Advice to a Young Man Essay

Outside of marriage, there is the "hazard of Children" (Franklin). Also included in his reasons are that "debauching a Virgin may be her Ruin, and make her for Life unhappy" (Franklin). In "Girl," the narrator warns the reader, "don't walk barehead in the hot sun" (Kincaid). In addition, she is told, "this is how you smile to someone you don't like too much; this is how you smile to someone you don't like at all; this is how you smile to someone you like completely" (Kincaid). While each piece approaches different subjects, they are equally successful in their delivery.

Both pieces represent a different time period as well as station in life. Franklin is speaking with another man about something of a sexual nature and he is being as discreet as he possibly can. He is a man of prestige offering advice to someone that wishes to step out of what most of society considers proper conduct. Kincaid's piece is written to a daughter of a woman that is perhaps living in the country.This piece is about everyday advice and the mother is only concerned with telling and showing her daughter how to do things, or survive in this world and still be a respectable woman in her town.

Both pieces demonstrate how different we are. When we think of giving someone advice, we do not necessarily think that that task can be accomplished in many different ways but these two pieces illustrate that advice can be dispensed in many different ways. Both pieces also show that good instruction is not so much in how something looks on paper but how our minds perceive it. Both pieces are instruction al useful.

Works Cited

Franklin, Benjamin. "Advice to a Young Man on the Choice of a Mistress." Swarthmore College Online Index. Information Retrieved February 23, 2009. http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/bdorsey1/41docs/51-fra.html

Kincaid, Jamaica. "Girl." Turkshead Library Index. Information Retrieved February 23, 2009. http://www.turksheadreview.com/library/texts/kincaid-girl.html.....