How we cite our quotes: (Phrase between semi-colons)
Quote #4
when you are growing dasheen, make sure it gets plenty of water or else it makes your throat itch when you are eating it (21)
We get the idea that Mom forgot once and everyone had a very itchy dinner that night. Actually, we’re pretty sure that all the advice that Mom gives Girl is from experience. That’s why even though the text is called “Girl,” we feel like we know more about Mom than Girl at the end of it. It’s sort of like she is telling Girl how to avoid all the mistakes that she made.
Quote #5
don't pick people's flowers—you might catch something (36)
What kind of tradition is this? The tradition that helps a lot of poor people live in crowded communities and not kill each other. Some traditions are meant to govern relationships: they keep your neighbors happy and your lawns un-breached.
Quote #6
don't throw stones at blackbirds, because it might not be a blackbird at all (37)
In many parts of the African diaspora (places where Africans were taken as slaves, like the USA and the West Indies), the ancestors of slaves practice a religion called Obeah. That's probably why Mom warns that the blackbird might not be a blackbird: it might be a bad spirit.