Ruby Washington / Archive Photos / Getty Images. The light from the bandstand spilled just a little short of them and watching them laughing and gesturing and moving about, I had the feeling that they, nevertheless, were being most careful not to step into that circle of light too suddenly; that if they moved into the light too suddenly, without thinking, they would perish in flame. His face relaxed a little. He had been picked up, the evening before, in a raid on an apartment down-town, for peddling and using heroin. Sonnys life in his sister in-laws family creates conflict due to his behaviors and lack of commitment to his college studies. "I never give Sonny nothing," the boy said finally, "but a long time ago I come to school high and Sonny asked me how it felt." But you are going to find out. When the narrator discusses his students, he says: As his students approach adulthood, they realize how limited their opportunities will be. But wonders can happen! I sensed myself in the presence of something I didn't really know how to handle, didn't understand. 308 qualified specialists online. Find the quotes from Sonny's Blues you need to support your essay or refresh your memory. Throughout the story he struggles to communicate with a brother who refuses to hear him. I'm shocked. He's a high school algebra teacher, and he looks at his young students, wondering which ones are, like Sonny, turning to . The story is a reminder that no matter what difficult situation I might be facing at this given time, there is always hope of redemption. the title of the story is name after the brother of the narrator, it is through the narrators eyes about his brother Sonny. Baldwin is a novelist, poet, and a social critic by profession. SpeedyPaper website, please click below to request its removal: Liked this essay sample but need an original one? "It did.". Sonny's Blues James Baldwin Full Audiobook - YouTube The existing sources represent every character and ideas of the story required by the reader to understand the story. Till the day he died he weren't sure but that every white man he saw was the man that killed his brother.". He read books about people sitting on rocks, naked, in all kinds of weather, but mostly bad, naturally, and walking barefoot through hot coals and arriving at wisdom. Sustana, Catherine. Need an original essay on Close Reading Essay Sample: Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin? Sonny's Blues was written in the first person point of view, who is Sonny's brother. #17. When he was about as old as the boys in my classes his face had been bright and open, there was a lot of copper in it; and hed had wonderfully direct brown eyes, and great gentleness and privacy (Baldwin, 1957, pg. If you haven't cried while reading it, there must be something wrong with you. Sonny's Blues Style, Form, and Literary Elements - eNotes.com A Close Reading of Sonny's Blues. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. Available The story of Sonny is similar to my life in the aspects of family relations aspect. #18. I finished reading last night the story goes straight to your heart, well written.. James Baldwin reminds us that childhood isn't rife with happiness like everyone else paints it, that--for most--life isn't a fairy-tale, but far from it. Only contained the short story Sonny's Blues Sonny's Blues book. The silence of the next few days must have been louder than the sound of all the music ever played since time began. Ernst Klett Sprachen, 2009. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Through the rekindling of a brothers relationships, Baldwin is able to depict Sonny's motivations and aspirations through his flaws, and the way in which his flaws affected his life. "Analysis of "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin." I stared at it in the swinging lights of the subway car, and in the faces and bodies of the people, and in my own face, trapped in the darkness which roared outside. In order of importance, the ideas are family, home, suffering, and drugs. I didn't want to believe that I'd ever see my brother going down, coming to nothing, all that light in his face gone out, in the condition I'd already seen so many others. The historical background that shapes up the setting of the story is relevant and perfect in presenting the relationship between characters and the contextual environment that forces them to behave the way they behave in the story. "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin: A Critical Analysis "I hear you. #34. While Sonny and his eldest brother both are the center of the stories content, Baldwin uses Sonny to represent a challenge to the narrator of the story. Black Music Energizes Black Literature: Blues in James Baldwins Sonnys Blues., Claborn, John. "Sonny's Blues" starts off with an unnamed narrator reading a newspaper. Through this, the author also goes ahead to explore the underlying theme of racism, which is evident in the text. This was also the source of their argument and constant fighting, simply because the narrator could not find anything good with Sonny and his life choices. Throughout the story, darkness is used to symbolize the threats that menace the African-American community. And myself. The author also shows how music and Sonnys problems are attached, as trouble follows him whenever he goes. Jazz music was being revolutionized during this time and was most appreciated for its new attitude of the community bebop fans appreciated the new sound of music and the new attitude of the African American community (Fenfang & Tan 9). #14. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. 