Reckoning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Reckoning - Essay Example She compares England to â€Å"Jerusalem† (720), which is a holy place in her heart. According to Kincaid, England was a unique jewel that only special people got to wear (720). England the jewel is so beautiful, gentle, and delicate in her opinion that she cannot help but express her adoration. She even extends the admiration to the people of England. She says, â€Å"The people who got to wear England were English people† (720). The statement clearly shows how unique the English people were to be able to wear that special jewel, England. Kincaid forms her idea of England in many ways. First, she learned about England from school. She describes how her teacher first showed them England from a map. â€Å"When my teacher had pinned this map up on the blackboard, she said, ‘This is England’- and she said it with authority, seriousness, and adoration, and we all sat up† (720). The teacher’s tone was enough indication that the topic about England was important, and they needed to take it in seriously thus it drew Kincaid’s attention to the study and knowledge of England. Secondly, Kincaid experiences England in her daily life. An example is the can of cocoa that has a label of â€Å"Made in England† on it. Others like the box of oats, her cloth, socks, and shoes all have this particular tag. Her curiosity and knowledge of England improves with these daily experiences. Kincaid also learned much about England from demonstrations by her parents. She writes about how her father must have seen and admired the picture of an Englishman wearing a particular hat in England (721). She talks greatly of how her mother taught her to eat her food the English way (721). Although Kincaid has such fascinations about England, she is far away on an island and can only live with what she has heard or seen from few English people she met. She merely lives under the shadow of