In the story “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin, the story is told in first person. The point of view was Sonny’s brother, because from the opening of the story he used I and even throughout the story. When reading the story you get the feeling it was going to be about the feelings the narrator and some accounts about his brother Sonny. Being that the story was in first person we are expecting that the accounts or events will be about the narrator’s life, but in reality we will get two life stories in one. By Sonny’s brother telling the story it gives the reader a sense of their closeness (being his and Sonny’s), but their relationship wasn’t as close as it was. They were drawing the reader in by letting us see if the relationship could be salvage. He is telling mostly Sonny’s story, but he puts his own memories in as well. His own memories and account of their relationship and what he remembers. The narrator’s memories of his father and mother might have been different if it was told in a different point of view as well. He remembers his mothers account with him and how she was telling him to take care of his brother. Her words to him was “You got to hold on to your brother” and “don’t let him fall no matter what it looks like is …show more content…
happening to him and no matter how evil you gets with him”. (pg 372 Para 101) This was a big part in the story for two reasons, because if he wasn’t telling this by his point of view it would change the whole meaning of this part. He told his mother he would look after his brother, so by seeing the newspaper about his brother he was obligated to reach out even if it was a burden. If we look at the theme of this story being, the impacts of life choices we make and how it affects our families, we can look at the narrator’s point of view as reconciliation. At the end of the story he and his brother Sonny are together again. He made the choice to go and listen to Sonny play at the nightclub and even though it was difficult for him, he made that step towards fixing the relationship. Also, they are both struggling with their own inner peace in some ways and finding that connection with each other was bringing them to their own redemption. If we were to look at having the point of view change to Sonny’s, the story would change dramatically.
He was a man that had many struggles and obstacles in life. If he was to tell his story, the accounts might be deflected and the memories might be tainted. Even if the story was to change into many points of views, we could have Sonny’s, the brother’s, and the mother’s. We have all the characters in the story with all their accounts of what happened, but we would just have different problems, responsibilities, and effects. Everyone had their moments in the story with their accounts, but it’s most effective with one person’s point of view. The narrator was able to tell his story and the story of Sonny’s to where it was most
compelling. Question #8 In the story “Brownies” by ZZ Packer, the story takes place at Camp Crescendo, Georgia. The story is about a group of young Girl Scouts who are faced with society issues. There were two major Girl Scout troops that were involved, one filled with all white girls and the other with all black girls. Now in that area, still to this day, there is a great deal of racism. (I lived there before and being an interracial marriage, I’ve dealt with it.) During the trip there was an incident where one of the troops had accused the other of using a profound word. When this happened, revenge was in the mist. Having a young mindset the girls wanted to fight and it turned out that the other troop of girls had some learning disabilities. The mentality of the all black girls wasn’t any better than the other troop, because they had the idea that violence solves problems. In the end the girls learned a lesson of their own. As they sat on the bus for the ride home they heard a story. The story was told by “Snot” Laurel and it was about the Mennonites. It was about how her father had this white family doing something for him and on their knees. What made this story amazing is that you learn how it feels to be in a situation of being in a fight for unknown reasons, along with being racially profiled. Also, you can be put into a situation that is unexpected and also belittled. Having someone inferior to you because of color, sex, age, or even brain functions can make a person feel at their lowest and it puts you at place in life that you might not bounce back from. Having the part at the end of the story made it a life changing experience for these young girls and gave the story a purpose and a bit of meaning to racism from both sides of the track. The order of the story had to be in chronological order, but in the end she did tell a story of the past. It would only make sense to be in order as if it were to be violated it would make it confusing. The order started with the entering of girls and the name calling. Then, the incident of where you get the lead up to what they were going to do to get the troop back. Finally, you get the dramatics of the fight and after the fight. As a theme I would say, racism with a bit of mob mentality. If you were to organize it to that theme, you have to start with a problem of racism being in any form. In “Brownies” it started with the girls of the black troop making fun of Troop 909. As they pulled into Camp Crescendo, they started off by saying “They smell like Chihuahuas. Wet Chihuahuas.” (Pg 513 Para. 2) The problem of racial remarks can be made either way and ZZ Packer used both group of girls using racial insults. As the remark of the “N word” was said, but not knowing if it was true or not, but because of that, the next thing that happen next would or would not have not been a confrontation. With the all black troop being upset and having their goal to be beating up Troop 909, the story would not have achieved its goal. The ending to me was a bonus, there was a learning experience for the girls and the readers. We must all realize that anyone can be on either side of racism, be put down, or be a victim of a mob mentality, we must all think before we do something to hurt others.
