of their parents or guardians. They affect how we think, how we feel,

and how we act. These are among the people who hold the greatest influence.

Amy Tan's Two Kinds and Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl" both deal with the

relationship between a young girl and the guiding force in her life. Amy

Tan tells of a mother's expectation for her daughter to be a child prodigy.

Jamaica Kincaid tells of an unknown person describing to a girl how to be

a "good" girl. Both essays illustrate an authority figure that has

expectations for a young female and why and how those expectations will

As young children growing up without a care in the world, we cannot

comprehend why authority figures dictate how we should behave. In "Two

Kinds", the daughter is expected to be a child prodigy because her mother

believes "you can be anything you want in America". The mother sees other

children with amazing talents and thinks her child could be just as

can be anything they want in America and she wants a daughter who excels

iron, and not assert her independence.

they choose paths that lead back to their beginnings. Amy Tan's girl

"slut" placed upon her. In the conclusion, she becomes the kind of woman

being held to such high hopes and dreams. The expectations placed on her

the authority figures to have their way, the girls must be obedient.

in some area. All of the mother's hopes lay on the daughter. Her hopes

not want to live up to outside expectations, but she does not want to

are bolstered by stories about remarkable children with incredible talents.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Jamaica Kincaid's, Jamaica Kincaid, Amy Tan's, , Kincaid's Girl, Amy Tan, authority figure, jamaica kincaid's, girl spends portion, jamaica kincaid's girl, spends portion youth, kincaid's girl, girl girl, daughter expected, authority figures, spends portion, child prodigy, kinds mother, girl expected,
Approximate Word count = 708
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)