A Small Place - Jamaica Kincaid

         Jamaica Kincaid seems like a very angry person. Maybe rightly so because of the life she led in Antigua and the change that came to its culture and everyday life. However, she seems to hate everything and everybody. Kincaid seemed to be passing judgment in a very general way that comes off standoffish and very offensive. She generalises and takes the term of “ugly American” to mean “ugly human being” as if giving the whole world what the whole world gave to United States American. Almost excusing their conduct so as to make them think its universal. Ignorance as a tourist isn’t a universal trait. Thus why United States Americans are known for it. Though, it is possible for a Spaniard, Uruguayan, African or whichever culture or ethnic group be an ignorant tourist, the generalization of every tourist in the world that has ever visited Antigua is one I find incorrect. I live on an island much like Antigua, we do have our own working sewage system, and nonetheless, tourists do believe we are a destination island and nothing more. Be that as it may, I do not pass judgment nor do I generalize in such a way. Jealousy is not a justification and not the proper way to handle such an emotion. I find the first chapter of our selected reading extremely petty.

After reading the second chapter in the selected reading material I can understand her anger better. Her anger is fueled by the past she lived and by the outcome it produced in her island. One I can relate to in most every way, for my island is still going through it. Given this bit more of information on her life I still cannot condone her generalization on tourists nor can I see any kind of justification on the ridiculing the locals did on tourists. I can, however, understand her see why she would feel this way. Personally the right way to use this anger would not be to dwell on the past, but fight for the future. Nothing can be done about the past, one has to move on, not forget (never forget), but move on so that future Antiguan generations do not live with such anger or oppression. One should worry about the things that can be changed for the better and how to do it, the past fuels the movement and teaches the present and future generations, it should not debilitate or make it stagnant.

Down on the Island

Book written by the journals Cooper kept during the transition from Spanish driven teaching to bilingual teaching in Puerto Rico. Specifically he recounts what he remembers and has written down while he was a literature professor at the Universidad, Mayagüez campus. He was born and raised in the states and was considered a continental because of it. The two chapters we discussed in class were only the seventh ad the eighth. Nonetheless, you can get a pretty clear view on his stance with Puerto Rican culture and customs.

            Cooper starts off by detailing that he always felt like an outsider and somebody that never belonged. I would excuse that if he didn’t try to really immerse himself in the culture he was surrounded with. He made it seem as if he took part out of obligation and not because of want. Immediately you are also privy to the indifference of Beckwith when it came to education and thought the Puerto Ricans were basically beyond saving and could never be educated. The way he expresses himself about certain customs, such as when inviting someone to their house and the fact they offer more food than can be consumed, it seems he is almost making fun. At first he merely states them but as he continues explaining his experience it takes a joking mood and not in a way that includes the Puerto Rican audience.

            Apart from his encounter with the different culture and customs he was ill prepared for, he also experiences problems with the implementation of the bilingual curriculum. The Department of Education decides to institute the same method as the University of Michigan where the teacher only speaks English during class and the class repeats. The same teaching method still used in The French Alliance and even in UPRRP with other languages. The problem with instituting this method on the island was the fact that the English teachers did not know how to pronounce the words and they were teaching them. So you had the blind leading the blind. Even though there were representatives going to Michigan to get oriented and taking the necessary courses to implement it n the island they were still in complete denial. When Cooper tries to talk to on of the leaders in the program to point out the major flaw with the method she acted as though there wasn’t a problem. Completely ignored the worries and critics of the professors and went on with the practice of the Michigan method.

            The funniest instance was when he encountered cheating in tests. As was stated he was born and raised in the states and there they would bring up and teach their students to be very competitive with grades. Therefore when they were evaluated looking over to the neighbors test would be considered cheating. In Puerto Rico, looking over and letting your friend look at your exam is considered the right thing to do and not cheating. In fact it was considered to be helping his friend and taught since high school that it’s the right thing to do. To the Puerto Rican teachers the important part was that the student learned and if that meant looking at the friends or neighbors paper then by all means. One thing that shocked me and will be questioning my older family members about is the fact the students and family would basically bribe or try to bribe the professor for a good grade. It was very shocking, to say the least, to even think of people doing so no matter the time so explicitly and with no shame.

            In the end I concur that it must not have been a very easy adaptation by Jim Cooper, nonetheless he could have tried more to be a part of the culture as opposed to forcing his own just because we became a colony. We are, by all means, apart from the United States so, when travelling, they should learn more than just "it’s an American colony and we’re technically bilingual". Something that United States Americans still don't practice wherever they travel. Jim Cooper could be given the title of an “ugly American” but merit where merit is do he did try and help the implementation of the new language when he really did not have to.

