Symbolism In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin
Scott
ENGL 102
Module 3 Essay
Assessing Essay
"Sonny's Blues"
"Sonny's Blues" is a heartfelt story written by an incredible author, James Baldwin, who has long been one of my favorite writers. This piece, like many of his others, details the plight of African Americans freeing themselves from the mental bondages of their surroundings, the ghetto. This story tells us about two brothers, their individual flight from their repressed surroundings and their eventual unification as brothers through the powerful language and musical art knows as jazz. The title of the story "Sonny's Blues" is an excellent use of symbolism. The term "blues" accurately depicts the bondage and plight of Sonny and his brother as Black men in a white society, it is used as a method of discussing Sonny's struggles with his addiction, and it personifying as the Sonny's aspirations of a jazz career. Baldwin frequently writes in the first person, and this piece is no …show more content…
His struggles are much different than his brothers. He is not able to cope with the demands of society and flees physically from his ghetto surroundings. He also flees mentally to an altered state of consciousness produced by using heroin. Although the story is not written through Sonny's voice, we are able to understand the pain of his addition as it is articulated through and to his brother. The older brother is not well versed in the consequences of the drug world; he does not understand the nature of addiction. In a conversation with one of Sonny's buddies he posses the question, "Tell me why does he want to die? He must want to die, he's killing himself, why does he want to die?" The response of "He don't want to die. He wants to live. Don't nobody want to die, ever." does not extinguish the burning questions that the brother maintains regarding Sonny's addictive life
ENGL 102
Module 3 Essay
Assessing Essay
"Sonny's Blues"
"Sonny's Blues" is a heartfelt story written by an incredible author, James Baldwin, who has long been one of my favorite writers. This piece, like many of his others, details the plight of African Americans freeing themselves from the mental bondages of their surroundings, the ghetto. This story tells us about two brothers, their individual flight from their repressed surroundings and their eventual unification as brothers through the powerful language and musical art knows as jazz. The title of the story "Sonny's Blues" is an excellent use of symbolism. The term "blues" accurately depicts the bondage and plight of Sonny and his brother as Black men in a white society, it is used as a method of discussing Sonny's struggles with his addiction, and it personifying as the Sonny's aspirations of a jazz career. Baldwin frequently writes in the first person, and this piece is no …show more content…
His struggles are much different than his brothers. He is not able to cope with the demands of society and flees physically from his ghetto surroundings. He also flees mentally to an altered state of consciousness produced by using heroin. Although the story is not written through Sonny's voice, we are able to understand the pain of his addition as it is articulated through and to his brother. The older brother is not well versed in the consequences of the drug world; he does not understand the nature of addiction. In a conversation with one of Sonny's buddies he posses the question, "Tell me why does he want to die? He must want to die, he's killing himself, why does he want to die?" The response of "He don't want to die. He wants to live. Don't nobody want to die, ever." does not extinguish the burning questions that the brother maintains regarding Sonny's addictive life