“They do not like you. They do not like me! That thought never actually occurs to you . Still, you feel a little uneasy. Still~ you feel a little foolish. Still~ you feel a little out of place.”

Something that struck me was Kincaid’s switching between different pronouns to identify the roles of the reader, the author, and the people of Antigua. The “you” pronoun places us in a position we are meant to feel comfortable and familiar with (a tourist in Antigua). It presupposes that Kincaid is writing to an audience that is privileged and likely unwilling to look beyond the surface of Antiguan life and history, especially in their complacency to poverty. The “I” pronoun underhandedly criticizes the “you” for this ignorance and establishes itself as an authority on living in Antigua. The “I” speaks to the “you” in a didactic way, as if the “I” has grabbed the “you” by the shoulder, sat them down, and told them to listen. Finally, the “they” pronoun for the Antiguan people almost creates an othering effect in relation to the familiar and informal “you,” showing how far apart their worlds can be. In the text, the “you” feels indignation at the thought that “they” could dare to dislike or feel superior to “you.” The “you” wonders– how could that be when the “you” is so nonchalant and easy to have power, while the “they” is unknown and detached. I felt that these pronouns were great at forcing you into a position you may not feel comfortable to realize you are in, which is all the more powerful of an effect.