Deep Rivers by José María Arguedas tells the story of a young boy, Ernesto, who is of mixed heritage,and how he navigates the complexities of identity, culture, and tradition in rural Peru. This book is set in the Andes, where Ernesto struggles with a clash felt between his indigenous roots and the colonial education he […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with Colonialism, growing up, identity
Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog. The book for this week is Black Sheep Alley by Joseph Zobel. The book tells the coming-of-age tale of the author José, a young boy growing up on the island of Martinique, an overseas region of france and former colony. I really enjoyed the read, and found it […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with Colonialism, coming of age, education, family, poverty, Week 6
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 …
Posted in Blogs, Zobel | Tagged with childhood, Colonialism, coming of age, education, fanily, memory, post colonialism, race
I enjoyed this week’s reading of Black Shack Alley. I found it fairly easy to follow along yet it was still filled with intricate descriptions and exciting moments. One thing I really liked was how the book set a tone of childhood and youthfulness. I got a good sense of what life is like in […]
Posted in Blogs, Zobel | Tagged with childhood, class, Colonialism, growingup, race
“The war isn’t over, my friend. It’s only sleeping.” (p.131) At first, it was refreshing to be reading a book set in the modern-day. Seeing mentions of social media and smartphones was a slight surprise after reading older pieces of literature. However, very quickly, I began to forget what time period it was set in. […]
Posted in Agualusa, Blogs | Tagged with Colonialism, dreaming, Dreams, history, memory, revolution, war, writing
After reading Black Shack Alley, I really enjoyed this novel. I have read stories with similar themes like colonialism, supremacy, and poverty, but nothing like how the main character reconciles with these themes. At the beginning of the book, the main character is almost sort of naive to the idea of his grandparents and the […]
Posted in Blogs, Zobel | Tagged with Colonialism, influential, josé, juxtaposition, Martinique, narrator, poverty, protection, reality, Relationship
Zobel’s Black Shack Alley is a fascinating look into the impacts of colonialism throughout childhood in Martinique, and the racialization and trauma that comes with it. It seemed to me while I read that José did not frequently dwell on and confront notions of race, but it was clear that race and struggles with identity pervaded much […]
Posted in Blogs, Zobel | Tagged with Colonialism, identity, power, race
Hello everyone! My name is Daniel Choi, I am a second-year arts student currently with an undeclared major. I am looking forward to pursuing a major in International Relations. Throughout my first two years of post-secondary studies, I have developed a keen interest in law and history. As such, I enjoy topics that require critical […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with Colonialism, Critical analysis
