Knowledge and power are considered two of the most important assets of a society. In the context of Jamaica Kincaid's A Small Place, knowledge could be defined as a set of skills or expertise obtained through experience, education, and power as control over one's circumstances. While knowledge and power are individually definable, they do not exist in isolation. Knowledge and power are mutually constitutive. In his aggressive and explanatory essay, Kincaid successfully demonstrates, through the use of several examples, that knowledge, which is a necessary precursor to power, is sorely lacking in Antigua, which in turn limits the power that Antiguans hold about your company. Kincaid begins by pointing out to “you”, the tourist, what is missing in Antigua to first clarify the reality that knowledge does not exist, is not valued nor is it accessible in Antigua. He illustrates “your” arrival, when he notes: “You are a tourist and you have not yet seen a school in Antigua, you have not yet seen the hospital in Antigua, you have not yet seen a public monument in Antigua”. But he abruptly interrupts this thought and continues with sarcastic and marked nonchalance, "what a beautiful island Antigua is, more beautiful than any other island you have ever seen." (3) Here, Kincaid demonstrates that knowledge is severely lacking or nonexistent in the land of Antigua by providing examples of physical manifestations of a well-educated society that are not present. Knowledge is gained by learning information, data and facts made available to children through education in schools. Knowledgeable people: educated children who grow up to become educated adults who have completed several ambitious years of extra… middle of paper… first demonstrates the absence of knowledge by pointing out the absence of schools, hospitals and monuments; the ignorance of Antiguans about the importance of using unleaded petrol; and the inaccessibility of education when the most reputable school is Hotel Training. Consequently, as Kincaid illustrates by pointing out that Antiguans are not in control of their own situation – not even the stamps they put into circulation – the absence of education and knowledge hinders the realization of power. The relationship between knowledge and power is further solidified when Kincaid reveals that the lack of one's own language hinders communication and that no control over access to education further inhibits the acquisition of power. The examples Kincaid presents in A Small Place provide concrete evidence that knowledge and access to it are necessary antecedents to the attainment of power..