...James Baldwin writes about two African-American brothers growing up in Harlem, a black ghetto in New York, during the 1950's. During this time black people were forced to live in a world of prejudice, discrimination, poverty and suppression. The life of a black person was very difficult; many opportunities afforded to whites were not afforded to blacks. Sonny and his brother lived in the projects and had many obstacles to overcome that white people didn't have to. Sonny chose music to outwardly express his suffering, his brother chose to bottle it up and keep it inside, but this is the common thread they both shared. Suffering is also shown in the story when Baldwin says "it came to me that what we both were seeking through our separate cab windows was that part of ourselves which had been left behind" (P 47). I think this quote means that both Sonny and his older brother want to retrieve some of their past so that it can help them cope with what has happened in their lives. If Sonny and his brother can both cope with what has happened in their lives and get over it, I think t they both can start moving forward and putting this behind them. I feel having Sonny's brother narrate the story in the first person is Baldwin's way of telling us that Sonny's brother is also suffering but inside, unlike Sonny who takes drugs and sings the blues. Sonny's brother remains nameless because I feel he prefers to remain anonymous; he's too embarrassed to have people know that this college...
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...Baldwin Discussion 3) What does the music represent? And the title? In James Baldwin’s short story “Sonny’s Blues,” music represents different things to different characters. For the narrator, jazz music is associated with “’good-time people,’” (Baldwin, 1981) those who like to party often, drink, and take drugs. It’s not seen as a life worth living because there seems no financial gain from it. “Can you make a living at it?” (Baldwin, 1982) he asks Sonny, before telling him that “it’s time [he] started thinking about [his] future.” (Baldwin, 1982) This type of life “seemed beneath [Sonny] somehow.” (Baldwin, 1981) That view is because he couldn’t understand what music meant for Sonny. It was more than “the only thing [he] want[ed] to do,” (Baldwin, 1982), for Sonny music is an escape or a release. When Sonny plays the piano he “fill[s] the air with life, his life.” (Baldwin, 1992) Even when Sonny was younger playing at Isabel’s they all “sensed…that Sonny was at [the] piano playing for his life.” (Baldwin, 1984) Sonny needed music to release his “torment.” (Baldwin 1991) The title, “Sonny’s Blues” stands for this need. The blues music Sonny produces is a “personal, private, vanishing evocation” (Baldwin, 1990) of his life’s regret. Great music requires suffering. Yet it’s most beautiful when the music isn’t a reflection of our “lamenting” (Baldwin, 1992) but an embrace of our sorrow, when we “make it ours.” (Baldwin, 1992) 4) What do you think the theme of the story is...
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...The Comparison-Contrast Essay Daouda Soumahoro September 13, 2011 American Intercontinental University Abstract James Baldwin and Kurt Vonnegut Jr were two eminent writers that marked American fiction literature after world war two. James Baldwin is the author of Sonny’s Blues published in early 1950 in New City. The story is narrated by unknown man who pertain his attempted to come to the damage with his long disaffected Brother Sonny, Jazz musician. In this work Baldwin absorbed many of his own experiences to search the issuances of racial conflict, individuality and the complexity of human needs. Similar to Sonny, Harrison Bergeron, written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr is a fourteen year boy who rebels against his tyrannical government. Vonnegut used a satirical humoristic commentary of society and its leaders as James used the lightness and darkness symbols to describe his suffering characters. The question is how the author literacy styles differ or similar to one another in term of themes? The Comparison-Contrast Essay Sonny’s Blues written by James is a story that addresses with very expression of the society and is done so through symbolism and imagery. Baldwin’s story is carefully written using lightness and darkness as typifies through out the entire story, he focuses of “Sonny’s Blues” on the character of sonny who eventually and endlessly fighting to find what makes him happy. Finally Sonny finds two breaks loose, one of them disastrous drug abuse and musician ...
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...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)...
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...James Baldwin’s “Sonny Blues” is yet another literary masterpiece encompassing the adversity and perseverance of African Americans throughout history. Entranced by the metaphorical weight of the blues, I heard its heaviness intertwined with the throe of the characters as the deafening melody of Harlem’s woe rang from the pages. Baldwin depicts his underlying theme of oppression in the experiences of his characters. Early in the story, the narrator reflects on the day of his father’s funeral when his mother tells him of his uncle’s unjust demise. “Your father says he heard his brother scream when the car rolled over him, and he heard…them white men shouting…And, time your father got down the hill, his brother weren’t nothing but blood and pulp.” (Baldwin 56). Even the narrator himself recalls the tragic death of his two-year-old daughter, Gracie, and the desperation that led to him contacting his brother. Moreover, Sonny was lost in a sea of torment and addiction. “I can’t get anything straight in my head down here and I try not to think about what’s going to happen to me when I get outside again. Sometime I think I’m going to flip and never get outside and sometime I think I’ll come straight back. I tell you one thing, though, I’d rather blow my brains out then go through this again.” (Baldwin 51). Baldwin also illustrates the theme of oppression in his portrayal of Harlem. But houses exactly like houses of out past yet dominated the landscape, boys exactly like the boys...
