In the film, Sugar Cane Alley (1983), directed by Euzhan Palcy, the story was told of how a young boy named Jose grew up on the sugar cane plantation in a small village of Martinique. Also, the film illustrated the Caribbean identities in the colonial Martinique in the 1930s. The main theme of the film was postcolonial Martinican communal system and its distinction to that of the French educational system. In the film, it was depicted how Jose interacted with his friends, getting into trouble with his grandmother and neighbors, helping his grandmother(guardian) with chores while she went out to work in order to provide for both of them, listening and learning informative tales from his spiritual father, starting school to get an education etc …show more content…
was a powerful story. The film was dedicated to the World’s Black Shack Alleys. Based on close analysis, the film was categorized in three acts:the first act showing Jose activities prior to going to school; his upbringing by his grandma, M’Man Tine and finding out more about his roots from Old Medouze who Jose referred to as his spiritual father. The second act was when Jose started school with the aim of achieving a School Certificate to have a better life which according to his grandmother, “The only way to escape working in the cane field is to earn a school certificate; without an education(school certificate), you will be just like the others working in the cane field.”The third act was Jose moving to Fort de-France to further his education after he received a quarter scholarship. In the beginning of the film, the children were left alone for the whole day while their parents went to work in the cane fields.
During the days, the children would experiment and get themselves into trouble for example in the scene where they caught the neighbor’s garden on fire. Also, when one of them broke M’Man Tine priceless sugar bowl and Jose was punished for it. The extent of the mishap indicate the hardship of the community. M’Man Tine was a very hardworking woman, loved her grandson dearly and worked in the cane fields to provide for both of them considering her old age and aching body. She made it her point of duty that Jose was well fed, oversee that Jose read frequently to keep his reading skills on point, grooming him(preparing him for the outside world) and sending him to school. M’Man Tine was determined that her grandson would have a better life and he would break the cycle of working in the …show more content…
fields. Jose acquainted with Old Medouze, an elderly man who appeared bulimic that could one could noticed decades of hardship.
He taught Jose many riddles and stories as an idea to portray the history of Africa; the journey of slavery and the economic affairs between the bekes and blacks in Martinique. He would assess Jose on each visit to see if he recalled the past valuable stories he shared and answered any questions that Jose had. Medouze had a very effective method of telling riddles and stories to Jose as it served as a form of identifying one’s own history rather than welcoming the conclusive story. Medouze imbued a hope of examination and defiance within Jose and served as tribal insight and thought. Medouze reminiscence about his family suffering in Africa and how they were dragged into captivity by white men. He went on to say, “that I will never go back to Africa only when I am dead and buried he will go back there.” Jose wanted to go to Africa with Old Medouze but Medouze dismissed Jose’s statement. Medouze stated, “Man’s fate is death, judgement, heaven and hell; and reinforced that creation had a secret.” Jose gained considerable amount of knowledge and realized he had to go through the French educational system as a breakout from working on the fields. The main lesson that was gathered from Medouze and Jose scene is to know your heritage, never be ashamed of what your parents, grandparents or ancestors sacrificed because it is those unforgettable experiences that
mold us together as a culture.Also it gave a clear perspective of cultural identity and gave a sense of direction as to where we as people want to go whether to stay enslaved or to be liberated. When Medouze died, Jose stood over his lifeless body knowing he went to Africa. Jose began school and did exceptionally well, as a result he earned his School Certificate. Jose’s instructor, was impressed with his dedication and academic merit that he offered him a wonderful opportunity to take a scholarship exam. Proud grandma promised she’ll do whatever it takes to see that Jose sit the examination and be well prepared. Jose was very grateful for his grandma love and support and finally realized that his life was transforming for the better. Jose and grandma M’Man Tine moved to Fort-de France in hope for a better life and to be closer to Jose’s new school where he received a quarter scholarship. Fort-de France was the city where all the village children dreamt about, it was the capital of opportunity. It was a dream come through because Jose was truly lucky to live and attend school in Fort-de France. He saw a bright future ahead of him and the greatest thought was that his grandma could stop working as he saw her struggles. Grandma did laundry as a way to support them. Grandma M’Man Tine traveled back to Martinique to get Jose’s clothing tailored and explained to Jose that the impoverished people of Martinique could far way use the money than the people of Fort-de France. As the days went by, grandma became more ill and it was near her return to Africa. Grandma’s death created a flashback to Medouze’s death as Jose stood over her lifeless body with tears streaming down his cheeks and thinking that now M’Man Tine has gone to Mr Medouze’s Africa. Jose narrated at the end of the film informing that he will return to Fort-de France and he’ll take his Black Shack Alley with him. Black Shack Alley will be always be apart of him no matter where he goes. Hearing all the stories of economic hardship from Medouze and witnessing it for himself in the cane fields would be unforgettable to Jose. Receiving all the love, guidance and support from Grandma M’Man Tine, Carmen, Medouze and his instructor motivated Jose to chase after life-changing opportunities.
