...Sky is Gray,” and James Baldwin’s short story, “Sonny’s Blues.” “The Sky is Gray,” by Gaines, is a story around the theme of growing up too soon, from a young man’s perspective. The protagonist, James, is a young child who has to grow up too soon due to his father being away in World War II. James’s mother, Octavia, forces him to give up his childhood in order to help his family survive in the harsh world. On a cold and weary day, James accompanies his mother on a trip into town. While on this...
Words: 612 - Pages: 3
...designed to give readers an understanding of how Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin is a modernization of the biblical account of Cain and Able. While the text of Sonny’s Blues does not align with the story of Cain and Able verbatim, the underlying theme of being a “brother’s keeper” is central to both stories. I set out to identify the various elements involved in being a “brother’s keeper”. After reading the biblical account of Cain and Able, two sub-themes came to the forefront self-identity and responsibility. I selected the sources listed below to highlight the ways Baldwin uses the themes of identity and responsibility, and other literary mechanisms to connect Sonny’s Blues to the biblical account of Cain and Able. Byerman, Keith A. "Words And Music: Narrative Ambiguity In 'Sonny's Blues'." Studies In Short Fiction 19.4 (1982): 367. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. Byerman discusses how music and words create ambiguity in Sonny’s Blues. He points out the rhythm of the wording in the text and how the narrator uses the words to communicate his ideas and as a defense mechanism when his reality is too harsh to handle. The narrator’s candid wording at times draws the reader in with understanding and intrigue. Yet, his vacillating uses of metaphors seem to shut the reader out when the details become too sensitive. Just as the narrator uses words to present his case to the reader, Sonny uses music to do the same. Both literary approaches present...
Words: 625 - Pages: 3
...Part One In “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin, the family dynamic is certainly troubled. The relationship between the members of Sonny’s family reminds me a lot about many families today, including my own. Sonny’s older brother, the speaker, doesn’t listen to his mom’s advice regarding Sonny until Sonny has already gotten in trouble with the law. It’s not until their mother passes away that the speaker attempts to understand more about Sonny’s life. Unfortunately, the speaker tends to get frustrated with Sonny because he cannot understand why he would want to be a jazz musician instead of finish his schooling. Though he loves his brother, he often finds himself not speaking with him for months or years at a time, because of their differences....
Words: 756 - Pages: 4
...In Tracey Sherard’s 1998 analysis, “Sonny's Bebop: Baldwin's ‘Blues Text’ as Intracultural Critique,” which covers James Baldwin’s 1957 intuitive short story, “Sonny’s Blues,” she conveys that Baldwin created the title to be questioned for its connection to jazz or more specifically Bebop, so Baldwin’s intent of broadcasting African American struggles throughout history can be conveyed through a pair of brothers connected by this music, which acts as a medium for his ultimate message. The author portrays his story of the two brothers where, through music, they eventually accept their living conditions and overcome the emotional barriers that were placed on them due to not only their African American history, but also the conditions they were...
Words: 645 - Pages: 3
...Stephen Hamilton Professor T. Clark English 201 4 March 2008 “Sonny’s Blues” Authored by: James Baldwin Drugs, Music, and Culture have interacted together in various heights of conflict and harmony throughout modern day music, affecting the creators and patrons alike. James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” is a depiction of this triangle of cultural relations that has affected three generations of America Culture. Sonny, a pathless protagonist of the story finds music as his aim of escaping society’s African American brutal oppression in the 1950’s. Sonny’s brother makes the claim, “But there’s no need…is there? In killing yourself?” (Baldwin 59) referring to Sonny’s drug use in his musical escapes while playing nightclubs as a pianist in Greenwich Village. In the story "Sonny’s Blues" Sonny's brother makes the inaccurate assertion Sonny wants to die; in reality Sonny’s is simply trying to escape society's oppression. While living with Sonny’s brother’s family, talking in the afternoon with the brothers alone for the night; Sonny was talking about using heroin, “…what heroin feels like-when it’s in your veins…It makes you feel-in control. Sometimes you have to have that feeling.” (Baldwin 58) The commentary prior elaborated this statement when examining the singing quartet on their street and the struggles they went through to be able to sing like that, referring to the pain and passion in their voices. This helped illustrate the conflict of the time – American Culture...
Words: 841 - Pages: 4
..."Sony's Blues" which is an famous short story by James Baldwin, describes many conflicts in relationships and obstacles African American lives in the 1950s. At this time, there was discrimination in the society of The United States. The story is narrated by the brother of Sonny. In the end of story, the narrator comes to Sonny's show of jazz following his young brother, Sonny's invitation. This event is held at a small nightclub in Greenwich Village. Sonny's brother is there and harmonies himself with jazz music. He carefully observes any changes of Sonny at his first performane at nightclub. The author sets up the nightclub in the end of story effectively. This setting is spotlight and important for turning point of the brotherhood between narrator and his younger brother, Sony. After many arguments on different styles of living, Sonny opens his heart by inviting his...
