Music: An Analysis Of Sonny's Blues

The Influence of Music: An analysis of Sonny’s Blues Throughout history, humanities have been used as a way to soothe the masses. In the ancient and Middle Ages, exposure to art and literature was limited to wealthy since they were the only ones with enough riches to appreciate the classic works. The plebeian masses were mainly illiterate and because of this music was one of the only sources of entertainment that they had at their disposal. Over time music became a way to unite people, in the Middle Ages the Gregorian Chant was used by the Catholic Church to enhance their services and bring congregations together. Confined to the church music grew stagnant and it wasn’t until the 12th and 13th centuries that it began to break away, becoming

While widely accepted as a bridge that connects cultures and spans the language barrier, music has often been colored in a poor light. An instance in where the language barrier is spanned in the text is when Sonny’s brother points out that Sonny had never been much of a talker. About how Sonny used music to convey messages and emotions that in most instances he would never openly verbalize. Music is often as a scapegoat by many who feel that its content has the ability to change the minds of America’s youth, there have been many attempts in the past century to censor and ban music with explicit content. However in Sonny’s Blues music is used as a positive way of expression between Sonny and his brother. In the last few paragraphs of the text Sonny’s brother finally gets a glimpse at the person his brother really is, a moment of understanding passes between them. Something that in previous conversations neither brother was able to experience, Sonny’s brother could never understand why Sonny did the things that he did. The drugs, the drinking and other things that destroy a person’s body, his lack of understanding was evident when he came to the conclusion that anyone who uses drugs or does the things that Sonny and his friends do want to kill themselves. Sonny’s brother is rational, he 's an algebra teacher,

In 1995, Ballard and Coates reported that “neither the lyrical content nor the music type affected suicidal ideation, anxiety, or self-esteem” (Journal Of Humanistic Counseling, Education & Development 1) Music itself has been used as a form of therapy in of residential and adult day care centers it’s been reported that music had been the cause of elevated or depressed moods. This suggests that music is an effective technique in therapeutic interventions and should be incorporated more thoroughly in medical and psychiatric practices. Experimental studies conducted by Prickett in 1988 have documented the effects of music on individuals as they interact with the environment. Participants of the study were reported to have shown increases in their expression of feelings, awareness, and socialization. Furthermore, music may also be able to help individuals cope with pain and anxiety. In other studies the use of music made traditional psychotherapy more effective and led to a drop in the levels of depression for more individuals that using regular therapies