The Girl Who Can Summary: Treasure Chest for ICSE Class 10 Story written by Ama Ata Aidoo. Summary of “The Girl Who Can” in very simple and under stable language using easy word so that some one can under stood the whole story. Visit official website CISCE for detail information about ICSE Board Class-10 English.
The Girl Who Can Summary: Treasure Chest for ICSE Class 10 Story written by Ama Ata Aidoo
| Board | ICSE |
| Publications | Evergreen Publications |
| Subject | English |
| Class | 10 |
| Book Name | Treasure Chest (short story) |
| Chapter | The Girl Who Can |
| Topics | Summary of the story |
The Girl Who Can: Summary of Story
( Treasure Chest for ICSE Class 10 Story written by Ama Ata Aidoo )
Introduction
The writer Ama Ata Aidoo Who has focus on the complexities and difficulties of an African women face in pursuing identity and fulfilment within patriarchal societies. The writer tries to break this perception through the character of Adjoa, a seven year old girl.
About Girl Adoja’s Life Challenges
The story is about a girl named Adjoa who is seven years of age and lives in a big village called Hasodzi in Central Ghana, Africa. She lives with her grandmother, Nana and her mother, Maami whose name is Kaya. Hasodzi is located in a fertile patch of land and even when the entire Africa is suffering dry conditions, Hasodzi is green and fertile. Whenever Adjoa does not finish her meal, Nana tells her to eat and adds that there are many problems in life, they are lucky to get food and that Adjoa should finish her meal.
Parents Discourage Her From Speaking
Adjoa says that one faces different problems at different stages of life and so does she. Her problem is that she is not able to speak her opinion. This is also because of the discouraging reaction that she gets whenever she speaks up. With a lot of effort, she gets an elder to listen to her. Then Nana asks her to repeat her statement. This is followed by either of the following two reactions – either Nana commands Adjoa not to repeat those words ever again, or she laughs at her. She laughs till tears flow from her eyes and she gets tired. Then she shares it with another elder and then the two of them laugh and scream until tears roll down their cheeks. Sometimes this sequence goes upto four or five elders. Adjoa gets confused about both these reactions and they discourage her from speaking her mind.
Taunted on Her Regarding Small Legs
She likes Nana except for her complaining nature. Nana always complains that Adjoa has spindly legs which she thinks are not fleshy, the calf muscles are not strong enough to support solid hips which women require to bear babies. Nana even taunts Maami for having married such a man who gave birth to a girl with spindly legs. When Maami says that Adjoa is better off than those who are born without limbs, Nana says that accidentally such events happen that mother nature brings deformed children on the earth but if a female child is born with legs then they should be of the right kind.
Adoja Eager to Compare with Legs of Women
This constant complain creates an urge in Adjoa to see legs of women around her, those who have borne babies. As the elder woman wear long wrap arounds, it is not possible. So, she plans to visit the river during the evenings when the women bathe there. However, she is not allowed to go there. The elders only permit her to visit the shallow end of the river with girls who are her age. They would bathe in the bathhouse that was just behind their hut. Adjoa was unable to identify the right kind of legs that a woman should have because all those girls were like her – they had not borne babies yet. Additionally, she had also seen Nana and Maami’s legs which were of the approved kind because they had borne babies. Still she was unsure if they were fleshy enough as Nana desired.
she won the school race but never shared with family,
The school was at a distance of five kilometers from their village and all the students complained of the long walk. However, Adjoa never felt so. For her school was a nice place. All these years she had been winning the school race but she had never shared this with the family, thinking that it was not relevant.
she was selected to participate at the junior level race
However, that year she was selected to represent the school at the junior level in the District sports week. This news surprised Nana and Maami. Nana herself washed and ironed Adjoa’s school uniform. Maami wanted to say something about Adjoa which Nana did not know but seeing that Nana was elated, choose not to speak. Nana would look carefully at Adjoa’s legs, perhaps she wondered that those spindly legs were worth something. Nana would wear a fresh set of old clothes which were heavily starched and would creak when shoe passed by.
She Won the Cup for Best Athlete
She would accompany them to the event, however she pretended as if she was going elsewhere. Adjoa enjoyed wearing the shining uniform and won the cup for the best athlete in the junior category.
Now Parent Were Happy with Her
Nana carried the cup on her back like they carried babies and other valuables. She took it home, showed it to Maami before submitting it with the school headmaster. Nana acted strangely when she took Adjoa in her lap, wept softly and spoke to herself that thin legs could be useful too. Even though they were not fleshy, they could not support solid hips but they could run and so, there were many more possibilities for them.
Conclusion
All these years Adjoa had wanted to say the same thing but she didn’t because of the discouraging response she had gotten for speaking her mind. Now this was better – a practical experience which automatically made Nana realize that the legs of a woman could have several other benefits. Maami as usual chose not to speak anything.
— : End of The Girl Who Can Summary: Treasure Chest for ICSE Class 10 Story: —
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