Student Blogs

Arguedas’s portays Peru in this time, as a country immersed in a new pardigram, one of modernization and turmoil in order to articulate these changing times Arguedas frames the narrative through the eyes of a young boy named, Ernesto. The narrative concentrates on the boys life that has been structured between a soico-political dichotomy, he […] read full post >>

Hello! This week’s book is called Deep Rivers and it is written by José María Arguedas. The story is narrated by Ernesto, a young child of mixed blood (both indigenous and white), who is taken to a Catholic boarding school. Ernesto’s coming-of-age experience is chronicled in the book as he struggles with his identity and […] read full post >>

A. Initial Thoughts “Black Shack Alley” ruined me. I felt very sentimental as this was the first novel where I felt a connection with the novel’s protagonist, José. Specifically, his relationship with his grandmother, M’man Tine—a figure of strength and hard work to provide opportunities to José—demonstrates the hardships parents or parental figures go through … Continue reading Black Shack Alley: Sacrifices Made for Us (Feb 13) read full post >>

 I want to start by saying that I did not come to enjoy this book as much as the others we have read so far, maybe this is because the main character was so and his experiences are so different compared to mine so I was unable to relate to him as ... read full post >>

 I want to start by saying that I did not come to enjoy this book as much as the others we have read so far, maybe this is because the main character was so and his experiences are so different compared to mine so I was unable to relate to him as ... read full post >>

Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well, todays blog is going to be about “Black Shack Alley” which is a novel written by Joseph Zobel in 1950. My general opinion is that I found this book interesting and thought it was a good reading, it didn’t feel to me like it was written in … read full post >>

This week’s reading was one of the better reads I’ve had, where “Black Shack Alley” by Zobel is a story about figuring out who you are and where you fit in. The main character, José, goes on to understand himself and the world around him. Right from the start, José feels pressure to do well […] read full post >>

This book was an easy read, although it was slow. The story is told from the perspective of a child who is first protected by the shield of his childlike innocence. It depicts a time when slavery had been abolished, but they were still forced to work under the same conditions. The book was delightful […] read full post >>

“For many days afterward I felt alone, completely isolated. I felt I should be like the great river, crossing the land, cutting through the rocks, undetainably and serenely flowing through mountains and forests, and entering the sea accompanied by a huge nation of birds that sang from the heavens” (63) This novel digs deep into […] read full post >>

Black shack alley by Zobel is like any other coming of age novel but, it is in a “post colonial” evolving world. I didn’t like Black Shack Alley as much as the rest of the books we’ve read so far but I believe that is fully just because of my taste in books, not at … read full post >>

José María Arguedas’ novel “Deep Rivers” explores Peruvian identity through indigenous culture, colonial heritage, and nature. Through the eyes of the protagonist, Ernesto, the author tells a story about the search for belonging. We follow a story that is both turbulent and calm, like the rivers that flow through the pages of the book. Between Two Worlds […] read full post >>

I was intimidated by the book before actually reading the book, since it doubled the length than the book read before this week. I was unconfident to even finish the book in time. However, [Deep Rivers] was, in my opinion, way easier to understand compare to the first few books previously read. Following the easiness […] read full post >>

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. In fact it might even be my favourite book that we’ve read so far. The storytelling and imagery was done beautifully in the novel and I felt like it was the most realistic and relatable read so far.” It made me truly appreciate the resources and privilege I had growing up cause damnnn […] read full post >>

Joseph Zobel’s Black Shack Alley was an incredibly moving and eye-opening story that I thoroughly enjoyed. Zobel does a really good job at eliciting emotions throughout the book as I felt myself becoming more and more attached to the story … Continue reading → read full post >>

“The Green Door” 1981 by Lois Mailou Jones. Beautiful painting like c’mon? “It is those who are blind and those who block their ears that I must shout.” (Zobel, pg 182) Where do I even begin? To start, amongst all the books thus far, I feel I have been the most moved by this one. […] read full post >>