat itch when you are eating it; this is how you sweep a corner; this is how you sweep a whole house; this is how you sweep a yard; this is how you smile to someone you don’t like too much; this is how you smile to someone you don't like at all; this is how you smile to someone you like completely; this is how you set a table for tea; this is how you set a table for dinner; this is how you set a table for dinner with an important guest; this is how you set a table for lunch; this is how you set a table for breakfast; this is how to behave in the presence of men who don't know you very well, and this way they won't recognize immediately the slut I have warned you against becoming; be sure to wash every day, even if it is with your own spit; don't squat down to play marbles—you are not a boy, you know; don't pick people's flowers—you might catch something; don't throw stones at blackbirds, because it might not be a blackbird at all; this is how to make a bread pudding; this is how to make doukona; this is how to make pepper pot; this is how to make a good medicine for a cold; this is how to catch a fish; this is how to throw back a fish you don't like, and that way something bad won't fall on you; this is how to bully a man; this is how a man bullies you; this is how to love a man, and if this doesn't work there are other ways, and if they don't work don’t feel too bad about giving up; this is how to spit up in the air if you feel like it, and this is how to move quick so that it doesn't fall on you; this is how to make ends meet; always squeeze bread to make sure it's fresh; but what if the baker won't let me feel the bread?; you mean to say that after all you are really going to be the kind of woman who the baker won't let near the bread?
Necessary Words and Phrases
| Word/Phrase | Details | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
|
stone heap (Noun) |
IPA: /stəʊn hiːp/ Bengali: পাথরের ঢিবি; পাথরের স্তূপ Synonyms: stone pile, rock heap, mound of stones |
She placed the wet clothes on the stone heap to dry. |
|
clothesline (Noun) |
IPA: /ˈkləʊðz.laɪn/ Bengali: কাপড় শুকানোর দড়ি Synonyms: drying line, washing line |
She hung the shirts on the clothesline after washing them. |
|
pumpkin fritters (Noun) |
IPA: /ˈpʌmpkɪn ˈfrɪtərz/ Bengali: কুমড়ার বড়া Synonyms: pumpkin cakes, fried pumpkin patties |
She cooked delicious pumpkin fritters in hot oil. |
|
soak (Verb) |
IPA: /səʊk/ Bengali: ভিজিয়ে রাখা Synonyms: immerse, dip, saturate |
You should soak the clothes right after you take them off. |
|
gum (Noun) |
IPA: /ɡʌm/ Bengali: আঠা; চটচটে পদার্থ Synonyms: resin, adhesive, glue |
Make sure the cotton fabric has no gum in it. |
|
slut (Noun) |
IPA: /slʌt/ Bengali: অশালীন নারী (অপমানজনক শব্দ) Synonyms: derogatory term for immoral woman (avoid using) |
She warns the girl not to walk in a way that makes her look like a “slut.” |
|
benna (Noun) |
IPA: /ˈbɛnə/ Bengali: বেন্না (অ্যান্টিগার লোকসঙ্গীত) Synonyms: Antiguan folk music |
The mother asks whether the girl sings benna in Sunday school. |
|
wharf-rat boys (Noun) |
IPA: /wɔːrf ræt bɔɪz/ Bengali: ঘাটে থাকা দুষ্টু ছেলেরা Synonyms: dock boys, street boys |
She warns her not to speak to wharf-rat boys. |
|
hem (Noun/Verb) |
IPA: /hɛm/ Bengali: পোশাকের কিনারা; কিনারা সেলাই করা Synonyms: edge, border, stitch |
She shows the girl how to hem a dress neatly. |
|
crease (Noun) |
IPA: /kriːs/ Bengali: ভাঁজ; কুঁচকানো দাগ Synonyms: fold, line, wrinkle |
She irons the khaki shirt so it has no crease. |
|
okra—far (Noun Phrase) |
IPA: /ˈəʊkrə fɑːr/ Bengali: ঢেঁড়স—দূরে (বাড়ি থেকে দূরে লাগানো) Synonyms: okra plant location |
She advises her to grow okra far from the house. |
|
harbors (Verb) |
IPA: /ˈhɑːrbərz/ Bengali: আশ্রয় দেওয়া; লুকিয়ে রাখা Synonyms: contains, shelters, houses |
The okra tree harbors red ants. |
|
dasheen (Noun) |
IPA: /daˈʃiːn/ Bengali: ড্যাশিন (তরো জাতীয় সবজি) Synonyms: taro, eddo |
Dasheen needs plenty of water to avoid causing an itch. |
|
itch (Noun/Verb) |
IPA: /ɪtʃ/ Bengali: চুলকানি; চুলকানো Synonyms: irritation, prickle, tingle |
If under-watered, dasheen can make your throat itch. |
|
squat down (Verb) |
IPA: /skwɒt daʊn/ Bengali: বসা; নিচু হয়ে বসা Synonyms: crouch, sit low |
She tells the girl not to squat down to play marbles. |
|
doukona (Noun) |
IPA: /duːˈkoʊnə/ Bengali: ডুকোনা (মিষ্টি আলু ও নারকেল দিয়ে তৈরি ক্যারিবীয় খাবার) Synonyms: Caribbean pudding |
She teaches her how to make doukona. |
1. Multiple Choice Questions
- According to the text, why must the girl avoid walking bare-head in the hot sun?
- Because it will make her skin darker.
- Because it is harmful and can make her sick.
- Because it is considered disrespectful.
- Because she may get dust in her hair.
- Why should the girl not talk to “wharf-rat boys”?
- Her mother believes they are a bad influence.
- They steal things from her house.
- They make fun of her clothes and manners.
- They refuse to help her with directions.
- Why does the mother warn the girl not to eat fruits on the street?
- Because fruits are too expensive to buy outside.
- Because flies will follow her and it looks improper.
- Because the street vendors dislike children.
- Because she may drop the fruit.
- What is the purpose of soaking salt fish overnight?
- To make it softer for frying.
- To remove the bones.
- To reduce the saltiness before cooking.
- To change its color.
- Why does the mother emphasize proper ironing of the father’s khaki clothes?
- Because khaki burns easily when heated.
- Because she wants the girl to avoid making creases and appear responsible.
- Because khaki clothes must be starched twice.
- Because the father cannot iron them himself.
- Why must okra be grown far from the house?
- Because okra has a strong smell when ripe.
- Because the okra tree harbors red ants.
- Because okra needs more sunlight than other plants.
- Because it grows too tall near buildings.
- Why does the mother repeatedly warn the girl about “becoming a slut”?
- Because she fears society will judge her daughter harshly for improper behavior.
- Because the girl has already misbehaved publicly.
- Because the neighbors complained about her many times.
- Because the girl wants to leave home.
- What does the line “this is how to make ends meet” suggest about the mother’s teachings?
- She wants the girl to take over her business.
- She is teaching her practical skills for survival and responsibility.
- She wants her to become a cook.
- She intends to send her abroad.
- What does the mother imply when she says, “Are you really going to be the kind of woman the baker won’t let near the bread?”
- The baker dislikes rude customers.
- She fears the girl will have a reputation so bad that people won’t trust her.
- The baker refuses to sell bread to children.
- The girl has stolen bread before.
- What overall relationship is shown between the mother and the girl in the passage?
- A distant relationship where they rarely speak.
- A strict, instructive relationship filled with warnings meant to prepare the girl for life.
- A playful relationship full of jokes and laughter.
- A hostile relationship marked by anger.