Preview

Pephony In James Baldwin's Sonny

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
238 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Pephony In James Baldwin's Sonny
As Sonny’s brother is walking through the streets he hears his brother was arrested for possession of heroin. This ends up furthering his disapproval. He jumps to the conclusion that Sonny has just given up on his life and that he will not amount to anything in the future. Sonny’s brother also learns of Sonny’s aspiration of being a musician. He links the use of drugs to the music and is rather dissatisfied. He believes he knows what is better for his brother’s life. As the short story comes to an end, Sonny causes his brother to experience an epiphany. Sonny desperately wants his brother to understand that he is not a failure and that he has a valid reason for using drugs. That reason is suffering. Sonny believes that in order to achieve

Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Suffering In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin
    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Suffering In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin

    James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” explores the narrator’s and Sonny’s roles in their fraternal relationship. After their mother’s death, the narrator assumes a parental role while Sonny matures and grows more independent. This causes Sonny to run away from home in search of control over his own life. Baldwin puts his characters through immense suffering.…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Suffering In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin
    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Suffering In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin

    The brothers appear to be completely different people throughout the story but nearing its end, Sonny’s brother finally begins to understand Sonny’s bizarre ways. Sonny’s brother seems to be living a sound life on the outside, but soon realizes that he has been suppressing the suffering he has endured in his lifetime. Having lost his uncle, mother and father already, Sonny is dealing with the recent…

    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Sonny's Blues Literary Analysis Essay
    • 1136 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Sonny's Blues Literary Analysis Essay

    He believed that Sonny was never in touch with reality, nor was he intrigued at all by Sonny’s ludicrous goal to become a jazz musician. It is not until the narrator decides to go watch Sonny play the piano at the nightclub that he realizes why Sonny loves to play and what exactly Sonny has been through. As a result, the narrator was able to experience Sonny’s life story through his music. “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”(275). Through Sonny’s music the narrator gains understanding in why Sonny was so determined and passionate towards becoming a jazz…

    • 1136 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Story Analysis: Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin
    • 1429 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Story Analysis: Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin

    James Baldwin’s short story “Sonny’s Blues” displays a lot of take to heart messages that we could learn from. Throughout this story we got a firsthand look at what a teenager’s life in Harlem looks like. It is told from the perspective of Sonny’s younger brother who is an algebra teacher in high school. Towards the beginning of the reading the narrator expresses concern about the root issue contributing to Sonny’s problems; Horse, otherwise known as Heroin. He states “I was sure that the first time Sonny had ever had horse, he couldn’t have been much older than these boys now”, (Baldwin 22). This sentence makes a wide-spread drug problem in their community evident. As any writer does Baldwin…

    • 1429 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Sonny's Blues Literary Analysis Essay
    • 434 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Sonny's Blues Literary Analysis Essay

    Sonny’s brother was in a dark place after suffering this loss, which made him sympathize with Sonny. This tragedy helped the brother reach out to Sonny so that he could make amends for their long separation. At this point, Sonny’s brother tries to understand all that has transpired in Sonny’s life to get some clarity why Sonny went down this dark path. Sonny’s brother makes sense of Sonny’s struggles to help the reader piece together a complete picture of Sonny’s life.…

    • 434 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Brotherhood In Sonny's Blues, By James Baldwin
    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Brotherhood In Sonny's Blues, By James Baldwin

    Sonny's brother was very skeptical and decided that supporting his brother was the most important thing to do at this point in their lives. When the older brother heard Sonny play and saw the way people responded to Sonny he realized this is his little brothers passion and life. "There was a long pause, while they talked up in their indigo light and after awhile I saw the girl put a Scotch and milk on top of the piano for Sonny. He didn't seem to notice it, just before they started playing again, he sipped from it and looked toward me, and nodded. Then he put it back on top of the piano. For me, then, as they began to play again, it glowed and shook above my brother's head like the very cup of trembling." This particular scene symbolizes that the feud is over and that the past is gone. Also, that Sonny has finally seen the light and will fight his battle with a heroin addiction and beat it because he knows that he…

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Does James Baldwin Characterize In Sonny's Blues '?
    • 1389 Words
    • 6 Pages

    What Does James Baldwin Characterize In Sonny's Blues '?

    Racism is one of the world’s most horrible problems. Racism is one race seeing another race as infernal to their race or seeing their race as weak. Some white racist were harsh to the African American race because of their skin being colored during the 1800s. Some white sees the African American race as "non-human." Racism can be to any race. In the story "Sonny's Blues" the narrator's uncle got killed by a car crashing into him. The people that hit his uncle were white drunk men although they didn’t mean to do it they drove away when they crashed into him. Those white men didn’t really care what happened to his uncle those white people; left him for death. In the story “Sonny’s Blues” James Baldwin argues that race limits what…

    • 1389 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Drug Abuse In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin
    • 573 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Drug Abuse In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin

    When the brother came back from leave for his mothers’ funeral, he had sat down to speak to Sonny. When he found out that all he wanted to be was a musician, the narrator “couldn't see why on earth he'd want to spend his time hanging around nightclubs, clowning around on bandstands, while people pushed each other around a dance floor.” Sonny was “deeply hurt” when he realized his brother didn’t understand him. The narrator neglected his ways of thinking and thought he was experiencing adolescence. The narrator didn’t just neglect his ways of thinking for the future, but also never listened to what Sonny had to say about anything to try and better him. For example, he wanted to join the army or the navy to get away from the bad streets of…