A Room With A View

     

     The movie starts off with Ms. Honeychurch and her cousin Charlotte Batrtlett at Italy for vacation or as they called it a pensione with two vicars, a father and son, two spinsters, and a novelist. When they arrive they are disappointed to notice their room has no view. As they get to the table with all the aforementioned characters they are talking about this problem and because they are late cannot really engage in the conversation at first. The person that is commanding the conversation is Eleanor Lavish. The novelist, Eleanor Lavish, was the representation of the traveler, the person that immerses themselves in the place they're visiting culture and customs. Unfortunately, I believe she immersed herself a little too dangerously and fictitiously. Only in movies do you get lost in the Italian slums and not even get approached by somebody. In addition to being the traveller she could also be the representation of nouveau riche, or new money. She is the only one constantly talking as if trying to prove that she indeed belonged with all that were present. The cousin experiences Italy with Eleanor the novelist and in her she believes to have found a friend for the trip. She is definitely an educated and aristocratic lady though she isn’t rich but not a laborer either. Lucy (or Ms. Honeychurch) decides to experience Florence as a tourist and, against Mr. Beebe’s recommendation, alone. She is the epitome of class and aristocracy, but most importantly she is definitely an intellectual. She keeps an open mind about the Emerson’s and their somewhat eccentric ways. The spinsters could be interpreted as intellectuals, something that I don’t think many would agree, though the reason I believe so is because people that choose to travel the world to learn and experience different cultures and history. Even though they are elderly and haven’t got a lot to do because of their spinster status, they don’t give in to petty gossip and travel.

      Mr. Beebe’s is obviously the representation of a clergy in the film and the best one too. The other clergy that was in Florence was a lot stricter to the point of fanaticism and arrogance. On the contrary, Mr. Beebe is a happy reverend that listens to what the people had to say and not only the sound of his own voice. He was immersed on the well being of the town and even people that weren’t part of his parish like the Alan sisters. Finally, the best characters, in my opinion, the personification of romanticism of the time, Mr. Emerson and George Emerson. Mr. Emerson is sincere in his actions and doesn’t concede to fussy etiquette that impedes happiness. He says what he thinks and always with the best interest of the person he was addressing. The first time he talks, he advices a fellow traveller to not drink lemonade for it is acidic and would damage her stomach lining and the second time he offers his and his son’s room to Lucy Honeychurch and her chaperone Charlotte Bartlett. George is infatuated from the very beginning with Ms. Honeychurch and she was equally smitten. He saves her when she faints because of the fight and blood that two Italians have in the plaza. Mr. Emerson and George, are intellectuals, professional and by all means foreigners. They, although educated and from England, are not like the other travellers with them, they are completely different and impulsive. Something rather frowned upon by old English etiquette rules.

      As the movie progresses they leave Florence to go back home where we meet Lucy Honeychurch’s mother and brother. They are although educated and well off, very humble family where we see where Lucy inherited her kindness and love for knowledge, but most importantly for fun. Unfortunately, after everything that happened between Lucy and George (they kissed), she gets engaged with a pedantic aristocrat named, Cecil Vyse. Thank Zeus, (just into greek mythology) she does not marry Cecil, but, because George admitted his love for her, she breaks the engagement as she also realizes she is in love with him. They go back to Florence, this time as husband and wife and have neither worry nor problems, for their room has a view.

Tourist for a day

So the idea is to be a tourist in your own country or in this case island for a day. I chose to go with one of my best friends that actually physically looks like a United States American so as to make my "cover", as I'm deciding to call it, a little bit more believable. I felt like a spy or an undercover agent so I titled it with my best friend "The Tourist" and it was our mission to experience life as an American in a Caribbean island. Was the objective met? Read on and see!

We went to El Viejo San Juan and started off taking pictures of El Paseo de las Princesa(Princess Passage) acting like tourists even asking people to take our pictures. They seemed to believe we were a couple and we’re treated like we were in our honeymoon or something. We decided to play it out and act like it if they seemed to believe that. We went down the path past the wooden bridge until we encountered a security guard. We asked him where exactly the path went, his response came in a broken English “El Morro. Nice tourist place.” So we went up the path until we got to La Garita, not “El Morro”. There we decided to sit with the view and talk for a while, specifically since he has a condition and the walking tired him out a little.

After he rested for a while we continued with our mission and the road took us to where I used to take art clases so acting like a tourist there was a moot point. My cover was blown. Luckily it was only until we got to El Morro. We bought kites, I got a princess one and he got a Spongebob kite. He actually had to show me how to fly a kite for I have lived my whole life in this island but have never flown a kite at El Morro. Kids were actually laughing at us because of our failure at flying a kite but we had fun.

Unfortunately we picked a rather rainy day to go to Old San Juan as undercover tourists. The place wasn’t so filled and we could barely hit the touristiest of places because of the rain. We still encountered some locals that were very helpful and even went as far as to apologize for the weather! The experience with the locals was good. We only encountered a man that was very mad over the fact we only spoke English. We approached him to ask for directions, he responded rather angrily “Just go down to the boats!” I actually don’t know if he was telling us the directions to “Bahia Urbana” and/or telling us to get off the island all together.

When I asked my friend about this he told me he was used to this type of treatment. As I said he looks American but is actually Puerto Rican, Mexican and German, so he gets mistaken for a tourist a lot. We got to the Bahia Urbana with a couple of drinks and just experienced the view. We hadn’t gone there after it was finished so we weren’t undercover; in the sense that we really were experiencing this part of the island for the first time. It was a beautiful and breathtaking view of the ocean and the vast expanse that it is. We decided to eat at a very touristy place called “Señor Frogs”. We partook on all the activities and then our cover was blown again when a waiter recognized me from my camp years. All in all going to Old San Juan wasn’t the wisest of places to go under cover.