BP3 " Little Cog-Burt " and "Cotton Candy " Comparison

In “Cotton Candy” by Dora Alonso, there was a young woman named Lola who sexual desires are not allowed by her mother that won’t let her grow up  and be out on her own  as a result of her over protectiveness. Lola would name butterflies after men’s she would like to be in a relationship with but couldn't have due to the personality of her mother. Lola grows older with her sexual desire and finds happiness as she watch animals mate at the zoo that reminded her of the times when she herself was young. Once she became an old lady she herself young again in the mirror with an older black man.

In “Little Cog-Burt”, there was a little boy who cries all the time. This boy is known as Cog-Burt. He is a small individual and is often seen as spoiled . He  got a gift but did not accept it Cog-Burt wants a fairy on the top of the Christmas tree. The woman host a Christmas party and think the fairy is so pretty that she couldn’t give Cog-Burt the ornament. She eventually gives in and notice the little boy will never grow any larger.

In “Cotton Candy” the story was unclear at the end weather Lola get happiness from a man or not, but in the “Little Cog-Burt” the little boy want an item and he eventually get it. Both of these stories begin with another person not giving them what they want. Lola mother won’t allow her grow and the hostess won’t give Cog-Burt the fairy. Later on in the story the little Cog-Burt does receives the item he ask for. At the end of “Cotton Candy” saw her desire as a young woman again with black man but we not sure that they have any sexual relation.

Lola and Cog-Burt are both shown as unattractive and unable to communicate their desires and wants. The authors Phyllis Shand Alfrey and Dora Alonso use the element of being unattractive to show the reader that appearance matters. The mothers in both story play a big part. One mother was helpful and the other was to strict.

BP2 tetiyette and the devil

“Tetiyette and the Devil” is the story about a teenage girl who is honestly never satisfied. She is 17 years old and is in her country that is old enough to get married. There are several men who come the see her that she references as a “goat (Pg.1)" and a “pig (1)" she denies doing anything with these referenced men because of appearance matters. However, a devil comes a long and is dressed in gold and catches her attention. This conveys a message that she is more worried about appearance rather than what innately makes up a person . 

In the story, the mother tries to warn her daughter of the potential evil of her husband. The daughter then lies to her mother by telling her that everything is fine when in actual reality it was not . When the daughter lies to the mother it makes it clear that appearance and wealth  is more important to the 17 yr old  rather than her honesty towards family. 

Later in the story, the daughter cries out for help to her mother as her husband starts consuming her. “Oh, Mama! Oh, Mama! Bel-air-drum! The man to whom you married me, Bel-air-drum! Is a terrible devil! Bel-air-drum (3)!" He’s eating me up! Bel-air-drum! The mother is showing her daughter tough love by not helping her. Her mother proclaims, “As far as I’m concerned, I had also warned her to beware (4)." 

During the story there is repetition of the phrase “Bel-air-drum (3),” and this can be used to make the reader or audience remember the story. The intended audience of this story would most likely be for young Guadeloupean girls or teenagers approaching the age of marriage. It’s a folk story to warn the young women of Guadeloupe of a potential love based on appearance, because everyone is not who they appear to be. Also, it informs these women that if they get themselves into trouble the closest people to you may not help, as they have warned you. It also shows, that you must be responsible for your own actions. 

At the end of the story the girl is almost fully consumed, until her brother comes upstairs and cuts the devil open, then his sister emerges whole. Even though the sister lied to their mother, the brother is a forgiving person by helping her. The audience is in a conflicted state because the unforgiving mother is just in her own right, but the brother is the savior of the sister. So, who do you side with?