"And so you can imagine how I felt when, one day, in Antigua, standing on Market Street, looking up one way and down the other, I asked myself: Is the Antigua I see before me, self-ruled, a worse place than what it was when it was dominated by the bad-minded English and all the bad minded things they brought with them? How did Antigua get to such a state that I would have to ask myself this? For the answer on every Antiguan's lips to the question 'What is going on here now?' is 'The government is corrupt. Them are thief, them are big theif.' Imagine, then, the bitterness and the shame in me as I tell you this. I was standing on Market Street in front of the library. The library! But why is the library on Market Street? I had asked myself." (Pg.41) from A Small Place, by Jamaica Kincaid
My version:
And so you can imagine how I felt when, one day, in my house, laying on my couch, gazing at the tv screen, I asked myself: Is the Dr.Pepper I see before me, extra-delicious, really not meant for me to consume happily just because I am a young woman? How did advertisement culture get to such a state that I would have to ask myself this? Well the advertisers would answer the question "Why do you target women as inferiors?" by saying "Women are weak. They are dumb, they are not important." Imagine, then, the bitterness and shame in me as I tell you this. I was sitting on my couch drinking male soda. Male soda! But why can't I have this soda? I had asked myself.
I totally love this post! I love your voice throughout the paragraph, it really catches my attention! This was a great idea to write about and I agree with what you are saying. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI loved your version of Kincaid's writing. It could have easily been impossible to understand, yet you found a way to both mimic Kincaid and keep your paragraph funny yet clear. You stuck to Kincaid's sentence structure, even used the words she did, while still making it your own.
ReplyDeleteShort sweet and to the point, i like this a lot; and not just because we hve an hour descussion about his commercial. I completely agree this commercial is not funny, stupid, and sexist. I would protest to drinking it but unfortunatly i love dr. pepper... I love the way you framed this- it is exactly like kincaid's passage yet it flows so smooth and doesn't sound like you cramed words to make it the same.
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