Second Post: Reflection about “The Roots of Caribbean Identity: Language, Race and Ecology” by Peter Roberts and “A small place” by Jamaica Kincaid.

In this reflection I will connect concepts about two readings, “The Roots of Caribbean Identity: Language, Race and Ecology” by Peter Roberts and “A Small Place” by Jamaica Kincaid, with my own experiences in Puerto Rico. Roberts exposed in his reading how the “identity” of any person can be determined by using different criteria such as: language, culture, political ideas, skin color and race. On the other hand, Kincaid exposes since her own point of view regarding the differences between tourists and Antiguans. Kincaid and Roberts concur on many ideas such as: one of the main ways to identify a human is by their color and race. For example, Kincaid describes how the Antiguans are identified mostly by their black color because they are descendants from African slaves, and Roberts exposes that “the main features that dominate in the way people look are color and race”.

Jamaica Kincaid- Biography (Take a Look)

The reading of Kincaid impressed me when the author mentions: “Will you be comforted to know that the hospital is staffed with doctors that no actual Antiguan trust... “. When I read these words rapidly I remembered the experience of the medical malpractice that my grandmother suffered in a Hospital of Puerto Rico. Another connection is that Puerto Ricans (Taíno Indians in that time) had to live in the same situation of colonization and enslavement with Spain similar to Antiguans and the situation with England. Other similarity that I connect to my own experience with Kincaid’s essay is when she describes Antigua’s roads, because Puerto Rico’s roads are also in need of repair. I remembered when President Barack Obama came to Puerto Rico. On this occasion the government ordered to fix and paved all the roads that he could travel. This is similar to the situation of Antigua when the road was paved for the Queen’s visit in 1985. In both the roads were paved anew maybe, as Kincaid mentioned, to leave the impression to Obama and the Queen respectively that everything is good and riding in a car in Puerto Rico and Antigua was a pleasant experience. This was similar to the Princess of England’s visit, because when she came every building that the Princess visited was repaired. Consequently for both Antigua and Puerto Rico the roads and the buildings looked like brand-new when these important people came to visit.

Finally, I am agreed with both authors when they expose how difference is marked with: accents (language), social classes, races, colors and customs. Most people, when they see a tourist think as Kincaid mentions: “They don’t like me”, because the first thing that come to their mind is that they don’t look like them. Absolutely, in both readings authors expressed the means of the notion of identity in human society and what really can make you different. Such as Kincaid mentions: “…-the things you think about, the things you think really define you-…”, we should look what really define us. Definitively, as Kincaid and Robert suggest we should look toward our own identity and open our mind to accept others cultures, languages, political ideas, races and colors. Because this could maybe define our physical appearance in front of others but we “the humans society” are an only world under the same moon, the same sky and the same sun.  

A Small Place - Book in PDF (Take a Look)