Sonney Blues
chad Floyd 1
2/7/12
English 102
Professor Kathy Lynch
Sonny Blues
In “Sonny’s Blues”, the theme of poverty is characterized by the poverty of Harlem Youth’s spirit. The story focuses on the relationship between two brothers at various stages of their lives. The events of the story focus on the building of understanding between Sonny and his older brother, the narrator. Even though the story focuses on Sonny’s life, I understand his brother’s reactions to and about Sonny’s actions broaden the scope of the story to include the brother’s life as well. Baldwin uses this double focus to bring out one of his most important themes,” the growing understanding between estranged brothers”
In Sonny's Blues, the narrator is self-reflecting his experiences with various family members such as his mother and his younger brother, Sonny. Sonny and the narrator are brothers with a 7 year difference between them. The narrator was disappointed with Sonny at first due to his interest in becoming a musician. He thought it was a phase he was Sonny was going through and maybe it would pass. The narrator patronized Sonny with his insincere interest in music at first until it angered Sonny and he told his brother "don't do me any favors by telling me what to do with my life.
Floyd 2
In an extended flashback, the narrator recalls how Sonny and their father used to fight with each other because they were so similar in spirit. He remembers the last day he saw his mother while on leave from the army, when she told him to watch out for his brother. She told him that when his father was a young man, he watched his own brother get run down by a car full of white men who never bothered to stop. The experience traumatized and damaged the narrator’s father for the rest of his life.
After that conversation with his mother, the narrator went back into the army and didn’t think about
2/7/12
English 102
Professor Kathy Lynch
Sonny Blues
In “Sonny’s Blues”, the theme of poverty is characterized by the poverty of Harlem Youth’s spirit. The story focuses on the relationship between two brothers at various stages of their lives. The events of the story focus on the building of understanding between Sonny and his older brother, the narrator. Even though the story focuses on Sonny’s life, I understand his brother’s reactions to and about Sonny’s actions broaden the scope of the story to include the brother’s life as well. Baldwin uses this double focus to bring out one of his most important themes,” the growing understanding between estranged brothers”
In Sonny's Blues, the narrator is self-reflecting his experiences with various family members such as his mother and his younger brother, Sonny. Sonny and the narrator are brothers with a 7 year difference between them. The narrator was disappointed with Sonny at first due to his interest in becoming a musician. He thought it was a phase he was Sonny was going through and maybe it would pass. The narrator patronized Sonny with his insincere interest in music at first until it angered Sonny and he told his brother "don't do me any favors by telling me what to do with my life.
Floyd 2
In an extended flashback, the narrator recalls how Sonny and their father used to fight with each other because they were so similar in spirit. He remembers the last day he saw his mother while on leave from the army, when she told him to watch out for his brother. She told him that when his father was a young man, he watched his own brother get run down by a car full of white men who never bothered to stop. The experience traumatized and damaged the narrator’s father for the rest of his life.
After that conversation with his mother, the narrator went back into the army and didn’t think about