The Girl Who Can - Ama Ata Aidoo - ICSE - Std X

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SECTION 1 — Story Information

Story Title: The Girl Who Can
Author: Ama Ata Aidoo
Anthology: Treasure Chest: A Collection of ICSE Short Stories and Poems (Evergreen Publications)
Textbook: ICSE Class 10 English Literature (CISCE)
Exam Component: Paper 2 — Literature in English, Prose section (16 marks)
Setting: Hasodzi, a rural village in the Central Region of Ghana
Copyright Status: Treat as copyrighted. Ama Ata Aidoo died in 2023. Quotations in these notes are strictly restricted to brief words or phrases.

SECTION 2 — About the Author

Ama Ata Aidoo (1942–2023) was an eminent Ghanaian author, poet, playwright, and educator who championed women’s empowerment and education across Africa. Educated at the University of Ghana, she achieved international acclaim with pioneering works such as The Dilemma of a Ghost, Anowa, and Changes: A Love Story, which won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. Aidoo also served as Ghana's Minister of Education, actively promoting literacy and gender equality. Her literary oeuvre frequently critiques inherited patriarchal traditions, exploring how education and individual agency enable women to transcend social limitations. "The Girl Who Can" captures these concerns through a young girl's observant, humorous narrative voice.

SECTION 3 — Narrative Beat Map

Narrative Beat	What Happens
1. Adjoa Introduces Herself	Seven-year-old Adjoa outlines her household setup with her mother, Maami, and her grandmother, Nana.
2. Difficulty Expressing Ideas	Adjoa reflects on her internal world and her frustration when adults dismiss or laugh at her thoughts.
3. Debate Over Adjoa's Legs	Nana repeatedly criticizes Adjoa's thin legs, arguing that a woman needs solid limbs and wide hips for childbearing.
4. Maami's Hesitant Resistance	Maami cautiously defends her daughter, but ultimately retreats under Nana’s dominant family authority.
5. The Daily Journey to School	Adjoa walks long distances to attend school, demonstrating physical stamina and eagerness to learn.
6. Discovery of Athletic Talent	School track activities reveal that Adjoa's long, thin legs allow her to run with remarkable speed.
7. Selection for District Sports	Adjoa is chosen to represent her school at the district athletics competition, surprising her family.
8. Nana's Surprising Support	Intrigued, Nana meticulously irons Adjoa's uniform and proudly accompanies her to the sporting event.
9. Victory and The Trophy	Adjoa wins her races, earning the cup for best all-round junior athlete and proving her physical capability.
10. Nana Carries the Cup	Nana reverently carries the trophy home like a newborn child, signaling a transformation in her worldview.

SECTION 4 — Summary

Seven-year-old Adjoa lives in the village of Hasodzi in Ghana with her mother, Maami, and her maternal grandmother, Nana. Adjoa is a thoughtful, highly observant child who often keeps her opinions to herself because adults either ignore her or treat her comments as funny. The primary conflict within the household revolves around Adjoa's physical appearance. Nana constantly laments that Adjoa's legs are far too long and thin, believing that a woman's legs must be thick and solid to support wide hips capable of bearing children. While Maami occasionally attempts to defend her daughter, she usually surrenders to Nana's entrenched traditional authority.

Despite her family's doubts, Adjoa walks miles every day to attend school. There, her life takes a decisive turn during physical education activities. Her teachers notice that the very legs labeled defective at home enable her to run effortlessly. Adjoa excels in running races and is selected to represent her school at the district athletic games.

Upon hearing the news, Nana's attitude begins to shift. She meticulously washes and irons Adjoa's school uniform and attends the sports meet. Adjoa dominates her events and wins the trophy for the best all-round junior athlete. Overjoyed and humbled, Nana carries the brass trophy back to the village with the utmost reverence, treating it like a precious child. Through Adjoa's athletic success, Nana comes to realize that a girl's legs—and her broader worth—serve valuable purposes far beyond traditional motherhood.

SECTION 5 — Vocabulary in Context

Word/Phrase	Meaning IN THIS CONTEXT	Where It Appears
Problem	The challenge Adjoa faces in communicating her complex thoughts to adults.	Difficulty Expressing Ideas
Solid	Sturdy, thick, and physically substantial—Nana's ideal body type for women.	Debate Over Adjoa's Legs
Meant	Intended or biologically designed for a specific domestic purpose.	Debate Over Adjoa's Legs
Silence	The forced retreat of Maami when unable to challenge Nana's authority.	Maami's Hesitant Resistance
District	An administrative region hosting the inter-school athletic competition.	Selection for District Sports
All-round	Excelling across multiple athletic running events.	Victory and The Trophy
Gleaming	Brightly shining and reflecting light, attracting public admiration.	Nana Carries the Cup
Precious	Possessing immense emotional value and deserving gentle care.	Nana Carries the Cup

SECTION 6 — Character Sketches

Adjoa

Adjoa is a sharp, intuitive, and quiet seven-year-old girl whose perceptive narration drives the story. Though acutely aware that adults limit children's expression, she maintains an active internal life. Adjoa does not openly rebel against her grandmother's hurtful critiques of her thin legs; instead, she channels her energy into her schoolwork and sports. Her perseverance on the running track yields tangible success that dismantles societal prejudices. Adjoa embodies the untapped potential of young girls when given access to formal education and athletic opportunities.