2 Pages | 872 Words. Retrieved from https://speedypaper.com/essays/close-reading-essay-sample-sonnys-blues-by-james-baldwin, Free essays can be submitted by anyone, so we do not vouch for their quality. All they really knew were two darknesses, the darkness of their lives, which was now closing in on them, and the darkness of the movies, which had blinded them to that other darkness. After Sonnys return from war, he met with his brother in New York. Can't much help old Sonny no more, I guess, "I'm surprised at Sonny, though," he went on-he had a funny way of talking, he looked straight ahead as though he were talking to himself-"I thought Sonny was a smart boy, I thought he was too smart to get hung. This is a fictional literature work where Baldwin is trying to put it on paper about drugs. While it could easily be seen that racism is one . But now I feel like a man who's been trying to climb up out of some deep, real deep and funky hole and just saw the sun up there, outside. Sonny's Blues presents a fiction genre. Sustana, Catherine. James Baldwin spent most of his adult life living in France, but is widely recognized as an essentially American writer. I felt that in another moment I'd start crying like a child. The light is a sign of redemption at the end of the sufferings. Through the narrators flashback, we are able to find out that the narrator served in the army before becoming an algebra teacher, which according to him was an ideal career path and life decision compared to music. Because I've read this excerpt I want to read the whole book: "All I know about music is that not many people really hear it. It kept melting, sending trickles of ice water all up and down my veins, but it never got less. Fenfang, Mi, and Tan Huijuan. The tale then travels back to Sonny's teenage years and ends up with Sonny living with his brother after his arrest. "I couldn't tell you when Mama died-but the reason I wanted to leave Harlem so bad was to get away from drugs. We're here to answer any questions you have about our services. Baldwin, James. The concepts that make the reasoning possible in Sonny's Blues is the family and the desire of the narrator to make Sonny see sense in whatever he is telling him. Sonnys Blues is not just about Sonny's decisions and struggles but also about how they affect the narrator. ", Though the story is told with music rather than words, the narrator still describes the music as a conversation among the players, and he talks about Creole and Sonny having a "dialogue." Want a quality guarantee? At the end of the story the narrator finally develops a new understanding for his brother, and forgives him. If your specific country is not listed, please select the UK version of the site, as this is best suited to international visitors. Is your time best spent reading someone elses essay? #3. I started down the steps, whistling to keep from crying, I kept whistling to myself. The story is relevant to the world today as many of the youths go through the same situation as that of Sonny. Music plays out as the main theme in the story and gives readers an opportunity to relate by presenting a realistic point of view of Sonnys elder brother, who dislikes the idea of his brother taking music on as a career. Baldwin is also known for exploring cultural and societal issues owing from his experiences as an African American in America during the period of widespread racism and segregation. No one writes about music and solitude as Baldwin does. If you are the original author of this essay and no longer wish to have it published on the Sonny decided to clean up and live with his brother. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! Sonny's Blues Connections and Further Reading - eNotes.com The big windows fool no one, they aren't big enough to make space out of no space. Disclaimer: SpeedyPaper.com is a custom writing service that provides online on-demand writing work for assistance purposes. The narrator accepts the invitation because he wants to understand his brother better. Baldwins Sonnys Blues displays the theme of brotherly love to illustrate, that love can keep a family together no matter how many fights or issues there may be. He also spoke for the civil rights of the Americans. 1 Student's Name Professor's Name Course Title Date James Baldwin's Sonny's Blues James Baldwin was a novelist, essay writer, a Playwright. It was disenchanted, and in this, also, lay the authority of their curses. The first type of darkness is the one that was closing in on their lives, and the one on the movies that is making them not see the other type of darkness (Clark 201). Sonny's Blues makes use of symbolism such as jazz and blues music, imagery such as ice and allegory. It makes you feel sort of warm and cool at the same time. Watch on. And his triumph, when he triumphs, is ours. The central idea about Sonny's Blues is redemption. So you've got to listen. He had made it his: that long line, of which we knew only Mama and Daddy. It looks like a parody of the good, clean, faceless life-God knows the people who live in it do their best to make it a parody. She turned away from me, toward the window again, searching those streets. While Sonny, fell into the depth of his feeling and influences. He frowned and smiled: "In order to keep from shaking to pieces.". He realizes that Sonny is in his element while playing music and that the blues are his way of keeping madness and ruination at bay, as Sonny's life is difficult. I started collecting my stuff. Their laughter struck me for perhaps the first time. for a group? The most prominent message that can be deciphered and