In today's world there is kids in child labor and many people struggling with poverty. It is important that Francisco Jimenez tells a story of migrant farm workers because many people don't understand the struggles the workers go throw.This is relevant to our lives because people who aren't struggling with poverty or are in child labor take most things for granted and those who struggle would be more than grateful for the most slightest
Doña Guadalupe is a woman of great strength and power, power and strength which she draws from her devout faith and her deep and loving compassion for her family, and power and strength which is passed down to her children. “‘Well, then, come in,’ she said, deciding that she could be handle this innocent-girl-stealing coyote inside. On going into the long tent, Salvador felt like he’d entered the web of a spider, the old woman was eyeing him so deliberately” (360). Doña Guadalupe is a very protective woman, which is extremely speculative when it comes to her children, this is especially true when it comes to boys, because she has not gone this far only for all of her hard work to be ruined by a no good boy. This shows how protective she is, she loves her family, and especially her kids so much that they themselves must pass her test before being able to pass on to her children. “The newborns were moving, squirming, reaching out for life. It was truly a sign from God” (58). Doña Guadalupe is also a very devout and faithful person. She sees God in everything and in everyone and by that fact, what she sees and who she sees is true, and she tries to be a model of clairvoyance for the family. “Doña Guadalupe put the baby’s little feet in a bowel of warm water, and the child clinging to his mother. He never cried, listening to her heartbeat, the same music that he’d heard from inside the womb” (57). Finally, Doña Guadalupe is very passionate which allows for a great model upon which her children follow. This further shows how she is clearly th...
The Carrillo Adobe is in a dire situation. It has not only fallen into disrepair from the many years of weather and use by so many individuals, but by visitors and citizens have been less that kind and considerate of its age and the prominence that it deserves. After Carrillo’s death her house was given to three of her daughters, Marta, Juana, and Felicidad. Then her belongings were distributed between all of her children. In the first decade after her death her different children each occupied the house at different times. One of her daughters, Juana and her husband ran the home as a tavern. They then converted the adobe into the first post office in the town of Santa Rosa. After her daughters no longer had a need for the adobe it was turned into a trading post where numerous individuals...
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The themes explored in the novel illustrate a life of a peasant in Mexico during the post-revolution, important themes in the story are: lack of a father’s role model, death and revenge. Additionally, the author Juan Rulfo became an orphan after he lost
Enrique’s Journey is a book that I would never read for fun. It is completely different from most of the books I have read, and intrigued me because the story was about a boy. Most of the books I have read in school are about a girl who goes through many hardships, and difficulties but I felt I could relate more to this one because it is about a boy who struggles. While I may not have been left thousands of miles away by mother so she could send money back, it was great to see what life was like on the other side. In this paper I will be talking about the micro and macro cultures of Enrique’s town Tegucigalpa. The situation and context of the characters decision making and how they adapted.
The lesson in “Los tres hermanos (The Three Brothers)” involves understanding that the characters involved failed to reflect on the needs of the thirsty, hungry and poor, the lonely, as well as the elderly and are ultimately fairly served by
When she was washing the pot it slipped out of her hands and the pot fell into the heavy wash. The pot was her grandmother it was something special to her that had just broke. She started thinking about the pot that her grandmother and mother both use to stir the beans. Her husband Jose began to complain about pain in his face when two purple bulbs kept growing and growing in fact which they were plague that had spread around. Tomasita lost everything her friends build her a two room house out of scrap next to the river.
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José, the protagonist, is a young man of African descent living in Black Shack Alley with his grandmother, M’Man Tine. The people who work harvesting sugar cane are the close descendants of only recently freed slaves – they live in conditions of poverty similar to that of slavery due to the wealthy, ruling white class. Catholic imagery is found throughout the film – notably, M’Man Tine keeps a portrait of Jesus Christ in her shack in Black Shack Alley, and later, above her bed. This portrait serves as a visual cue to the reach of French colonialism and an iteration of French power – the idols of white religion hang in the houses of black oppressed peoples. Perhaps Jesus, to M’Man Tine, represents the notion of life after death and a means of escaping the physical and psychological toil of harvesting cane, much in the same way the converts in Things Fell Apart looked for solace in
This story makes the reader wonder, why must parents do this to their children, what kinds of motifs do they have for essentially ruining their child’s life. I believe
Allos was a young boy from a little province of Binalonan located on the central part of the island of Luzon in the Philippines. He lived with his dad, who farms on their own land, which is the primary source of their living. His mom, living in the town, selling goods in the market. They were among the peasants who worked very hard for the rich landlords just to feed their family. When his brother Leon came back form a war in Europe, he met a girl from another town who he liked. They got engaged and married. There was a tradition during those days that if the girl wasn’t a virgin, the man would have to return her to their village. And when the people found out that the girl deceived Leon, they tied them on a tree and started beating them. Allos’ dad stopped them and when it was over, Leon left the town with his bride and started a new life. Amado, the youngest of his four brothers, who was attending grade school in town living with his mother and their baby sister. His father brought him to the village to help them on their farming. His other brother, Luciano was on camp serving the United States. They all worked so hard for his brother Macario, who was attending high school at the province capital. They needed money for Macario’s education so his father sold a hectare of their four-hectare land. When they needed more, they sold more land. They gave up almost everything they owned just to make their son Macario go to school. One day when his father and his brother Amado were farming, Amado started beating up the carabao. His father stopped him and Amado told his father that he couldn’t live like this anymore. So he ran away from home, leaving Allos as his father’s only helper on the farm. When his brother Macario went home to visit, Allos was speechless. He’s not used to see an educated man. He dressed formal, talked and acted like a real gentleman. When they all gathered on house, Macario said that he needed more money to finish three more months of school. But the money wasn’t enough for three months. So their father decided that they will sell the remaining hectare of their land telling his son not to worry at all.
Jose recalls his first cooking experience as being an eager moment: “By the time I was eleven or twelve, I was old enough and eager enough to start helping my father with his Sunday meals” (Jose 14), in which he assisted his father gathering up the materials needed. At the same time Jose was always anxious to do more, by the time he was fourteen he was able to set the fire like an expert. The narrator mentions various lessons learned from his father such as, s...
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