Nana

Nana is the formidable, traditional matriarch of the family whose word carries unquestioned authority. Deeply rooted in rural Ghanaian customs, she evaluates female worth exclusively through physical readiness for marriage and childbearing. Her repeated criticisms of Adjoa's limbs stem from cultural conditioning rather than malice. Crucially, Nana is open to learning from real-world evidence: when she sees Adjoa win on the track, her prejudice turns into immense pride. Her ritualistic carrying of the athletic trophy demonstrates her capacity for growth and adaptation.

Maami

Maami is Adjoa's protective but submissive mother. Representing a transitional generation between traditional rural customs and modern enlightenment, she desires a broader future for her daughter and insists on sending Adjoa to school. However, her habit of deferring to Nana leaves her hesitant to challenge her mother's harsh remarks directly. Adjoa’s ultimate triumph validates Maami’s quiet faith in her daughter's potential.

SECTION 7 — Central Theme

7A. Theme

The central theme of "The Girl Who Can" is the liberation of women from restrictive societal stereotypes through education and opportunity. The story demonstrates that a girl’s worth cannot be reduced to traditional reproductive expectations, proving that talent and capability can redefine a woman's place in society.

7B. Ideas / Social Concerns

A major secondary concern is intergenerational conflict and communication within families. The narrative highlights how traditional adult authorities often dismiss children’s voices and enforce outdated physical standards, while emphasizing that experiential proof can help older generations overcome deeply held biases.

SECTION 8 — Key Literary Devices

Device	Example	Effect	Where It Appears
First-Person Child Narration	Adjoa narrates the story from her innocent seven-year-old perspective.	Infuses the narrative with subtle humor, innocence, and sharp social commentary.	Throughout the entire story.
Situational Irony	Adjoa's thin legs, criticized as useless for childbearing, prove to be her greatest asset in running.	Subverts traditional expectations and reinforces the central theme of capability.	Discovery of Athletic Talent.
Symbolism (The Legs)	Adjoa's legs transition from symbols of physical defect to symbols of speed, agency, and triumph.	Represents the shift from societal limitation to personal empowerment.	Entire narrative arc.
Symbolism (The Trophy)	Nana carries the shiny athletic cup as carefully as a newborn baby.	Symbolizes the replacement of traditional reproductive worth with celebratory public achievement.	Nana Carries the Cup.
Title Significance	The phrase "The Girl Who Can" affirms ability and agency.	Replaces physical limitation with an empowering declaration of accomplishment.	Story Title.

SECTION 9 — Extract Practice

Note: In compliance with copyright restrictions, exact textbook passages are referenced rather than quoted in full. Please refer to your prescribed copy of Treasure Chest.

Passage Reference: The family discussion about Adjoa's physical features, beginning with "Nana would always laugh..."

(i) What specific physical feature of Adjoa does Nana criticize, and why? [3] Answer: Nana repeatedly criticizes Adjoa's thin, long legs. She believes that a girl needs thick, sturdy legs to support broad hips suitable for carrying children, reducing Adjoa's physical worth to her future reproductive capacity.

(ii) How does Maami react to Nana's persistent complaints about her daughter? [3] Answer: Maami attempts to defend Adjoa by questioning why Nana continuously dwells on the child's limbs. However, due to Nana's dominant position as the family elder, Maami's resistance is timid and usually subsides into quiet submission.

(iii) What does this passage reveal about societal standards for women in Hasodzi? [3]

Answer: The discussion reveals a traditional rural standard where a female's body is valued primarily for its maternal and agricultural utility. Individual identity, intellect, and alternative talents are completely overlooked in favor of physical readiness for marriage and motherhood.

(iv) How does Adjoa's childlike narrative voice shape the tone of this interaction? [3] Answer: Adjoa's innocent perspective adds a touch of lighthearted humor to a serious subject. Her candid observations expose the absurdity of adult obsession with her limbs, allowing the reader to recognize the unfairness of body-shaming through a child's eyes.

(v) Is Nana's attitude toward Adjoa purely malicious? Justify your answer. [4] Answer: Nana's attitude is not driven by malice, but rather by deep-seated cultural conditioning. In her traditional worldview, a woman's security and social standing depend entirely on her ability to marry and bear children. Nana genuinely believes that Adjoa's thin legs represent a handicap that will hurt her future prospects. Her eventual pride in Adjoa's athletic triumph proves that her early harshness came from misguided concern rather than a desire to harm her granddaughter.

SECTION 10 — Short Answer Questions

Q1. Explain the central theme of the story in your own words.

Answer: "The Girl Who Can" focuses on subverting traditional gender roles and body stereotypes through education and opportunity. Ama Ata Aidoo illustrates that a young girl's value should never be restricted to traditional expectations like motherhood. When Adjoa uses her thin legs to win athletic glory, she proves that physical features labeled as flaws can become instruments of success when given the chance to shine.

Q2. Discuss the symbolic significance of Nana carrying the athletic trophy at the end of the story.

Answer: Nana carrying the gleaming brass cup with the extreme care usually reserved for a baby is deeply symbolic. It represents a profound shift in her mindset, as she comes to cherish her granddaughter's athletic achievement just as much as traditional maternal success. The trophy replaces old assumptions about female physical limitations with a celebration of public accomplishment and individual talent.