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...Sonny’s Blues | Introduction Printable Version Download PDF Cite this Page Ask a Question Tweet This Frequently anthologized, James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" tells the story of two brothers who come to understand each other. More specifically, it highlights, through its two main characters, the two sides of the African-American experience. The narrator has assimilated into white society as much as possible but still feels the pain of institutional racism and the limits placed upon his opportunity. Conversely, Sonny has never tried to assimilate and must find an outlet for the deep pain and suffering that his status as permanent outsider confers upon him. Sonny channels his suffering into music, especially bebop jazz and the blues, forms developed by African-American musicians. "Sonny's Blues" was first published in 1957 and was collected in Baldwin's 1965 book, Going to Meet the Man. The story also has biblical implications. Baldwin became a street preacher early in his life, and religious themes appear throughout his writings. In "Sonny's Blues," Baldwin uses the image from the book of Isaiah of the "cup of trembling" to symbolize the suffering and trouble that Sonny has experienced in his life. At the end of the story, while Sonny is playing the piano, Sonny's brother watches a barmaid bring a glass of Scotch and milk to the piano, which "glowed and shook above my brother's head like the very cup of trembling." As Sonny plays, the cup reminds his brother of all of the...
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...Arsalan Vohra Sonny's Blues Research Paper The narrator in the story "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin, has a very deep connection with his family. His brother Sonny isn't very good at making decisions and is on the path to destroy his life. Will Sonny ever learn from his mistakes and see the road to success? Sonny is a very stubborn kid who doesn't listen to anyone and does only what he wants. The narrator has to put him back on the right track and has to play a mature roll on him just like his father did with his own brother also. The narrator and his family aren't very happy with Sonny but they don't have any idea about Sonny's hidden talent. Sonny's proves them wrong and can now be called a responsible person. Judging people can be a person's biggest mistake. People need time to realize the reality of life and just need to be patient for their time to come. Even Sonny's family had given up on him but Sonny always knew their was light in his future somewhere and was eager to shine. He has done a lot of bad things and has made mistakes in the past but he doesn't let that affect his future. “Sonny Blue’s” takes place in Harlem around the early 1950’s. Sonny ends up having to turn towards drugs because he feels trapped in his surroundings. The story explains the theme of suffering experienced by african individuals. They are constantly getting discriminated against, becoming unemployment, and therefore turning into drug addicts . The narrator...
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...April 29, 2012 Karen Caston American Literature Katie DeLaney Synthesis Essay (Final) INEBRIATION AND ADDICTION Inebriation and addiction are often noted in the writing and poetry of some postmodern authors. In the poetry of Allen Ginsberg “Howl”, short stories by James Baldwin, “Sonny’s Blues” and Raymond Carver, “Cathedral” talk of alcohol and addiction exist. Reading the poetry of Ginsberg and the story by Baldwin, obvious references are made to inebriation and addiction, more subtle notations are described in the work by Carver. In the story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver the narrator drinks too much and seems unable to effectively communicate with his wife. Drinking and smoking marijuana goes on throughout the story telling. The short story “Cathedral” portrays individuals isolated from each other for various reasons. It appears that the maladies suffered by the narrator and wife provide reasons for inebriation and addiction. For example,” So when the time rolled around, my wife went to the depot to pick him up. With nothing to do but wait—sure, I blamed him for that—I was having a drink and watching the TV when I heard the car pull into the drive. I got up from the sofa with my drink and went to the window to have a look”. The narrator begins to drink while waiting for his wife and the blind man to arrive from the train station. In this quote the first indication of drinking start. As the story progresses drinking and marijuana smoking...
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...There have been many instances of police brutality against African Americans in the last few years. For example; the shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2012, the death of Eric Garner in 2014, Sandra Bland in 2015 and the fatal murder of Michael Brown in 2014, which sparked the birth of liberation movements in the United States (Sanburn). In light of such hostility, African American writers such as James Baldwin have been selected by liberation movements to express the black struggle and the need for love and unity. Baldwin’s work has generated documentaries such as ‘I Am...