Words: 916 - Pages: 4
...The life of two brothers misery, love and hatred Sympathizing with Sonny, the drug addict in the story, rather than with his brother, the narrator, "Sonny's Blues" presents a complex picture of drug use as a means of coping with sorrow and fear. The short story "Sonny's Blues,” by James Baldwin, (1957) tells the story of two brothers who come to un-derstand each other. More specifically, it shows, through its two main characters, Sonny and his older brother, the two sides of African-American's experience with much of racism. The narrator, Sonny's brother, has tried to assimilate to the white society, but still feel the pain and the limits on his opportuni-ty. On the other hand, Sonny has never tried to assimilate and has to find the way out for his pain through drugs. In "Sonny's Blues,” we can understand what happened, why it happened, and why char-acters acted the way they do. The story Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin (1957) explores the theme of suffering experienced by Black Americans as individuals fettered by discrimination, unemployment, housing problems, drug ad-diction, imprisonment and suicide. It features the struggle of two brothers separated and caught in the entangle-ments of time, space and ideals. Harlem, the setting of "Sonny's Blues," is packed with barely-contained anger. The community is forced to live in an oppressive and painful world; as a result, many are left deeply angry. The narrator describes the neighborhood as a "boiling sea" (112)...
Words: 884 - Pages: 4
...Finding Light through the Darkness In James Baldwin’s short story, “Sonny’s Blues”, the narrator which is Sonny’s brother, James attempts to understand the life of his younger brother Sonny. Through trials and tribulations both brothers see the light through the darkness that surrounds both of their lives. From childhood to adulthood, both brothers go through experiences, which would have an everlasting effect on their lives. The story is set in Harlem, New York City approximately after the Korean War. The brothers' military service plays an important role in the socio-historical context of the story. The narrator refers to being "home on leave from the army" during the war; he remarks that his father "died suddenly, during a drunken weekend in the middle of the war, when Sonny was fifteen", and he informs the reader that both he and Sonny served in the military. It is important to notice and understand these references to the military service of the brothers. The characters in "Sonny's Blues" reflect this tendency: As a teenager, Sonny yearns to enlist in the army or navy because it would take him away from the "killing streets" of Harlem and give him the opportunity to get a college education on the GI Bill. The narrator, too, has struggled in spite of his military service to his country to attain success and safety at home. He fought the war, returned home to become an algebra teacher, and a productive member of the middle class, and yet because of segregation...
Words: 1509 - Pages: 7
...“Sonny’s Blues” James Baldwin’s “sonny’s Blues” is a short story about the life of two brothers growing up in Harlem, New York during the 1950’s, in a society littered with drugs, violence, poverty and racism. It explores how each brother reacts to the “darkness” of their environment and their own internal turmoil which separated them and the music that eventually lead them back together. In “Sonny’s Blues” a short story written by James Baldwin discusses various situations described as darkness. I believe the word darkness symbolize the rough living conditions the two brothers endured growing up in Harlem, New York. Earlier in the story the narrator notes his students being filled with indignation because of the limited opportunities in the community. “All they really knew were two darknesses, the darkness of their lives and the darkness of the movies, which had blinded them to that other darkness…” Other dark situations discussed in Sonny’s Blues is Sonny’s drug addiction to heroin that is highly addictive, life in prison and the everyday struggle growing up in Harlem where African American people was victimized; As seen in a conversation between the narrator and his mother,” Your father says he heard his brother scream when the car rolled over him, and he heard the wood of that guitar when it give, and he heard them strings go flying, and he heard them white men shouting, and the car kept on going and it anit stopped til this day.” I believe...
Words: 850 - Pages: 4
...The plot in “Sonny’s Blues” emphasizes the importance of the bond between two brothers through the power of music and god. “Sonny’s Blues” displays the daily struggle of societal issues, status, and achievements the two brothers faced in reality. Sonny's brother struggles to understand Sonny and his compassion for music. Music builds this communication that the narrator lacks with his brother but they overcome these struggles through music. The narrator is struggling to bond with his distant brother as a biblical vibe is looking over the narrator and helping him through his life. Music plays a significant role in the brother’s lives as it changes their view of each other. Sonny’s dream of becoming a jazz musician is shunned upon his brother but he doesn’t quit his dream. His brother worried that pursuing a music career won’t help him financially and can’t become...
Words: 1202 - Pages: 5
...James Baldwin’s short story “Sonny Blues” is about a young jazz musician named Sonny, who is from Harlem, New York. Sonny gets addicted to heroin and gets arrested for utilizing and selling drugs. After he is released from prison he returns back to his childhood neighborhood. He moves in with his brother, who is the narrator of this story and his brother’s family. During Sonny’s stay, him and his brother reconnect after dealing with one another anger towards each other. The focal point of this story is drugs, but also it’s about family, music, and trying to overcome life’s struggles. The byword “Sonny’s Blues” doesn’t arise until the end of the story when Sonny is playing his piano at a nightclub. The term “blues” could be referring to...
