Sadekah Mahjabin

Professor Robert Balun and Sonja Killebrew

FIQWS 10108

October 2021

Exploratory Essay

This essay will explore Jamaica Kincaid’s Girl, Alexis Pauline Gumbs’ Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals, excerpt, and David Foster Wallace’s This is Water while relating to the course theme “self and other.” Despite their distinctions, the uniting theme throughout all three works is a sense of self-awareness. Furthermore, these writings contribute to the understanding of the idea of “default setting” and how people’s environments and lifestyle influence their sense of self and behavior.

From the three texts, Jamaica Kincaid’s Girl consists of a single sentence of advice a mother imparts to her daughter During the mothers’ “advice” talk, she often made harsh remarks in a demanding tone and hindered her freedom to establish the image of becoming a respectable woman that society demands. Secondly, Alexis Pauline Gumbs’ Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals, excerpt, illustrates the effects of colonialism on numerous people, including the eradication of historical practices and the loss of their culture. Gumbs, the speaker, often connects with a dolphin named, Tucuxi which was the only one to maintain its pre-colonization name. Lastly, David Foster Wallace’s This is Water discusses the importance of genuine education in real life, knowledge that is not restricted to the confines of a classroom. Wallace expresses the idea of self-awareness and a willingness to accept that there is so much more to the world than what individuals perceive through their own bare eyes.

The idea of self-awareness is a common theme in each story; for example, in Jamaica Kincaid’s Girl, the main protagonist, the girl, is forced to become aware of the actions she must play a role in and obey, such as household chores like sewing, ironing, cooking, setting the table, sweeping, and washing, to be seen as a respectable woman to others. The text states, “soak salt fish overnight before you cook it” (Kincaid 320) and “Sunday school; you mustn’t speak towharf-rat boys, not even to give directions” (Kincaid 320) These are instances of practical and social advice given by the mother to her daughter for her to become self-aware. This idea is related to the concept of “default settings,” since it demonstrates how habits are handed down through generations. In Jamaica Kincaid’s Girl, it is apparent that women have been required to conform to stereotyped standards for many years. The girl in this story demonstrates a lack of independence and an inability to develop her own distinct identity, which relates to the concept of “self and other.” In Alexis Pauline Gumbs’ Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals, excerpt, the theme of self-awareness is also being demonstrated. Due to colonization and cultural erasure, Gumbs shows how many Americans have no knowledge where they originated from. Even though Gumbs addressed several points about the erasure of culture, she also emphasized the need of preserving other traditions. The quote “There is something called freedom, and you know how to call it. Even here in the holding pattern, here in the hold, remember remember. You are. You are held. Named.” (Gumbs 32) This emphasizes the value of individuality and self-awareness, which is linked to the concept of “self and other.” Gumbs also emphasizes how, like dolphins in captivity, confinement destroys the process of discovering oneself and expressing one’s value to the world and others. The texts states:

“He said look at the sly: This is where I still come to look for him. That sky is where I see him in my dreams. I am still learning to trust that something can hold me. My default mode is burdened strength.” (Gumbs 34)

This quote embodies the notion of “default settings,” since Gumbs suggests that the sky is boundless, and that self-awareness may be discovered outside the walls that constrain and limit a person’s capacity to realize their true origins and identity. Furthermore, Gumbs emphasizes the importance of faith, determination, and optimism in this self-awareness path. In David Foster Wallace’s This is Water, the theme of self-awareness is most prominent. Wallace eloquently describes his thoughts and feelings of being imprisoned by a daily routine. In connection to the concept of “default setting,” this speech highlights course theme of “self and other,” emphasizing how our actions may have a substantial effect on people or society. The quote:

“Everything in my own immediate experience supports my deep belief that I am the absolute center of the universe, the most real, most vivid and important person in existence. We rarely talk about this sort of natural, basic self-centeredness, because it’s so socially repulsive, but it’s pretty much the same for all of us, deep down. It is our default-setting, hard-wired into our boards at birth.” (Wallace 3)

This quote conveys how we might become unconscious of our own experiences while yet being aware of the critical context in which other concerns are occurring. Our attention is moved away from paying close attention to our surroundings when we are distracted. This illustrates how our “default setting” functions, which leads us to be ignorant of others and believe we are at the center of everything, even though no one appears to be talking about it. Overall, it is evident that the idea of self-awareness can be seen across all three pieces of literature.

Although there are many similarities between Jamaica Kincaid’s Girl, Alexis Pauline Gumbs’ Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals, excerpt, and David Foster Wallace’s This is Water, when it comes to the theme of self-awareness, there are also some significant differences between the three works as well. In these three texts the grasp of self-awareness is faced by unique obstacles that vary in each story. In Jamaica Kincaid’s Girl The mother, despite her best efforts to protect her daughter from the horrors of the outside world, is undermining her daughter’s capacity to grow and establish her own identity by making judgmental statements and restricting her freedom. This is an example of an obstacle preventing one to find self-awareness, in this case the obstacle is influenced from an external source such as the girl’s mother. In Alexis Pauline Gumbs’ Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals, excerpt, the main obstacle preventing self-awareness is effects of colonialism. She claims that colonialism affected many original ways of life because colonists were terrified of the diversity of individuals who were outside of their cultural norms. Gumbs expresses how the obstacle of achieving self-awareness and identity is the root of urbanization, as we are losing the beginnings of many civilizations, including our own. In David Foster Wallace’s This is Water, the author speaks about the monotonous routine that adults are forced to follow. He asserts that people get so absorbed with their own personal worries that they lose sight of more essential matters in their lives. Specifically, the author highlights that everyday routine is the most significant obstacle to achieving self-awareness in individuals. It is his hope that by delivering the speech, he would educate people about other points of view, support them in making smart decisions, and help them break away from the cycle of repetition. The quote. “This is not a matter of virtue – it’s a matter of my choosing to do the work of somehow altering or getting free of my natural, hard-wired default-setting…” (Wallace 3) The author believes that being more self-aware of one’s own self requires one to break away from one’s “default settings.” In general, the examples from each text highlight the multiple obstacles that prevent a person from reaching their sense of self which ultimately has an impact on their behavior in a variety of circumstances.

This article explores the central theme of self-awareness and the ways in which it influences an individual’s behavior. Jamaica Kincaid’s Girl, Alexis Pauline Gumbs’ Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals, excerpt, and David Foster Wallace’s This is Water are all excellent examples of how important it is to recognize and develop one’s own identity. A strong sense of self is essential for establishing boundaries and recognizing what is important in life and in relationships. Nurturing your sense of self helps you to recognize and appreciate your own distinctive characteristics and abilities.