Analysis

"Tetiyette and The Devil", is a short story on Caribbean funeral tales told by a seventeen year old Guadeloupan girl. You might be wondering what a funeral tale is, well funeral tales are stories that are generally passed down orally from generation to generation. For a story like this to survive and prosper it must be pretty special. While the story itself was very catchy, the tale contained much deeper meaning than a young girl not wanting to marry two farm animals. The author was able to make us endure great emotions and give us a blast from the past on some of our own experiences, making this tale easy to pass along.

We all have heard the saying, I told you so, from a parent. This story really emphasizes the saying and takes it to an extreme. In the book the girl cried out to her mom first and then her dad saying, "Oh, Papa! Oh, Papa! Bel-air drum! The man to whom you've married me, Bel-air Drum! Is eating me up(Tetiyette, pg. 3)! Tetiyette has turned her marrying a devil into her fathers fault, by blaming him for allowing it. She chose to not look deeper into a person, but rather be superficial. She chose to go for a rich man and ignore her mother's advice. This is the reason this story has stuck around and been passed down. Every kid or young adult can relate to this tale. Especially as teenagers, everything their parent says is an inconvenience.

Another reason this story has survived is the authors ability to make us connect with Tetiyette. We empathize with her because we have all been in that position. She also is able to keep us interested in the story by using poetry format to keep us emotionally invested. Her parents reaction to her getting ate by the devil is sad. We know she made the wrong decision, but seeing her parents turn their backs in disgrace was an eye opener. The author is able to show us that even parents have a limit. With their ability to pull such emotion this story is geared towards informing teenagers that their parents do indeed know what they are talking about. She also targets a smaller group being, women whom are dating or getting married. Look past the exterior and get to know the person before it is too late. We are all naïve in our own ways but we all must learn to humble ourselves. Take advice from our elders and use the knowledge to help us succeed.

Sources: Informal
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Green Cane and Juicy Flotsam
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