Reflection to "A Small Place"

Jamaica Kincaid, as a person who was born on a tropical island such as Antigua, uses well her ability of writing naturally and fluently to express her ideas over the island she grew at. For this, she takes the position of a tourist who visits the island to vacation, in order to describe Antigua from an outside and inside perspective. Kincaid primarily, argues the consequences British rule brought to the island. Thereof she blames colonialism for the actual and impoverished status of the island. As she expresses, Antiguans learned corruption, bad governing, and uncultured habits form English people. In her opinion, “living as monkeys” was much better than living under British rule. Antiguans were good people with good habits, so much, that they seemed more cultured than the English living among them. Kincaid also expresses that Antiguans have a special reverence for English culture, which is somehow of an irony since they were the ones who colonized them to the point that there was racism, slave trade and oppressive rule.

As a reader, I enjoyed the contents of this book, because in a way I can relate to Kincaid and her experiences. Puerto Rico is also a small island but is not independent; it is still a territory of a strong nation like the United States. Living here, I’ve noticed the people’s mentality of an oppressed country, exactly our current status. Therefore, there are variations in Puerto Rico’s identity, and society ideologies are in constant change. Some are trying to protect our island’s culture and traditions so they continue defining who we are. While others, are not. This has been occurring for many years now, and I believe we need to unite as a country and work with what we have, the many resources including our people and our island’s beauty, before we lose them too! As for me, I keep enjoying Puerto Rico’s amazing culture, even as a tourist, every now and then.