Joseph Zobel’s ” Black Shack Alley” is a deep and fascinating story that explores the complexities of identity, family, and societal expectations. It is a touching and vivid depiction of life in Martinique. The story follows José, a young child facing the difficulties of puberty in a culture characterized by racial and cultural divisions, amidst […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with education, Joseph Zobel, literature, poverty
This book is a novel written in 1950 by Martinican author Joseph Zobel. The book paints a vivid picture of life on the French-colonized Caribbean island of Martinique through the eyes of a young boy named José. Through the eyes of the young protagonist, José, Zobel masterfully captures the struggles, hopes, and dreams of the […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with education, inequality
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 […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with education, growth, self-discovery, unequality
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 […]
Posted in Blogs, Zobel | Tagged with education, impostor syndrome, poverty, race, stories
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
“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. […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with Awareness, class, education, race
Zobel’s “Black Shack Alley” was an amazing read. Following the life of José we see his slow innocent realization of poverty and the world he was born into. José represents the numerous challenges and discrimination due to his race and socioeconomic status, but José is determined to improve his circumstances. I really liked how this text went into great detail about the interactions and memories of José’s childhood. Through this, José unfolds his memories but also depicts his shifted perspective of his reality. One theme that I really appreciated in…read more
Black Shack Alley by Joseph Zobel has to be my favourite novel we have read in class so far. The story of transformation and expectations is one I think many people can relate to, even in today’s society. One thing about the novel that particularly stuck out to me, was the way Zobel wrote about […]
Posted in Blogs, Zobel | Tagged with cycles, education, postcolonialsim, race
Hey everyone! This week I read Black Shack Alley written by Zobel. I didn’t enjoy this novel as much as I have enjoyed the other reading material in this course. I found it a bit slow to start, but I found it interesting in regards to the way it discusses themes of race, class and […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with class, education, poverty, race
This week’s novel Black Shack Alley by Joseph Zobel talks about the life of the main narrator José who lives with M’man Tine. This novel uses a linear narrative to tell the story of his experiences in Black Shack Alley and pursuing education to address the problem of colonialism, racialization and class inequality. I wanted […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with black, education, Joseph Zobel, life, love, race, reality