recognized in Sonny 's Blues is that the sadness and sorrow that one experiences in their life can bring about many obstacles but it can be countered and used for something greater by a search for understanding and acceptance. Sonnys Blues is a story authored by James Baldwin and published in 1957. For Sonny, the answer to suffering may lie within the darkness, not in escaping it. We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. The story is different from other books as some of the books often straightforward and does not implement the idea of going back and forth to bring the main idea of the story. James Baldwin - Sonny's Blues | Genius The author utilizes conflict, symbolism, and the narrators point of view to give the story a deeper meaning and significance to the story. they were growing up with a rush and their heads bumped abruptly against the low ceiling of their actual possibilities. Literary Essay Sample, Free Paper for Everyone on How to Write College Essay, Free Essay: Patti Smith's Experience in the M Train Book, Literary Essay Sample: "The Singing Lesson" by Katherine Mansfield, "Liars, Liars, Liars": Fiction and Reality in McEwan's Atonement - Free Essay Sample, Free Essay Sample: Religion in Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglas. The story opens with the first-person narrator reading in the newspaper that his younger brother from whom he is estranged has been arrested for selling and using heroin. This story is one of the many stories by James Baldwin. I used to say that it sounded to me as though they were getting away from wisdom as fast as they could. Here's where you will find analysis of the key literary devices in Sonny's Blues.. Biography of Louis Armstrong, Expert Trumpeter and Entertainer, 'Down and Out in Paris and London' Study Guide, A Closer Look at "A Ghost Story" by Mark Twain, Biography of Adam Clayton Powell, Congressman and Activist, Ph.D., English, State University of New York at Albany. In Sonnys Blues, Baldwins shifting portrayal of Harlem mirrors the changing relationship of the two brothers: while both the city and the relationship were originally with dark uncertainty, by the end of the story, the narrator has begun to find peace both within his surroundings and his relationship with his brother. Contact us SpeedyPaper.com 2023 All rights reserved. This paper will analyze and explicate the text by Baldwin through the development and depiction of the theme of music presented in the short story. A teacher passed through them every now and again, quickly, as though he or she couldn't wait to get out of that courtyard, to get those boys out of their sight and off their minds. Sonnys ambition to become a jazz pianist points him into an opposite direction than his brother, and into a place where the common suffering is handled with drugs and music. So now naturally, when I read a published writer, I automatically zone in on that one word, that, and the word "thing. After a couple of weeks, Sonny invites the narrator to come to hear him play piano at a nightclub. From there, they exchanged several letters. This narrator recently discovered the arrest of his younger brother for the accusations of selling and using heroin. In this case, that sort of thing being nearly perfectly crafted fiction. But don't you forget what I told you, you hear?". So I got mad and then he got mad, and then I told him that he might just as well be dead as live the way he was living. James Baldwin As An Author Of Sonny's Blues - Edubirdie His younger brother Sonny is a troubled musician struggling with his addiction to drugs. This story is as much about family and brotherhood and the relationship between these two men as it is about the character of. And how about you? In "Sonny's Blues" theme, form, and image blend into perfect harmony just like a bebop jazz rift. In the story two key characters, Sonny and the narrator, face several tribulations. The supportive older musician Creole "erupt[s] out of all that atmospheric lighting" and tells Sonny, "I been sitting right here waiting for you." Although both characters were different they found an understanding by trying to feel what each other were feeling. Additionally, the story through the use of literary skills brings out the struggles that were faced in families and associations in relation to moral values and familial responsibilities. The narrator laments that many of them may already be using drugs, just as Sonny did, and that perhaps the drugs will do "more for them than algebra could." Sonny's Blues: Study Guide | SparkNotes Yet, there was no battle in his face now, I heard what he had gone through, and would continue to go through until he came to rest in earth. Additionally, the narrator noted that Sonnys friends and fellow musicians were polite and respectful people, contrary to his perceptions about music as a culture and musicians, I was introduced to all of Sonnys friends and they were polite people (Baldwin 44). It brings to the attention of the reader that no matter what one goes through, there is always hope. For several months after the arrest, the narrator does not contact Sonny. Sonny's Blues - James Baldwin - YouTube As a young African American male born in Harlem, sonny is aware of the limits and obstacles he faces. Yet, it was clear that, for them I was only Sonny's brother. The author is positive towards the idea of redemption as he believes that there is light in the darkness they were facing. I tell you one thing, though, I'd rather blow my brains out than go through this again. Sonny accepts it and gives a nod of approval to his brother across the room. #2. Having