Clark believes that sorrow is turned into pure emotion and Sonny's music becomes an expression of history (31). The most obvious part of that statement is that Sonny does turn his music into his emotions. This is how his music seems so real to his brother. As his brother pointed out, while he sat and listened to Sonny at the club, he made it his own. As Sonny took control the other musicians gathered around him and they seemed to be encouraging him on, saying amen every now and then, as if he were speaking some words they desperately believed in.
James Marinez ENG 121 September 29, 2013 Prof. Paul Sonny’s Blues, a short story written by James Baldwin, is about the emotional hardships that two brothers are urged to come to an agreement with. Setting during post World War II in Harlem, New York, the narrator is first seen as a character who has many battles to face within himself and the outside world, mainly his brother, Sonny, and his drug addiction. Upon learning his brother’s troubles with the government, the narrator is forced to deal with their lifestyle differences, put aside their hostility for each other, and learn to take care of his younger sibling. Although the two brothers are constantly fighting in the beginning of the short story, it is clearly seen that towards the end both become at peace with one’s inner self
In James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues", Baldwin tells us about two brothers, Sonny and his brother. The relationship they share and how they
The songs or hymns lyrics “Tis the old ship of Zion...it has rescued many a thousand” (425) that the narrator hears outside his window as he is about to search sonny’s room, relates to both the narrator and Sonny. This song relates to It relates, also, to the narrator because it saved the narrator from making a mistake that would have cost him the trust of his brother, who is trying to change his life. However, it is not until the narrator goes to see Sonny perform, in which he plays Am I blue, that the narrator understands his brother and his passion for jazz. He writes: “I understood, at last, that he could help us to be free if we would
Sonny’s blues The effect of art on to the audience The acceptance came into full circle when he was listening to the music and watching Sonny play and express himeself on the piano. Where the older brother was disappointed in Sonny's choice of being a musician, he now embraces it. The narrator loves his brother and his love is unconditional. By listening to Sonny play the jazz music, the narrator was able to change his attitude about life, himself, and most of all, Sonny's choice He watches all his brother’s struggles come pouring out as he plays, and only then does he finally realize who Sonny is and what he’s made of. nlike Sonny, the narrator has a difficult time expressing his ideas and emotions, and only when his young daughter dies
This quote show the idea of being an innocent child during a very rough time was more than many young men could cling on to. The narrator was able to escape from the lifestyle many of his childhood friends fell into but another hand Sonny, the narrator’s brother, was not as fortunate moving on into his adulthood. Although Sonny have chosen a worse path than his brother, he eventually is able to let the light that was in him shine through the darkness that surrounded him with music and everyone else he know. In the end of the story, the narrator is sitting in a dark corner while Sonny's first piano accompaniment tells the story of his struggles. With the help of Creole, Sonny's second selection tells a brighter story of the real Sonny and the good that lies within him.
Mayo 1 Angela Mayo Brian Linville English 103 September 13, 2011 Sonny’s Blues Sonny's Blues is a story about two brothers lives shown through extreme circumstances of growing up in the ghettos of Harlem, who struggle to understand each other. James Baldwin writes about the brothers ultimate goal to repair their relationship, that has been turned upside down ultimately because of their harsh surroundings. Over time, they begin to understand each other for who they are, rather than who they want each other to be. The overall theme of the story is not necessarily to be your “brothers keeper”, but to just be there for your brother. Not just in the physical regards or controlling ways, but mentally and emotionally available.
It starts at the beginning of your life and it will end with your life. “Blues is an art in process and in that respect alien from any conception of fixed and ideal forms. This will not justify weaknesses in an artist’s work, but insofar as Baldwin identifies his writing with the art of the singers of Blues it suggests why he is devoted to representation of successive moments of expressive feeling and comparatively less concerned with achieving a consistent overall structure” (Reilly, 145). Once again music is the art of communication between the brothers. Once the narrator actually listens to Sonny play he finally understands Sonny’s pain and what is going on with him.
The Powers of Music: “Sonny’s Blues” In the short story, “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin the author depicts how a child growing up in a bad neighborhood, the loss of parents, and drug addiction to heroin can cause many harsh realities in one’s life. The main characters include the narrator, which is the unnamed older brother of Sonny, and Sonny whom has been in and out of trouble while battling addiction to heroin. However, in “Sonny’s Blues” the narrator demonstrates that music can be used as an effective way to cope with suffering. After the death of their mother the narrator is left responsible for his younger brother, Sonny; however, the only problem is that Sonny’s brother is currently enlisted in the Army thousands of miles away.
Eugene Cooper English 1020 29 January 2015 Sonny’s Blues Analysis The Harlem Renaissance was a movement in the 1920s through which African-American musicians embraced black heritage and culture in American life. The author was concerned about his older brother being caught in the drug addiction of heroin and crack that had made the front cover of the daily newspaper. After receiving countless letters from his brother in prison, one day he is released from prison and comes to dinner at his house. A memory from their childhood days in Harlem starts to take a toll on this unnamed character. Flashbacks of his mother saying, “Watch over your brother”, and “Protect your brother”.