From the first lines of the story the reader gets the impression that Sonny’s brother tries to block out, ignore the truth about his brother and his troubles. The reaction the character has to the newspaper article about Sonny was: “It was not to be believed and I kept telling myself that” (Baldwin 292). At this stage his relations with the younger brother remind of the way a teacher walks across the playground full of potentially troubled kids “though he or she couldn’t wait to get out of that courtyard, to get those boys out of their sight and off their minds” (Baldwin 293). Having some suspicions concerning Sonny’s ...
In “Sonny’s Blues” the story starts with the narrator who is Sonny’s brother. Sonny’s brother first knew about Sonny’s arrest by reading the newspaper. While reading it, he was angry and in pain because he was thinking about how Sonny got himself into a bad place. After running into Sonny’s old friend, the narrator is talking to him and the friend is explaining how it was his fault that Sonny is in jail and he is the reason why Sonny started selling and using heroin. After talking to Sonny’s old friend, the narrator is mad and upset that Sonny would do that. Sonny’s brother looks back and thinks that Sonny is a troublemaker, but never to that extent.
In James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues,” the unspoken brotherly bond between the narrator and his younger brother Sonny is illustrated through the narrator’s point of view. The two brothers have not spoken in years until the narrator receives a letter from Sonny after his daughter dies. He takes this moment as an important sign from Sonny and feels the need to respond. While both Sonny and the narrator live in separate worlds, all Sonny needs is a brother to care for him while the narrator finds himself in the past eventually learning his role as an older brother.
As "Sonny's Blues" opens, the narrator tells of his discovery that his younger brother has been arrested for selling and using heroin. Both brothers grew up in Harlem, a neighborhood rife with poverty and despair. Though the narrator teaches school in Harlem, he distances himself emotionally from the people who live there and their struggles and is somewhat judgmental and superior. He loves his brother but is distanced from him as well and judgmental of his life and decisions. Though Sonny needs for his brother to understand what he is trying to communicate to him and why he makes the choices he makes, the narrator cannot or will not hear what Sonny is trying to convey. In distancing himself from the pain of upbringing and his surroundings, he has insulated himself from the ability to develop an understanding of his brother's motivations and instead, his disapproval of Sonny's choice to become a musician and his choices regarding the direction of his life in general is apparent. Before her death, his mother spoke with him regarding his responsibilities to Sonny, telling him, "You got to hold on to your brother...and don't let him fall, no matter what it looks like is happening to him and no matter how evil you get with him...you may not be able to stop nothing from happening. But you got to let him know you're there" (87) His unwillingness to really hear and understand what his brother is trying to tell him is an example of a character failing to act in good faith.
The bond of brotherhood is a prize to be cherished by those who know this bond. There is no better friendship than that of siblings, no matter how far apart geographically two brothers may be; they are always brought together by the bond in their heart. Even when brothers do not see eye to eye or have an argument, they will still be brothers and be a part of each other and their lives. The story, Sonny’s Blues, by James Baldwin uses many literary devices throughout this story such as his use of symbolism, his use of the setting and his use on tone to demonstrate the theme in the story, which is the strength of the bonds of brotherhood.
In "Sonny's Blues" James Baldwin presents an intergenerational portrait of suffering and survival within the sphere of black community and family. The family dynamic in this story strongly impacts how characters respond to their own pain and that of their family members. Examining the central characters, Mama, the older brother, and Sonny, reveals that each assumes or acknowledges another's burden and pain in order to accept his or her own situation within an oppressive society. Through this sharing each character is able to achieve a more profound understanding of his own suffering and attain a sharper, if more precarious, notion of survival.
With the narrator having a responsibility to take care of his brother, he consistently forces the fact that he wants his brother to be well off and not care about his passion in music. The older they got, the more they drove away from each other because of the fact the narrator becomes overly protective with Sonny, and uses a “tough love” strategy though it does not making any positive effect. After they took some time apart, they both realized they cannot emotionally make it in this world without one
More specifically speaking, Baldwin is assessing through the fictional story the difficulties in understanding and accepting those who do not comply with social norms. Throughout the entirety of the story it is clear that Sonny’s brother cannot understand his brother or his brother’s choices. This inability to identify with and comprehend his brother drives a wedge between the two, until finally, the narrator shows up to a performance put on by Sonny, opens his mind and his prejudices, and begins to finally understand his
James Baldwin, author of Sonny’s Blues, was born in Harlem, NY in 1924. During his career as an essayist, he published many novels and short stories. Growing up as an African American, and being “the grandson of a slave” (82) was difficult. On a day to day basis, it was a constant battle with racial discrimination, drugs, and family relationships. One of Baldwin’s literature pieces was Sonny’s Blues in which he describes a specific event that had a great impact on his relationship with his brother, Sonny. Having to deal with the life-style of poverty, his relationship with his brother becomes affected and rivalry develops. Conclusively, brotherly love is the theme of the story. Despite the narrator’s and his brother’s differences, this theme is revealed throughout the characters’ thoughts, feelings, actions, and dialogue. Therefore, the change in the narrator throughout the text is significant in understanding the theme of the story. It is prevalent to withhold the single most important aspect of the narrator’s life: protecting his brother.
