The representation of a woman on the text entitled “Girl” written by Jamaica Kincaid gives us a sense of social construction on how should women behave in daily life. This text is written from woman for women. The representation of a woman here on this text, perhaps was developed by the point of view from men who demand for a perfect well-behave woman. The woman herself on the text is trying to persuade how women should act in order to make a good impression of a man.
This kind of text will make us think that this is the reality. But, the way of women behave nowadays is not always be the same, compared to the text. We actually will catch a sense of a woman experience who trying to convey a message that this kind of behavior will attract every kind of men. When she (the speaker) says something connected with a baker, the baker, actually, represent a certain kind of a man, because the baker is usually represented by a man. This kind of pronouncement will lead us to a perception that men’s point of view is predictable, of course, from women’s viewpoint.
The text is also gives us a sense of women’s experiences who thought that men is always have the same “criteria” for women, whether they (women) good or bad, according to their own perception. This kind of experience is also gives us an explanation that women should not do men “things” such as playing marbles, because women should not squat down like men. From these words, we can also say that the one who can disregard (squat down) their selves is always be men, not women.
This text, perhaps, is also influenced by the thought of men. In the old time, the one who has access to knowledge resources is men. So, based on this reality, the one who has the responsibilities on the women’s characters nowadays is also men. Those things will lead us to any perception that women should behave as well as mentioned in the text, because it cannot be separated from men’s life.
I never thought that an essay would be worthy to read, enjoyable and also understandable. I felt like I was being the part of it, because the movement of its contents was clearly seen. Despite of its language that forces me to open the dictionary for several times, it feels much easier to comprehend the essay than when I was on my attempt to write my own essay.
Stockin gives me an understanding that it is important for us to pay more attention on how do the readers will try to understand the essay that we have written, when the readers read the essay. When Hermawan once said that “to read is to making meaning, out of the text,” I now understand better than when the last time I heard those ‘simple’ utterance.
Until the time I wrote this report, I never clearly knew how to write a good essay. Because all the time I try to find a good example on making essay, it was always gives me a ‘headache’ when I finished read those examples, unlike the essay from Stockin.
The way Stockin wrote her essay - that makes me easier to understand her essay - on the beginning of her essay is in order to make people (especially the readers) understand the purpose behind the essay, until the way she ends her essay on the final judgment. Easier - indeed - because she explained to us about her reason on why she has her own attitude like mentioned on the first paragraph. She moves from one point to another by describing her ideas toward the character of Young Goodman Brown. This is why she gives her essay with the title of Young Goodman Brown and Me. Because, her essay was truly gives an explanation on what she has ‘promised’ to us on her essay’s title. So now I know, that when we were on our attempt to write an essay, the title of the essay should be the representation on what described on the essay itself, or in another word, a title is the soul of its contents.
Men always represented by a masculine, strong, sporty and also some kinds of famous things. This story gives us a sense of men in sporty way. When a man trying to attract woman, there is a point of view that woman will prefer a sporty man than an “ordinary” man. However, this kind of viewpoint will lead us to a perception that there is a “distance” from men to women. This is also could give us a sense of oppression from men to women in order that men is always stronger than women.
This story mentions a lot of baseball game that always played by men. This will absolutely give us a perception that women can not do “men things.” When there is a circumstance that involving men in almost every aspect such as in baseball game, then we will assume that this game is not a game that can be played by women. When this kind of circumstance is happening, then there will be another oppression that women can not take place in any “men things.”
When our society develop the point of view that men is always stronger, tougher, or more powerful than women, then the point of view will also gives some new point of view to the women. According to my knowledge about the history of literature, there is some fact that men are the one who has control to the literature on the old time. When women studying something related to the literature, then the women will learn it from the viewpoint of men. Based on this fact, I assume that if men said that something is their thing, then it means that women can not get involve on that thing.
Men always attract women in a certain way. This text leads us to the absolute perception that women will be attracted to a man that has a good sense in sport such as baseball game. When this perception comes up to the surface, this proves that there will always some distinctive features which are differentiating between men and women.