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...James Baldwin’s story is about two brothers who came to understand each other, the two sides of the African American experience, as well as their relationship at various points in their lives. Sonny’s Blues opens as the narrator learns from the local newspaper that his younger brother, Sonny, has been arrested for dealing drugs, heroin to be specific, which is a addictive drug that caused millions of deaths in America only. The narrator and his brother Sonny’s childhood were filled with rage and darkness.(Lovalerie,Scott,2000). The narrator assimilated into the white society deeply but is still saddened by the racism and placed restrictions to be found upon his opportunity. Sonny, the main character channels his suffering into music, Jazz music that is, which was and still is very popular especially in the African American community. The story also has biblical implications, which relate to the Holy Bible, Baldwin’s style of writing is a poetic style, not meaning that the story rhymes, but poetic in a way that the writing is very lyrical and beautiful, such as this passage “As the singing filled the air the watching, listening faces underwent a change, the eyes focusing on within; the music seemed to soothe a poison out of them; and time seemed, nearly, to fall away from the sullen, belligerent, battered faces, as though they were fleeing back to their first condition, while dreaming of their last.” The paragraph seems to be very musical as the way he puts his sentences together...
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...Assignment 4 12.27.2012 Short Story Analysis When people live in a sheltered environment with a paved driveway and freshly mowed lawn, they forget that they share the world with others, who live in a much darker environment. Their environment lacks much more than paved driveways and freshly mowed lawns. Most of these people are even deprived of the basic needs like a safe community, peace or their sanity. The authors of Young Goodman Brown, The Red Convertible, The Lone Ranger and Sonny’s Blues expose us to an obscure society; one where people find themselves in bleak situations. Life for these people is just a big question mark; a question that doesn’t have a straightforward answer. Many a times, authors hit the touchy topic of God’s existence in their work. Reflected by his puritan heritage, Nathanial Hawthorne wrote about faith, personal salvation and morality in his short-story “Young Goodman Brown”. The main character, Goodman Brown, has an internal battle with his faith throughout the story where he finds himself questioning the very existence of a higher power. Ultimately the bigger question in this story is one that many people ask themselves when they are faced with tough times; Does God really exist? Or is He a mere creation by society to keep face and hide behind their lies? Goodman Brown embarks on a journey against his own will. The author describes this an “evil” journey where Goodman Brown wants to turn back on many occasions but his elderly companion...
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...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...
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...Throughout history, sibling relationships in different classes, religions, genders, and specific races of the human race have provided humans with an inherent empathizer. Being raised and shaped into distinct characters in the same environment and experiencing the same essential memories of childhood binds siblings together for better or for worse. Likewise, in “Sonny’s Blues”, written by James Baldwin, the narrator and his brother Sonny reunite through their shared origins and finally understand what it symbolizes to them and their entire community. The sibling relationship between the narrator and Sonny demonstrates two different ways in which people of the same background attempt to deal with their shared communities and memories to regain...
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...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 addiction, imprisonment and suicide. It features the struggle of two brothers separated and caught in the entanglements of time, space and ideals. The unnamed Narrator who is relatively well-off between the two siblings struggles to understand his suicidal yet talented brother Sonny while the latter finds difficulty in coping up with the mediocrity that engulfs him. Effective communication is crucial in the story of two brothers with different visions in life where rage and fury may explode at split seconds to put an end to one dear life of a prodigy....
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...From How to Read Literature Like a Professor Thomas C. Foster Notes by Marti Nelson 1. Every Trip is a Quest (except when it’s not): a. A quester b. A place to go c. A stated reason to go there d. Challenges and trials e. The real reason to go—always self-knowledge 2. Nice to Eat With You: Acts of Communion a. Whenever people eat or drink together, it’s communion b. Not usually religious c. An act of sharing and peace d. A failed meal carries negative connotations 3. Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires a. Literal Vampirism: Nasty old man, attractive but evil, violates a young woman, leaves his mark, takes her innocence b. Sexual implications—a trait of 19th century literature to address sex indirectly c. Symbolic Vampirism: selfishness, exploitation, refusal to respect the autonomy of other people, using people to get what we want, placing our desires, particularly ugly ones, above the needs of another. 4. If It’s Square, It’s a Sonnet 5. Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before? a. There is no such thing as a wholly original work of literature—stories grow out of other stories, poems out of other poems. b. There is only one story—of humanity and human nature, endlessly repeated c. “Intertexuality”—recognizing the connections between one story and another deepens our appreciation and experience, brings multiple layers of meaning to the text, which we may not be conscious of. The more consciously...
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