“The Cheater's Guide to Love,” written by Junot Diaz in 2012, tells the story of a cheater who struggles to forget the girlfriend he cheated with, while “Girl,” written in 1978 by Jamaica Kincaid, simply mentions what a girl is expected to do and behave like; both texts were published by the New Yorker. Within the two texts, the narrator addresses the reader himself, making him the main character, and includes the thoughts he should have, creating a strong emotional connection for the reader. While the stories may not be relatable to the reader, the casual tone aimed at the reader allows them to understand the character's thoughts and feelings. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay A plot in which a man cheats on his girlfriend with over fifty women and takes more than five years to get over her, only to find himself writing a book based on what his ex-girlfriend did to him regarding the his cheating habits are recognizable, making him less interesting to the reader; however, because it is written in such a way that the narrator addresses the reader directly, the reader automatically feels more connected to the character and becomes involved in the story. The overall tone is very casual, making it seem like the narrator is simply telling the story to the reader, as seen in “Your girlfriend catches you cheating. (Well, actually she is your girlfriend, but hey, it won't matter in a while.)” (“The Traitor's Guide to Life”) where it is clearly addressed to the reader. This tone and way of writing allows the reader to fully understand the message of the story and see the effects one action can have on years and years of one's life. While both texts use a similar approach of using the narrator to speak directly to the reader, the tone and writing are different; “The Cheater's Guide to Life” is much more of a narrative, including a plot and the character's feelings, while “Girl” is simply a series of things a girl should know how to do, interrupted by italics where the girl, who is supposed be a reader, think or respond. This difference in tone highlights the fact that "The Cheater's Guide to Life" feels like a memoir and conveys the message of what actions can have in the long run and that "Girl" represents what women were seen as "good" for in that moment. and how they were treated. Written in the late 1970s, “Girl” is a perfect example of how women were expected to behave. Because the story is not a story, it is instead a series of sentences giving orders about what a woman should do, it shows the condescension that women had to deal with on a daily basis. For example, “On Monday you wash white clothes... you cook pumpkin pancakes in very hot sweet oil;... this is how you sew on a button;... this is how you iron it” (“Girl”) are just a few lines of the text and they show that it is only orders and advice, but the text is all there. “Girl” takes advantage of the lack of narrative and uses direct commands and suggestions to the reader to make him feel how a woman would have felt at that moment. It allows the reader to understand how women were spoken to. The few times the reader says something, reported in italics, like "but what if the baker doesn't let me taste the bread?" (Girl), also shows that women were not allowed to respond and that if they had spoken, they would probably have been silenced. The first time the character, who is the reader, speaks, he is ignored. The second time, mentioned previously, we respond with “you mean that ultimately you will be exactly that..