Business communication BBS 2nd year question paper 2081
2. How does Jamaica Kincaid make a satire on the traditional gender roles in her story "Girl"?
In Jamaica Kincaid’s story “Girl,” the writer shows how society expects girls to behave in a very fixed way. The story sounds like a mother giving advice to her daughter, but it is really a long list of rules. Most of the rules are about cooking, cleaning, and serving others. By making the list so long, Kincaid shows that girls are often taught that their main job in life is to do housework, which is unfair and limiting.
The mother also keeps warning the girl about being “bad” or disrespectful, especially around boys. She tells the girl how to walk, talk, and act properly all the time. This shows how girls are often judged more strictly than boys. The story makes this seem almost silly because the girl is treated like she will make mistakes no matter what she does, even though she is still very young.
The girl hardly gets to speak in the story, while the mother talks nonstop. This helps us see how girls are expected to listen and obey instead of sharing their own thoughts. Kincaid uses this style to gently make fun of these old rules and show that they can take away a girl’s freedom to be herself.
3. Why do Mokobja and Ramadi kill the latter's daughters in Bessie Head's "Looking for a Rain God"?
Mokobja and Ramadi kill Ramadi’s daughters because they believe it is the only way to end the severe drought that is destroying their lives. For a long time, there has been no rain, crops have failed, and hunger has become unbearable. The family is desperate and afraid of dying from starvation. In this situation, they turn to an old traditional belief that the rain god can only be pleased through a human sacrifice. Their actions come from fear and hopelessness rather than cruelty.
Mokobja plays a major role in the decision. She strongly believes in traditional customs and thinks the ancestors are angry. She convinces Ramadi that sacrificing his children will bring rain and save everyone. Ramadi is weak-willed and easily influenced. Instead of questioning the belief or protecting his daughters, he obeys his mother and tradition. His silence and lack of resistance show how deeply tradition controls him, even when it goes against basic human feelings and morality.
Bessie Head uses this tragic event to criticize blind belief in harmful traditions. The story shows how poverty, ignorance, and superstition can destroy families and lead people to commit terrible acts. The killing of the daughters highlights the danger of following customs without questioning them. Through this story, Head suggests that traditions should be examined carefully, and that humanity and compassion should come before fear and blind faith.
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