One of Jamaica Kincaid’s central concerns in A Small Place is how historical and cultural contexts can shape our present day lives. Kincaid demonstrates how, for Antiguans, the legacies of colonialism and slavery continue to inform everything from the language that they speak to the ways that they interact with other people to the ways that they earn money to the holidays that they celebrate. It is not merely that Kincaid is full of rage and “cannot get over the past, cannot forgive and cannot forget” (26); rather, Kincaid argues that the past influences, explains, and informs the present.
Kincaid’s text shows the continuities between three phases of Antiguan history: the era of slavery, the colonial era, and the current era of independent, self-governing Antigua and Barbuda. In Section 2 of A Small Place, Kincaid describes her own experiences in the second of these historical phases, colonial-era Antigua. These experiences help to illustrate the links she makes between slavery, colonialism, and self-governing Antigua and Barbuda. Your task in this discussion board post is to choose one of the below experiences she describes in Section 2, explain why it’s important in the context of the text, and explain what it specifically demonstrates about the relationships between Antigua’s past and present.
Choose one of these four passages to address in the discussion board:
One or more of the “firsts” Kincaid describes (e.g. first black bank teller), pages 26 – 7
Kincaid’s childhood “doctor,” pages 28 – 9
Kincaid’s Northern Irish teacher, page 29
The princess’s visit to Antigua, page 33
Your quote from your chosen passage may consist of a significant phrase, a sentence, or a longer portion of the passage. When choosing a quote to begin your post, choose a quote that lends itself to close reading and analysis and that exemplifies what the passage can teach us about the relationship between Antigua’s past and present.
Close reading is very important in this discussion board, so make sure to pay attention to and analyze the language and details Kincaid includes in your chosen passage. History is especially important to this discussion board, so make sure to reference specific contextual material included in the lecture videos—e.g. material about slavery, colonialism, the tourism industry, etc. Without knowing this historical context, you can’t situate your passage adequately.
Note: Please remember that your post must demonstrate familiarity with your chosen passage, Kincaid’s whole text, and relevant content in Week 9 lectures.
Possible Questions to Consider Include:
What does your passage demonstrate about the relationship between colonial Antigua and the attitudes and systems of power established during the period of slavery on the island?
Kincaid grew up as a black colonial subject. What does your passage teach us about the lessons that such individuals learned—about themselves, about the British Empire—while growing up in a place like Antigua? And how do those lessons relate to the other phases of Antiguan history?
How does your passage relate to Kincaid’s depictions of independent, self-governing Antigua and Barbuda? What ways does your passage reflect ideas and attitudes and power dynamics Kincaid identifies in independent, post-1981 Antigua?
Does your passage depict racist attitudes? If so, do they relate to racist attitudes Kincaid depicts as dominant in the other phases of Antiguan history?
What does your passage show about the position of black Antiguans in colonial Antigua? And how does that position relate to the system of slavery that preceded the colonial era and the tourism / banking industries that dominate in independent Antigua?
What specific social roles do the white figures in your passage inhabit, and how are those roles significant in historical contexts?
1) Choose a quote from the one of the four possible passages listed above
2) Discuss and analyze the topic according to the above directions (300 – 400 words)
3) Comment substantively on at least two of your classmates’ posts
Sample Solution
