Essay On Self Identity In Beloved And Sonny's Blues
There are many people who are forced to live a lifestyle much different from what they’d ever dreamed of. These people are forced to live such lives as a result of multiple aspects of the individual’s identity. “Beloved” and “Sonny’s Blues” are both stories in which characters are affected by both race and class and need an answer to help erase the painful life situations in which they live. Within both “Beloved” and “Sonny’s Blues” self-identity and actualization are positively influenced by the community to help overcome the results of the intersection of identities as both black and poor people in society. As a result of, slavery, many families were separated, stripped of their freedom and ultimately forced to live and work in unhealthy conditions. Those who were often
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chosen to be slaves were innocent poor, black individuals who were had no power to deny the forced reliving. While many aspects may affect people’s or group’s fates in life, two are racism and class. Within “Beloved” the family who live in 124 as well as Paul D, Baby Suggs and other characters are greatly impacted by their forced experiences with slavery. One does not simply recover from the harsh treatment slavery consisted of overnight, it is a process to recovery. However, community is what keeps these people going and is what allows them to discover their self-identity and actualization in life. It is when Denver escapes 124 for the real world, she realizes her true significance within society as a result of the community. She had been living part of her life in the loud, cruel house of 124 amongst individuals who were caught up in their past experiences with nowhere to go. Denver who had once been scared of the world outside of 124, changes. Instead of falling under the same boat as the others, she feels a sense of purpose and drive to become something of herself and receive help for her family back at 124. Without any help 124 would continue to have been labeled as the problem filled poor house within the community where grumpy former slaves lived. Denver, a former slave herself, receives educational lessons from Miss Bodwin and as a result hopes to one day go to College. It is the influence of Miss Bodwin and the community that changes Denver and ultimately those in 124 by using the pain and suffering felt from the past to create for a better, worthwhile future. Baby Suggs holding sermons at the clearing brings the black community together in hope to overcome the effects of slavery.
It’s often beneficial for groups of people who have experienced similar situations in life to unite together to share in conversation. One topic that Baby Suggs preaches to the black community on is the need to love their body and who they, “You got to love it. This is flesh I’m talking about here. Flesh that needs to be loved,” (pg. 104). Despite how they were treated in the past Baby Suggs preaches in hope to help others recognize their self-identity and actualization as poor, black members in society. Poverty and lack of choices may result in societies turning to drug abuse and unhealthy living. People who struggle with drug abuse and unhealthy living may additionally be marginalized by society due to their class and race. Drugs may be the stereotypical thing to do if you were black and poor. Drugs were used as an escape from the situations they lived in. This was made evident within the city of Harlem in “Sunny’s Blues.” Despite the difficult circumstances, the community comes together to watch over and take care of one another and their individual
struggles. Street meetings were a regular occurrence within the city of Harlem. It was within these meetings where people certainly probably made drug deals from time to time, although the meetings also brought the community together to enjoy one another and discuss the issues people faced in their own individual lives. It was during one of these meetings that the narrator explained the sight he saw, “It was strange, suddenly, to watch, though I had been seeing these street meetings all my life…As the singing filled the air the watching, listening faces underwent a change, the eyes focusing on something within; the music seemed to soothe a poison out of them,” (pg. 42). The community was brought together to enjoy the music. The change they had experienced together while they listened to the music would not have occurred if they were selling drugs on the street. It was during these time’s that people took their minds off real world situations and spent and enjoyed time together. The narrator feels as though he has a job to do when his mother asks him to take care of his brother, Sonny. Sonny who had struggled with drug abuse and imprisonment throughout his life finds his peace through playing Jazz music. Sonny falls in love with playing the piano, however his family often gets annoyed by his constant playing. The narrator had never supported Sonny’s interest in becoming a Jazz musician, until he finally opens his ears and takes in the talent that Sonny had for a long while withheld. “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,” (pg. 48). The sense of freedom was brought to the drug abused and poverty stricken Harlem when Sonny played in front of the community. Little had the narrator known that music and community had been Sonny’s escape from the troubled drug abused life that he had for so long endured. A group of people who share common goals, values and truly care for one another is what makes up a community. Community is what allows people to overcome whatever aspects may prevent them from living the lives they wish to pursue. Within “Beloved” and “Sonny’s Blues” community plays an extremely important role for individuals and groups of people who struggle to find their self-identity and actualization because of race and class. For both groups of characters in both stories, the experiences of slavery and drug abuse have potential to be forgotten about as long as the community works and believes in each other.