The narrator in James Baldwin’s short story, “Sonny’s Blues”, at first glance seems to be a static character, trying to forget the past and constantly demeaning his brother’s choices in life. Throughout the story, readers see how the narrator has tried to forget the past. However, his attempt to forget the past soon took a turn. When the narrator’s daughter died, he slowly started to change. As the narrator experiences these changes in his life, he becomes a dynamic character.
I feel having Sonny's brother narrate the story in the first person is Baldwin's way of telling us that Sonny's brother is also suffering but inside, unlike Sonny who takes drugs and sings the blues. Sonny's ...
Struggle, drugs, separation and reunion, that is what James Baldwin illustrates in Sonny’s blues. It is the story between two entirely different brothers as they struggle to discover who each one of them really is. “Sonny’s Blues” is narrated through the nameless older brother through first person with limited omniscience. Point of view is the narrator’s position in relation to the story which is depicted by the attitude toward the characters and Baldwin purposely picks to tell the story in the first person point of view because of the omniscient and realistic effects it contribute to the story overall. The point of view in this
The short story Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin is written in first person through the narrator. This story focuses on the narrator’s brother sonny and their relationship throughout the years. This story is taken place in Harlem, New York in the 1950s. The narrator is a high school algebra teacher and just discovered his brother in the newspaper. This story includes the traditional elements to every story, which consist of the exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and the resolution.
“Sonny’s Blues” revolves around the narrator as he learns who his drug-hooked, piano-playing baby brother, Sonny, really is. The author, James Baldwin, paints views on racism, misery and art and suffering in this story. His written canvas portrays a dark and continual scene pertaining to each topic. As the story unfolds, similarities in each generation can be observed. The two African American brothers share a life similar to that of their father and his brother. The father’s brother had a thirst for music, and they both travelled the treacherous road of night clubs, drinking and partying before his brother was hit and killed by a car full of white boys. Plagued, the father carried this pain of the loss of his brother and bitterness towards the whites to his grave. “Till the day he died he weren’t sure but that every white man he saw was the man that killed his brother.”(346) Watching the same problems transcend onto the narrator’s baby brother, Sonny, the reader feels his despair when he tries to relate the same scenarios his father had, to his brother. “All that hatred down there”, he said “all that hatred and misery and love. It’s a wonder it doesn’t blow the avenue apart.”(355) He’s trying to relate to his brother that even though some try to cover their misery with doing what others deem as “right,” others just cover it with a different mask. “But nobody just takes it.” Sonny cried, “That’s what I’m telling you! Everybody tries not to. You’re just hung up on the way some people try—it’s not your way!”(355) The narrator had dealt with his own miseries of knowing his father’s plight, his Brother Sonny’s imprisonment and the loss of his own child. Sonny tried to give an understanding of what music was for him throughout thei...
In every work of literature, the presence of a narrator and a protagonist is crucial to the development of the story. According to the style authors have when writing fiction, narrators may appear as a first person narrator, a third person narrator or an omniscient narrator, among others. The protagonist of a story is the person whom the story is about and who creates the whole story through actions. However, sometimes it may be difficult for the reader of the story to identify whether the protagonist is the narrator or another character who is present in the narration. Besides, there are times when the main character actually is not the protagonist of the story. To recognize the main character of a story, readers have to look for the character involved with the plot throughout the whole story and who is impacted by the protagonist and the main conflict. Occasionally, readers cannot identify who the main character of a story is because the way the author chose to build up the narration confuses them. This seems to be the case of the short story ‘Sonny’s Blues’ written by James Baldwin, which is an example of an atypical story. Since its main events seem to pertain to Sonny, the readers may infer that he is the main character, but the opinions, thoughts and emotions that appear in the story are from another character of