been born and raised in New York's Harlem district, he was intimately familiar with the sights and sounds that appeared in his stories even though he'd put an entire ocean between them. The story seems at first to be about the ways that the narrator tries to help and instruct Sonny. The two brothers then stay in constant communication. Darkness, "Sonny's Blues", and Light "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin is about two brothers, Sonny and the unnamed narrator. Sonnys Bebop: Baldwins Blues Text as Intracultural Critique.. He came by the house from time to time, but we fought almost every time we met. What I love most about this short story is how well this can be adapted into so many lives and how painful any kind of addiction can be and how tragic and life-changing it is to overcome it. Go to BN.com to get your copy of these helpful resources. Harlem, Communal Affect, and the Great Migration Narrative in James Baldwins Sonnys Blues., Clark, Michael. I guess she saw this in my face. Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER! #23. about it in the paper, in the subway, on my way to work. They are reconciled when Sonnys daughter Grace dies and the narrator seeks him out to make amends. Through this, we are able to tell that the narrator felt entitled to choose the life he wanted for Sonny. Sonnys Blues incorporates racial frustration, self-expression, avoidance, lightness/darkness and symbolic nature of music. This is a really powerful book in which everyone should read. Yet, as the cab moved uptown through streets which seemed, with a rush, to darken with dark people, and as I covertly studied Sonny's face, 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. It is also a fictional account of some of the life experiences of the author, himself an American Negro. James Baldwin establishes this implication through the use of his characters; the narrator, Sonny, and the singer seen on the street. The story opens on the unnamed narrator, who has just read in the newspaper that his little brother Sonny was arrested for using and selling heroin. I couldn't believe it: but what I mean by that is that I couldn't find any room for it anywhere inside me. You walk these streets, black and funky and cold, and there's not really a living ass to talk to, and there's nothing shaking, and there's no way of getting it out- that storm inside. But the man who creates the music is hearing something else, is dealing with the roar rising from the void and imposing order on it as it hits the air. Oh, yes. Then he stood up and he told me not to worry about him any more in life, that he was dead as far as I was concerned. Title story: What an astounding piece of literature. It's what they've come from. In James Baldwin's short story, Sonnys Blues, the reader should understand and visualize the historical context in order to understand the world being presented. This story was written by James Baldwin, in 1957. Enhance your understanding of Sonny's Blues by learning more about James Baldwin as well as about historical contextfor this short story. 202 Dr. Hadley Mozer 2/10/17 The short story that I chose to write a literary analysis on is James Baldwin's Sonny's Blues. Freedom lurked around us and I understood, at last, that he could help us to be free if we would listen, that he would never be free until we did. Starting off, a summary of the story and its major themes should be provided. After going through all the trouble, Sonny was a great musician and he loved to play music more than anything. Discount, Discount Code As we continue to observe the impressive short story, we find the most recurring theme to be that of sorrow. Copyright 2003 - 2023 - UKEssays is a trading name of Business Bliss Consultants FZE, a company registered in United Arab Emirates. The imprisonment aspect of Sonny does not, therefore, relate to my life. I read the book before the essay was due, and it made it soo much easier to answer the prompt. As described, music is associated with darkness by the narrator because he does not see any future following a career in music and the fact that music is filled with immoral life, such as drug abuse. It's on "a short, dark street," and the narrator tells us that "the lights were very dim in this room and we couldn't see.". It was the beginning of the spring and the sap was rising in the boys. "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin | Free Essay Example partly like a dog, partly like a cunning child. And even then, on the rare occasions when something opens within, and the music enters, what we mainly hear, or hear corroborated, are personal, private, vanishing evocations. ", I said: "But there's no way not to suffer-is there. The reader has to comprehend the harsh life of a male African-American who struggles with his dreams and drug addiction sometime around early 1957. That's all." James Baldwin is a renowned author best known for his work of essays, books and short stories, particularly those which dwell deeply into important social and psychological issues of discrimination, gender inequality, homophobia and so on. 4.3 Discussion #5: Baldwin: "Sonny's Blues" Discussion #5: Baldwin: "Sonny's Blues" Consider James Baldwin's story, "Sonny's Blues" and answer the following questions in detail, using text to support your discussion. You're pretty goddamn smart, I bet.". In James Baldwin's short story "Sonny's Blues" there is a large array of symbolism. Harlem plays a crucial role in this short story, because it is depicted as place where the narrator and his brother must struggle to escape the hustle and bustle of their own reality.