How Does Jamaica Kincaid Use Of Perspective In A Small Place

Jamaica Kincaid uses perspective in her short story, A Small Place, to help the reader see multiple views on Antigua, to teach the issues of the nation and its history, and to have a unique style of writing for readers to enjoy. These reasons lead to making A Small Place both beneficial, and enjoyable to read. Without the changing angles of perspective, the book would potentially become either a strictly informative book, or wouldn’t be able to teach while also keeping the reader engaged.

Kincaid uses three distinct perspectives in the story. Speaking to you as a traveler, as a colonist from England, and finishes about Antiguans. The story begins with you, as a tourist, touching down in Antigua and beginning your vacation. Everything as the

Although she loves her nation, she is not so ignorant as to not see the problems that have, or still reside in Antigua. A point that came back several times is that the library was never fixed. As a child, Kincaid would always be in the library reading. Reading so much in fact that she would try to hide and check out extra books than she was allowed. The library was unfortunately damaged by an earthquake, and remained damaged for decades. Not to be fixed up by the current Antiguan government. Another problem with Antigua is the corruption of the government. One of the richest members of the island is a drug smuggler. Not even a secret drug smuggler, he lives in a huge house and everyone knows how he managed to make that much money, yet nobody does anything about it. Along with the government is their lack of health care. If someone needed genuine medical help, they would fly to New York to see real doctors. The problem is, most people can’t just casually fly to New York for a trip to a hospital, so this right was only reserved to the rich and powerful. Antigua was also home to a group called the Miller Reef Club. This club was not for Antiguans, though. They would occasionally give back to the community to make themselves feel better, but the members of this club were very exclusive. So much so that the nation remembers the first time an black person was