Different Perspectives of the CaribbeanThe Caribbean has been an unexplained region throughout time as there are many different representations of what is really happening. The diverse cultures of the Caribbean provoke many different points of view. A perfect example is how Cliff, Mintz, and Benitez-Rojo describe their version of the Caribbean. They discuss affairs in the Caribbean from the days of the slave trade to current issues. By analyzing their anecdotes and books, one can find not only similarities between them, but also discrepancies. All three authors express their thoughts vividly, releasing their ideas about the Caribbean. Among the most important themes of these ideas were that of planting, identity, and social hierarchy. The role of the plantation was an important question raised by all the authors. The plantation has played an imperative role in Caribbean society, from colonialism to contemporary society. Mintz and Benitez-Rojo gave a number of positive aspects of how plantations helped the economy, while Cliff looked down on the entire plantation system. All authors raise valid questions in their analysis of the plantations. According to Mintz, the emergence of the plantation occurred at a time of decline in the number of miners. This decline brought a new economy and an alternative plan for their mining career. Additionally, it was a new source of production for products like sugar, rum, coffee and tobacco. Producing goods meant more money for the Caribbean economy as well as new materials to give to the colonial powers. Mintz argues that the Caribbean prospered under the plantation system. He goes so far as to say that “the plantation system was not only an agricultural device; it has also become the basis of an entire societal concept” (Mintz, 27 years old). Benitez-Rojo also praises the plantation in his article titled The Repeating Island. He explained that “the modest sugar boom in the Spanish West Indies left an indelible mark on the island's society” (Benitez-Rojo, 42). Plantations created an economy in the Caribbean where there was nothing before. This changes the entire course of Caribbean history and it can be incorporated into his chaos theory. Benitez-Rojo believes in the physical theory that things in one place certainly have a great effect on something else. However, Cliff differs significantly on his view of the plantation. At Cliff's Abeng, we talk a lot about the plantation. However, Cliff explains that sugarcane planting actually hurt the economy and generated little profit..