Theme : Finding One’s SelfCompared to the other books that I’ve read so far throughout this course, Deep Rivers by Jose Maria Arguedas was harder for me to get into. I think it’s because there’s no concrete ending or structure to the story, which…
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Theme : Finding One’s SelfCompared to the other books that I’ve read so far throughout this course, Deep Rivers by Jose Maria Arguedas was harder for me to get into. I think it’s because there’s no concrete ending or structure to the story, which…
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This book left me feeling quite despairing. I knew we were going to lose M’man Tine as soon as things started looking up for José but it still devastated me. She fought so hard for that boy, and he in turn was kept going with the hope of making her life better when he finished […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with black shack alley, family, oppression, poverty, sacrifice
This reading was probably the second hardest for me, after Combray. At times it felt very slow, but I understand that this pace was maybe intentional, to guide us through Ernesto’s perceptions, memories, and reactions to the world around him. I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about the novel as of now, but […]
Posted in Arguedas, Blogs | Tagged with Colonialism, culture, Deep Rivers
There were many aspects of this book that made me extremely sad. The discussion regarding colonialism and segregation was important, it was used to paint a picture to show what growing up under a setting like that was rather than to make a point (?). I…
Posted in Blogs, Zobel | Tagged with black shack alley
There were many aspects of this book that made me extremely sad. The discussion regarding colonialism and segregation was important, it was used to paint a picture to show what growing up under a setting like that was rather than to make a point (?). I…
Posted in Blogs, Zobel | Tagged with black shack alley
Reading Black Shack Alley felt as though I was listening to a friend speak about their old memories, sitting over a drink. It was filled with little details, so many that I found it tough at times to keep track of what all was occurring. The life described in the book felt as though each …
In my opinion, Black Shack Alley was a great choice to read after Agostino. Both follow the story of a young boy, but the characters are opposites in many regards. Agostino came from a privileged upper-class community and never worked, whereas José was born into a marginalized, working class group. Agostino’s troubles were much more […]
Posted in Blogs, Zobel | Tagged with black shack alley, race
Black Shack Alley follows author José growing up in 1930s Martinique. The story is split into three parts, and each part follows José in a different stage of his childhood, in a different place. First of all, I really loved José’s grandma’s character in the book. I like how she’s portrayed as kind of […]
Posted in Blogs, Zobel | Tagged with Colonialism, education, poverty
This week the read was the Black Shack Alley, and it left me feeling heavier than I expected. Not in a dramatic way, more like the realization that settles in after you stop reading. Jose’s story is sad, but what really hurts is the world around him. Everything feels pre-decided, boxed in by systems he […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with Uncategorized
