Struggles and Position of Women in Kincaid’s Girl and Packer’s Drinking Coffee Elsewhere
Introduction
From my membership in all of these groups [Black, lesbian, feminist, socialist, poet, mother] I have learned that oppression and the intolerance of difference come in all shapes and sexes and colors and sexualities; and that among those of us who share the goals of liberation and a workable future for our children, there can be no hierarchies of oppression. I have learned that sexism and heterosexism both arise from the same source as racism. -Audre Lorde, from There is no Hierarchy of Oppressions
Instructions
Begin by watching Kimberlé Crenshaw's TED Talk on the urgency of intersectionality. Then, read the two articles on intersectional feminism to make sure you understand the meaning. Refer back to bell hook's book Feminism is For Everybody, which we read selections of in Week 8.
"The Urgency of Intersectionality" TED Talk by Kimberlé Crenshaw
"Why Our Feminism Must Be Intersectional" from Everyday Feminism
"Intersectional Feminism: What the hell is it? (And why you should care)" by Ava Vidal
Then, select either "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid OR "Names / Nombres" by Julia Alvarez to do a close reading. Everyone must read "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere" by ZZ Packer. This week's discussion will be a comparison of either Girl or "Names / Nombres" and "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere."
Please consider these questions in your comparison:
How are the women in these stories defined? How do they define themselves?
What intersections are part of these definitions? Where is there overlap between their self-identity as women or members of specific cultures or cultural groups?
How does sexuality come into play as the women in these stories develop their identity?
In what way are the women in these stories "othered" or held up in comparison to standard definitions of womanhood or humanity?
How do power and/or privilege contribute to these young women's ability to develop their identity?
Comparison to Two Stories
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Comparison to Two Stories
Jamaica Kincaid’s Girl and ZZ Packer’s Drinking Coffee Elsewhere are stories about the struggles and the position of women. The themes of women and femininity are also evident in the two stories. Drinking Coffee Elsewhere is a collection of eight short stories. This paper compares these two stories.
In Girl, women are defined as people who should focus on maintaining the home. The story’s theme shows that women should be domestic and they should act in a certain way. The girl is told by her mother how things should be done: “Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap; wash the colour clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry" (Kincaid 296). In ZZ Packer’s Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, women are defined as females who are struggling in a male world. The protagonists endeavour to find their own path. In the Girl, the African American girl seems to define herself according to what her mother tells her, which is to be a woman and behave in a manner that women are expected to behave in the society; she does not resist or fight against what her mother/society expects her to be. In Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, the young African American woman, Dina, defines herself in her own way, not what the society expects.
Quite a few intersections are part of these definitions. There are overlapping systems of discrimination and oppression faced by women that...