"In Sri Lanka they torture people physically, but here they do it mentally." I found it really really ironic and sad that as these refugees are trying to seek asylum to live a better life than they the ones they were living in their countries just to be held in these detentions that mistreat them and barely give them any rights. It is clear that the detention doesn't care about them at all as the corporation Serco itself states "People are our business." Their main goal is to make money, that means the well being of the refugees meant nothing. The longer the Refugees stayed in the detentions the more money they made. When their priority is supposed to be there for the refugees and help them start a new life as soon as possible.

Even though the aboriginals relied on the oral traditions of passing down their culture and history to the upcoming generations, with the progression of time the information being passed down would change. It would be very difficult for info being passed orally from one person to another to be the same many years later.This is because as each generation passes down the information, a few details are changed, missing, or added. In which many years later the culture or 'song' that is being passed down isn't the same. As time passed, "this man now have these song that are different." However, written history lasts and stays exactly the same, word for word. People can revisit written history and review it anytime they forget something or aren't sure and it's right there.

also the title

Something doesn't add up or the author hasn't mentioned it purposely. The father doesn't seem to be normal. The daughter mentions that her father isn't senile and that he is normal. However, when she calls her mother to tell her of the disappearance of her father, her mother asks her "How you lost him?" As in the daughter had to be watching her father. There must be something abnormal about the father, especially after he throws the sculpture in the lake and the daughter doesn't even question him. I wonder why the author is keeping this a mystery.

A Small Place is not a typical novel; it contains no plot, no cast of characters, and very few fleshed-out scenes. Instead, the book engages the reader directly in an attempt to foster some sort of understanding—the reader is the one going on the journey, not the characters. So the book closes with a brief chapter extolling the beauty of Antigua. It's this beauty that makes the island so desired by so many powerful people, and that draws tourists back time and again. And it's this beauty that fosters a "strange, unusual perception of time" amongst the Antiguan people. Antiguans know that "the unreal way in which it is beautiful now is the unreal way in which it was always beautiful". Although some things have changed, the island itself haven't changed much of the past hundred years.

This part expressed how Julius is so selfish. Professor Saito was someone that was always there for Julius and he couldn't even be there for him in his last days or weeks alive. He didn't even want to say his goodbyes or anything just because he wanted to avoid the drama of death and not be heart. It's also so ironic how he then mentions that the professor meant so much to him, but knew no one outside of their relationship. I understand how Julius couldn't stand seeing Professor Saito dying but why didn't he consider professor Saitos's feelings?

I remember doing the same exact thing in the Metropolitan Museum. I was my first year in college and the admission was either reduced or free for high school students. So I showed my high school ID and was able to get away with it even though I felt guilty afterwards. Just as Julius did, I'd always find away to justify my action by saying 'I still consider myself a high school student or that I didn't have money to pay for it.'

Even though Farouq and Khalil are both Muslims, they're drinking beer. In, drinking alcohol is prohibited. This contradicts Farouq's stance about no matter where people are they can have their own different values. However, he did mention earlier that he wasn't practicing at the moment and said that he was going to start eventually. He even called himself a 'bad Muslim'.

The theme of isolation and loneliness is brought up again as it was the main focus in the beginning of the novel. Even though Julius was on vacation, he was not feeling content remembering he is entirely alone. Usually people go to vacation to get a few from their everyday life and have a nice time and it's usually with other people too. Julius spent most of his days in vacation indoors reading, didn't know what to do it. This made him realize even more how lonely his life was.

Even though people usually think of complete silence as peace, for those who live in ' the city that never sleeps' or even having a large family like me being alone with complete silence sometimes gives you the feeling of loneliness. No matter how much you want to have some piece by being alone, you won't be able to avoid the feeling of loneliness. This is because we've gotten used to the noise always being there that when it's gone for some time, we feel as if something is missing.

This line is so ironic as Kerry and Gloria switch roles. Gloria starts advising Kerry as if she was the psychiatrist and Kerry is the patient. She is trying to get him to admit and accept her 'story' or side of the truth. However, this advice will turn against her when Kerry tells her his side of the truth. That they are step-siblings because of the acts of her father, taking advantage of his mother. She chooses not to accept that is true and that it is part of her past.

Maru has always kept to himself. "He liked his own dreams and visions." because he was able to do as he pleased without any judgements or disapprovals from anyone else, just as he liked. Especially since people look up to him, it was as he was being watched by everyone and had to think of every move that he'd think of doing.

Why won't Maru accept chieftaincy now since he is so desperate for power? What seems to be holding Maru back, especially because his people want him to lead? (informal)

It amazes me how Margaret views life as beautiful and lives it peacefully with all that she deals with. She is a very strong and interesting character. She doesn't allow people's words or anything surrounding her bring her down. She always finds ways to bring out the positive side out of something negative.

Margaret knows what love is and was longing for it. However, she didn't expect anything to come her way since she has been feeling that she's unwanted her whole life.

Maru seems to have a high position and status in his society. Yet, it seems that he is stubborn and acts the way he wants without allowing peoples' perceptions to stop him. 'He was born leader of men' with many destinies and wants to fulfill them all. What would his destinies be and will he fulfill them all? It seems that Maru has done something that isn't accepted in their society since 'he acted out his own, strange inner perceptions, independent of the praise or blame of men.'

I believe that this is one of the most important lines of the poem. 'Open' this spell, this reminded me of the previous passage we read (Sorry and The Return), when the doctor told the father 'open the window.' The doctor told the father that in order for him to be able to take in the tragic news. As in this poem, the word open is also seen throughout. What the author means by 'open this spell' is to allow burden and trauma of the past (war) out, so that it doesn't affect the future. Bhanu Kapil intends to do this through writing. She uses writing to describe, imagine, and overcome the traumas of the past.

Once I read this I knew there was devastating news coming from the doctor to Sirajuddin about his daughter. The doctor commands Sirajuddin to "Open the window." so that he can calm down and be able to taken in the new without going out of control. However, I was confused because previously it was mentioned that the daughter was found alive. So, I asked myself "what could the news be?" The daughter was abused and raped by the armed men who were supposed to rescue her and bring her in safely. Even though the doctor was really scared and nervous, the father was really happy to see his daughter alive. It isn't that he doesn't care about what has happened to her, but he's just glad she's alive. This comes to show that during times of war, a person loses focus on everything when it comes to the lives of their loved ones. Because of the father's joy of seeing his daughter alive, he was paying attention to the fact that she was raped.