"Everything that rises must converge," By Flannery O'Connor, and "Girl," by Jamaica Kincaid are completely different texts that share a common theme. The story by O'Connor is about the feelings and emotions of a boy named Julian. He is strongly opposed to his mother's view of the world in which slavery and the oppression of African Americans is acceptable. He wants to prove to his mother and to himself that race should not be the deciding factor in judging an individual, and he develops such passion for this idea that he even takes it too far. The text by Kincaid is basically a list of commands and directions given to a young girl by her mother. These directions are extremely harsh and inconsiderate, and it seems as though the young girl is being exploited. In both stories, there is an oppressor and exploiter who does not value personal freedom and believes that some people should have more rights than others.
[...] In the mind of the girl's mother in Kincaid's story, she believes that oppressing and abusing her own daughter is the only way to raise her properly. She truly believes that if she acts differently towards her, she will become a slut. She does not view the abuse of her daughter as morally wrong and believes it is the proper way to raise a child. “Everything the rises must converge,” by Flannery O'Connor, and by Jamaica Kincaid, both describe the mindset and behavior of oppressors. O'Connor demonstrates that Julian's mother still views herself as superior to blacks, [...]
[...] Her goal in portraying her this way is to prove to the reader that such attitudes and behaviors are common amongst racists who do not believe in equal rights. By attacking the character and simple-mindedness of Julian's mother, O'Connor is attacking all racists who still live by the values which existed during slavery. O'Connor is criticizing the values and moral character of the oppressors and exploiters of slaves. She is demonstrating to the reader that slavery and oppression is evil, outdated, and that young minds must reinforce these views to eliminate racism all together. In by Jamaica Kincaid, oppression is also a common theme. [...]
[...] Comparison: Everything that Rises Must Converge and Girl “Everything that rises must converge,” By Flannery O'Connor, and by Jamaica Kincaid are completely different texts that share a common theme. The story by O'Connor is about the feelings and emotions of a boy named Julian. He is strongly opposed to his mother's view of the world in which slavery and the oppression of African Americans is acceptable. He wants to prove to his mother and to himself that race should not be the deciding factor in judging an individual, and he develops such passion for this idea that he even takes it too far. [...]
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