This is a response to Jingling’s post which can be found here

In the novel Black Shack Shelly, the author incorporates a lot of family significance and strong relationships within families. Jingling recalled Jose’s family having a “significant impact” on his life. I agree with her because throughout the story, Jose’s grandmother, M’man Tine played a huge role in his life. She took care of him all of his childhood and gave him “motherly love” as Jingling recalls. She used the quote “don’t get your clothes all torn, don’t rip off your buttons to play marbles with, don’t run too fast….” (Zobel, 80)  I thought this fit well into the description of Jose’s grandmother. M’man Tine doesn’t only serve as a guardian and care taker of Jose, but also and inspiration and role model. She gives Jose proper guidance an advice to live a better life than she ever did.

Jingling adds an important line by saying that M’man Tine ” believes education is the only way to overcome poverty.” This gives the idea of education from M’man Tine’s prospective. She implants the idea in Jose head that education can lead to a better life. Jingling uses the lines  “knowledge to knowing the alphabet and writes some words, Zobel would have the chance to become a factory worker instead of working in the plantation (91). ” She advises to Jose that in order to stay away from being a plantation worker, he must become education. I agree with Jingling when she says that the job you work determines your social ladder in the society. Jose’s foundation growing up allowed him to become educated later in his life. Jingling uses describes how he was able to use education to change his fate. I agree with it because education changes how a person thinks, behaves, and lives. In this case, Jose was able to get good grades and change his future.

The quote Jingling uses to conclude her response is phenomenal. “the opportunity[education] to give my parent’s profession [farmer] never again presented itself” (136). This line portrays the urge for Jose to not live a life as a plantation worker ever again.