Words: 869 - Pages: 4
...protagonist as the primary character. If the reader can recognize the ‘hero’, empathize with their plight, or emotionally connect with their journey, the short story remains intriguing. This essay, using examples from two classic short stories, illustrates how narrative and character development is intrinsic to a good short story. James Baldwin’s short story, “Sonny’s Blues”, begins with “I read it in the paper, in the subway, on my way to work. I read it, and I couldn’t believe it, and I read it again” (37). The mystery of what the narrator read immediately draws the reader in and an engrossing plot unfolds quickly. A series of recollections and flashbacks reveal the internal conflict of the narrator as he struggles with his family obligation to his drug-addicted brother. An argument between the brothers is the climactic moment as angst gives way to anger and frustration. There is almost a moment of suspense before the narrator hears Sonny play at the club for the first time. The conclusion of the short story implies a resolution of the conflict, as the narrator seems to finally understand his brother through his music. This short story is engaging because Baldwin’s narrative is complex and layered, rife with subtext, yet extremely compact and conventional. It is easy to instantly connect with Rose, the protagonist of Alice Munro’s “ Royal...
Words: 544 - Pages: 3
...“Sonny’s Blues” Final Essay In James Baldwin’s short story “Sonny’s Blues” he uses the unnamed narrator also known as Sonny’s brother to provide an intimate insight into both his and Sonny’s lives, but also into their environment Harlem, New York. The narrator used his point of view and personal perspective to reveal both Sonny and Harlem and how the environment they were both brought up in has shaped them into the young men they were in the past and who they are now. This story begins when the brother finds out Sonny was in jail, when the narrator went to pick him up they begin having flashbacks from when their parents were alive and were speaking about racial issues they had been facing. Sonny finds his passion in jazz music. When he finally encourages his brother to listen to his music he takes him to the night club. He has a great epiphany realizing that their hardships can be turned into something beautiful. Growing up in an environment such as Harlem has had immense impact on the people sonny and his brother have become. This tough environment in Harlem would easily shape any person living in it but in particular Sonny and his brother. Harlem influenced the courses of action the brothers individually chose to take. The narrator described the city as a place that seems to entrap the people living in it and suck them into a lifestyle that they cant avoid. The lifestyle of drugs and crime, even if an individual such as the narrator doesn’t choose to participate in these...
Words: 1664 - Pages: 7
...Alexis Jones February 26, 2011 Imagery and symbolism is what makes short stories and poems so compelling. Imagery is what lets the reader clearly imagine what is happening, whereas symbols may lie dormant begging for the reader to discover. The following poems and short stories posess recurring images and symbolism that drive the theme of the work. The reader discovers silence is dark. Whether the silence comes from insanity, misunderstanding, self-absorption, or pride, the reader understands that communication is key. That one needs to listen with their heart and mind to truly comprehend our world. In Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the author uses bold symbolism and imagery to show the protagonists oppression and confusion change to insanity, yet freedom. The symbolism is so blatant the main character remains nameless to show her silenced life. The most vivid usage of imagery is the yellow wallpaper. The main character is essentially confined to a room for rest, what her physician husband believes is a nervous condition. The reader can later assume the room is actually an institution for mental health. The room contains horrid yellow wallpaper. In the beginning of the story, the main character is angered and confused by the wallpaper. She describes the wallpaper almost parallel to her own life and mental health, “It is dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough constantly to irritate and provoke study” (548). She goes on to say...
Words: 1288 - Pages: 6
...Name Professor Class Date Unit 3: Values and Worldviews- A Raisin in the Sun Essay Structure Template Introduction Lawrence, D.H. The Rocking Horse winner. 1st English Edition. Harper Collins Canada According to the book of “The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence” talks about a young boy named Paul. Thus, Paul acknowledges that there is never sufficient money in his folks; he goes out to search for money through luck. Therefore, he notices that if he rides his rocking horse speedy enough, he will some way “discover” the label of the captivating horse in the subsequent race. Among the subtopics derived from this book do include of; lust for money, lack as well as the obsession for material items. BGS: Broad general statement The book mainly describes lack as the general topic because it is seen that Paul is normally lucky in the” Rocking-Horse Winner”. Thus, to be triumphant in the community Paul as well his mother dwells in; Paul wishes to have a definite quantity of luck to survive presently and after. Subtopics 1. Lust for money: the paper tries to augment on how Paul’s mother was soo obsessed with the money issues. 2. Lack: the paper will augment more concerning how lucky Paul was when it came to the “Rocking-Horse Winner”. 3. Obsession for material Items: the paper augments on how Paul’s mother is obsessed with material wealth as well as items. Thesis Regarding the thesis...
Words: 3980 - Pages: 16