chosen to be slaves were innocent poor, black individuals who were had no power to deny the forced reliving. While many aspects may affect people’s or group’s fates in life, two are racism and class. Within “Beloved” the family who live in 124 as well as Paul D, Baby Suggs and other characters are greatly impacted by their forced experiences with slavery. One does not simply recover from the harsh treatment slavery consisted of overnight, it is a process to recovery. However, community is what keeps these people going and is what allows them to discover their self-identity and actualization in life. It is when Denver escapes 124 for the real world, she realizes her true significance within society as a result of the community. She had been living part of her life in the loud, cruel house of 124 amongst individuals who were caught up in their past experiences with nowhere to go. Denver who had once been scared of the world outside of 124, changes. Instead of falling under the same boat as the others, she feels a sense of purpose and drive to become something of herself and receive help for her family back at 124. Without any help 124 would continue to have been labeled as the problem filled poor house within the community where grumpy former slaves lived. Denver, a former slave herself, receives educational lessons from Miss Bodwin and as a result hopes to one day go to College. It is the influence of Miss Bodwin and the community that changes Denver and ultimately those in 124 by using the pain and suffering felt from the past to create for a better, worthwhile future. Baby Suggs holding sermons at the clearing brings the black community together in hope to overcome the effects of slavery.
It’s often beneficial for groups of people who have experienced similar situations in life to unite together to share in conversation. One topic that Baby Suggs preaches to the black community on is the need to love their body and who they, “You got to love it. This is flesh I’m talking about here. Flesh that needs to be loved,” (pg. 104). Despite how they were treated in the past Baby Suggs preaches in hope to help others recognize their self-identity and actualization as poor, black members in society. Poverty and lack of choices may result in societies turning to drug abuse and unhealthy living. People who struggle with drug abuse and unhealthy living may additionally be marginalized by society due to their class and race. Drugs may be the stereotypical thing to do if you were black and poor. Drugs were used as an escape from the situations they lived in. This was made evident within the city of Harlem in “Sunny’s Blues.” Despite the difficult circumstances, the community comes together to watch over and take care of one another and their individual
struggles. Street meetings were a regular occurrence within the city of Harlem. It was within these meetings where people certainly probably made drug deals from time to time, although the meetings also brought the community together to enjoy one another and discuss the issues people faced in their own individual lives. It was during one of these meetings that the narrator explained the sight he saw, “It was strange, suddenly, to watch, though I had been seeing these street meetings all my life…As the singing filled the air the watching, listening faces underwent a change, the eyes focusing on something within; the music seemed to soothe a poison out of them,” (pg. 42). The community was brought together to enjoy the music. The change they had experienced together while they listened to the music would not have occurred if they were selling drugs on the street. It was during these time’s that people took their minds off real world situations and spent and enjoyed time together. The narrator feels as though he has a job to do when his mother asks him to take care of his brother, Sonny. Sonny who had struggled with drug abuse and imprisonment throughout his life finds his peace through playing Jazz music. Sonny falls in love with playing the piano, however his family often gets annoyed by his constant playing. The narrator had never supported Sonny’s interest in becoming a Jazz musician, until he finally opens his ears and takes in the talent that Sonny had for a long while withheld. “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,” (pg. 48). The sense of freedom was brought to the drug abused and poverty stricken Harlem when Sonny played in front of the community. Little had the narrator known that music and community had been Sonny’s escape from the troubled drug abused life that he had for so long endured. A group of people who share common goals, values and truly care for one another is what makes up a community. Community is what allows people to overcome whatever aspects may prevent them from living the lives they wish to pursue. Within “Beloved” and “Sonny’s Blues” community plays an extremely important role for individuals and groups of people who struggle to find their self-identity and actualization because of race and class. For both groups of characters in both stories, the experiences of slavery and drug abuse have potential to be forgotten about as long as the community works and believes in each other.