🌦️ 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 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.