    • 573 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Compare and Contrast of “Sonny’s Blues” and “Everyday Use”
    • 862 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Compare and Contrast of “Sonny’s Blues” and “Everyday Use”

    In the story “Sonny’s Blues,” Harlem was the home and place where Sonny grew up. In Harlem most people lived very poor lives and were consumed by drugs and addictions. In this place the people lived life struggling socially and economically. Sonny felt trapped within his neighborhood, this was a place where people did not have much of a chance to succeed. Sonny proclaimed to his brother from his heart how he did not want to live in Harlem anymore. He did not want to stay and live in this place where he would be tempted to do drugs. He felt that he would find temptation with drugs in his life because he was constantly surrounded by people who were doing drugs and had become addicted to them. The political system brought upon Sonny lots of frustration and anger which prevented him from…

    • 862 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Sonny's Life Quotes And Analysis
    • 737 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Sonny's Life Quotes And Analysis

    He goes through some hard times especially because he faces the loss of his daughter Grace. This is one thing that makes him realize that he still has his brother out there and that Sonny needs him. In the other hand Sonny now feels that he has accomplish so much in his life that he doesn’t really need his brother anymore, especially when he has left him alone for so long. He has been able to overcome his heroin addiction and even though he goes down at times and feels depress he still brings himself out and moves on. Sonny has struggle in life but he knows that he already felt in that black hole of prison and doesn’t want to experience that again. Sonny tries hard in his life to preserve his freedom and stay away from anything that can cause him any trouble, after the bad experience he had.…

    • 737 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Biblical Elements In James Baldwin's Biblical Literary Work
    • 1496 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Biblical Elements In James Baldwin's Biblical Literary Work

    First, the death of his baby girl Grace which lead to the greetings by letter to his younger sibling whom he seemed to fail. Second, his failure to fulfill his mother’s request on her death bed, as he so graciously promised to care for his brother.Sonny on the other hand, after being released from prison wants to be set free from the life he chose earlier in his life. That is drugs, addictions, and his love for prison bars. Later on in the story, both brothers received the salvation they sought after.…

    • 1496 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Sonny's Blue Analysis
    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Sonny's Blue Analysis

    For example, Both brother had great heart and both had great bond. If they did not have that kind of bond, after releasing from the prison Sonny could have changed and could have lose contact with his brother. Instead of doing those things he got back to home and his brother helped him to choose his career after all. After reading the story, I thought Sonny overcame his fear and struggle because of his brothers presence and support however, reading the secondary source made me realized it was not because of his brother he overcome his fear. It was because he did not think he could start music again because of the long gap of time. Another thing I analysed wrong was that, drugs help him to forget his pain and past. However, the secondary source said that after music, drug is the only way helped him to escape, make him control himself and makes him warm and cool at the same time. He became addicted to drug after music and music was the only survivor for me. I did not know that Sony could not survive without music. From the secondary source it says, “Sonny makes it clear that his involvement with music is what sustains him.” Meaning music is the only hope for him to live his life. Either he needs his music otherwise drug. And this made his brother realize that its hard for me to see him like that and drug is ruining his life. In order to get Sonny back I need to be happy for him and let him be what he wanted to be. If music makes him happy then I will be happy for him and will support him for his…

    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin
    • 321 Words
    • 1 Page

    Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin

    Throughout the story Sonny’s brother tells the audience many different stories from when they were younger to the time they grew up. The death of their parents had an impact on both their lives and it ultimately what lead them to grow apart from one another. “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.” This quotes shows that both Sonny and his brother seem to be looking for a way to make their lives better in this story and it seems that in their own way they try to retrieve some of their past to deal with that happened to their lives and find a way to deal with it and go…

    • 321 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Sonny's Blues - Baldwin Personal Reflection
    • 1210 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Sonny's Blues - Baldwin Personal Reflection

    Although Sonny being a heroin addict was only a secondary point, it still played a very important role in the story. As I was reading “Sonny’s Blues” I would unintentionally relate parts of the story to things that happened in my life. For example, When Sonny is released from prison, the narrator (Sonny’s brother) says, “Yet, when he smiled, when we shook hands, the baby brother I’d never known looked out from the depths of his private life, like an animal waiting to be coaxed into the light.”(Baldwin). The narrator is pointing out that his brother he never actually is out of jail. While Sonny was in prison, he was trapped, and now that he is physically free, his brother questions whether he is free from the drug addiction and the feeling of sorrow. This moment in the…

    • 1210 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Sonny's Blues
    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Sonny's Blues

    Throughout this novella, Sonny’s brother works towards the goal of rekindling his relationship with Sonny, in order to set him free of his drug abuse. He makes the claim “But there’s no need…is there? In killing yourself?” (Baldwin 59) referring to Sonny’s drug abuse in his musical escapes. A series of flashbacks formulate the structure of the story, which can help us understand the dynamics of the characters as well as the theme. James Baldwin uses the vicious cycle of flashbacks in order to trap the reader. Earlier in the story, Sonny’s brother recalls a moment he had talking to his mother about his uncle’s death. This moment illustrated a crucial example of how black people were greatly oppressed in that era. “Till the day he died, your daddy weren’t sure but that every white man he saw was the man that killed his brother” (Baldwin 76). Sonny, the troubled protagonist seeks an escape his societal reality of oppression “…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). Sonny was using heroin to feel in control of what is going on around him because in reality, he was not in control what so ever. When people aren’t given control over their perceived destiny, people have to do…

    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More