The second section of A Small Place, deals with the memory of the old Antigua that Kincaid had. She mentioned that "The Antigua that I knew, the Antigua in which I grew up, is not the Antigua you, a tourist would see now". What the author refers about these is that the time in which she grew up it was the era of the colonial possession of Great Britain.
According to what Kincaid tell us in the story, the arrival of the British to Antigua was the worst thing that ever happened to Antigua. They arrived and everywhere was turned it into England. Every single street was named in honor to an English man. Therefore, it is understood that the English took possessions of the lands of the people of Antigua like them. Also by the arrival of the Britain, the Antiguan people were ruled by the English. In other words, the Antiguan had their rules, they had to do what these strange people said because if not, that could be understood as if they were against them.
Therefore, Kincaid's primary argument against colonialism is about the destruction of a culture natural development, since the English used them as slaves. The black people in that time were not allowed. An example seen in the story is the one about the Mill Reef Club. The Mill Reef Club was a private one that only white people could be there. The only black ones that were allowed to go were the servants. Also, for that time were people who had work as slaves traders, like the Barclays brothers. Therefore, it can be say that Kincaid did not feel more at home because she was imposed by the rules and a way of life by other people that she didn't even know.
Finally, this history can be compared to the one between Puerto Rico and the Americans. The Puerto Ricans came under the military control of the United States of America after the ratification of the Treaty of Paris of 1898. In the Treaty of Paris, Spain renounced all claim to Cuba, ceded Guam and Puerto Rico. This treaty brought significant changes. The named of the island was Porto Rico not Puerto Rico and the currency was change from the Puerto Rico peso to the United States dollar. Also the government lottery was abolished and the cockfighting was forbidden. Therefore, it can be say that the Puerto Ricans cultures was being lost. The arrival of the Americans also made new political groups. It was at this time that Puerto Rico had its first governor, Jesús T. Piñero, appointed by the Government of the United States.
In conclusion, the Puerto Ricans adopted the culture of the Americans since they took possession of us. Implying, that our culture through that time was lost.
Hi some suggestions on the blog:
ReplyDeleteChange the font color-I can't read it. Use one of the traditional layouts so I can see all of the blog at once. Change the background language to English. Add the course number/section, the university name, and I can't say anything else about that because I can't see the first page without exiting this one.
Please update and tell me that your blog is ready to look at.
I see the last paragraph here and it relates to a comment I posted on Armando's blog:
This same chapter makes me reflect on how people move around the world and the tensions this movement causes. In the US their was a body of land that had few people(the 1st world people were there.)
As more people left Europe and moved to the English Colony, it was probably like an invasion too. From the perspective of the English pilgrims who left England to practice their form of religion in Holland-in a real sense for freedom-this new land was an open place to create their vision of a new world. Down south a bit, another colony was formed that was based more on material gain. Both had challenges and were in conflict with the 1st people.
However, they were also helped by them at certain times. It's complicated. The way people thought was that it was their destiny, desire, and right to take the land. When we think of it, we think the 1st people were a group of like-minded individuals but they also shared some of the same ideas as the English.
The pilgrims replicated the same conditions of intolerance that they experienced by the English as seen in the persecutions of community members for behaviors or suspicions that were not permitted in their understanding of the Bible, and some were burned as witches or dealings with the devil. They couldn't dance in the woods, try to predict the future or have pleasure. When a person was removed from the community, the property was sold cheaply or taken. The material gain was a real temptation to name someone evil. In the South, the work couldn't be done by the available people or the 1st people who were easily infected by the English germs and habits. But they discovered that African people could work and survive, which in part created the conditions for slavery.
In Antigua, the land was probably sparsely populated with moving groups of Caribs and the English brought themselves, and their workers-later enslaved African population. Over time the population was mixed. Kincaid is angry at the British not only because of the island peoples' subjugation to them but also because of the social mess created on the island.
Later, Kincaid introduces the idea that the British colonial education system is also good in that she learned to excel because of it. But even that sentiment is not uncomplicated because she's clear in her anger at the British: How can you appreciate a group of people who don't respect you? She's also angry with Antigua's current population and the other colonizing people. I think that these factors are in play in relation to the influence of the United States and Puerto Rico. I mean on the one hand, there is human nature and its unwieldy tendency for both good and evil. On the other, figuring how to get over the anger and move into empowerment that would include decision making: What can be done now? Kincaid's decision was to move to the US (rather than Britain)and make her way in that world by becoming a writer. Her anger is useful in its creative aspect and it teaches many people about the consequences of oppression.