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Point of view literary analysis sonny's blues
Literary elements of Sonny's Blues
Themes, symbols and plot of “sonny’s blues” essay
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Everyone has their own definition of the word dream. The meaning of dream to me is being indubitable or passionate about what it is that I would like to do. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, two of the definitions of dream is, “a strong desired goal or purpose,” and “something that fully satisfies a wish.” “Sonny’s Blues” is a story about two brothers who has took their own direction in life, but also trying to find the meaning of their lives. The short story “Sonny’s Blues” and the musician Ray Charles chart the lives of aspiring musicians facing distractions of poverty and family difficulties as they try to reach their impossible dreams.
In “Sonny’s Blues” there are two main characters the narrator, whom we do not know his name, and his younger brother Sonny. Sonny has a dream to become a jazz musician, but his brother (the narrator) does not think this is a reliable future. The narrator makes Sonny’s hope extremely impractical. When their mother passed away that is when the narrator first asked Sonny, “What do you want to do?” (Baldwin 105). He replied with say he wanted to be a musician. The narrator automatically sees the dangers in trying to become a musician that he states, “Well Sonny, you know people can’t always do exactly what they want to do…” This quote shows us that the narrator did not believe in Sonny’s dream. He just thought it was a hopeless dream and that he will never make it. Most importantly he is scared he will fail and he will have to pick him up. The death of his mother made sonny want to drop out of school and try to become a musician, but the narrator wanted him to graduate. So told Sonny he will be moving in with his wife Isabel. Isabel and her family all understood Sonny was playing ...
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...he dream of just playing music was something that inspired them to stay out the streets and to see what is important in life. Music was a way they survived, it saved their life. The music told their story in they way they wanted it to be told. Dreams are also something lavishing, they are not always about being rich and famous, but its about wanting to do something you are truly passionate about and knowing when you wake up you are happy with the decision you are making. It doesn’t matter if someone understands why you decided to do that or not.
Works Cited
Baldwin, James. "Sonny's Blues ." Mays, Kelly J. The Norton Introduction to Literature . New York, N.Y.: W.W. Norton 7 Company. INC. , 2013. 95-118.
Charles, Ray and David Ritz. Brother Ray: Ray Charles Own Story . New York, NY: The Dial Press , 1978.
Urban Dictionary . 10 October 2005. 29 April 2014.
Sonny’s Blues is first-person narration by the elder brother of the musician struggling with heroin addiction and issues with law. However, on closer inspection it appears that Sonny’s unnamed brother is also very troubled. His difficulties cannot easily be perceived and recognized especially by the character himself. The story gives accounts of the problems Sonny’s brother has with taking responsibility, understanding and respecting his younger brother’s lifestyle.
...school. Under those circumstance, Sonny’s brother disprove the idea of being a musician. Therefore, even though narrator did not support Sonny dreams in the end he did accomplish his dream as a musician. Although the relationships are based on different events, it shows the same point that both narrator did have loves for their daughter Emily and Sonny. As a final point view family member was not be able to support cause of lack of circumstances in the family.
Sonny’s Blues written by James Baldwin appears to suggest that family and faith are important aspects in someone’s life and that each person has a different way of dealing with their own demons. The author writes with an expressive purpose and narrative pattern to convey his message and by analyzing the main characters, the point of view of the narration, the conflict in the story and the literary devices Baldwin utilizes throughout his tale, his central idea can be better understood.
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.
The narrator's disapproval of Sonny's decision to become a musician stems in part from his view of musicians in general. His experiences with musicians have led him to believe that they are unmotivated, drug users, seeking only escape from life. He does not really understand what motivates Sonny to play music until the afternoon before he accompanies Sonny to his performance at a club in Harlem. That afternoon, Sonny explains to him that music is his voice, his way of expressing his suffering and releasing his pent-up feelings.
The idea of music as a salvation runs through the story. Music keeps Sonny sane and off drugs; music enables Sonny’s older brother to see a different side of Sonny; music brings people together. Without music, there would be a disconnect between the brothers. Music keeps the family together.
Baldwin, James. "Sonny's Blues." The Oxford Book of American Short Stories 1992: 409 - 439.
Murray, Donald C. James Baldwin's 'Sonny's Blues': Complicated and Simple. N.p.: Newberry College, n.d. Literary Reference Database. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
Baldwin, James. "Sonny's Blues." The Oxford Book of American Short Stories 1992: 409 - 439.
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.
All three of these symbolical details are woven together in "Sonny's Blues" to create a non-literal meaning directly beneath the words. The end result is an enriched message about urban struggles for expression, happiness, and chemical independance. Ultimately, Sonny's revival concludes the readers' literary tour of world in which he lives. What is begun with a presentation of hardships is finally concluded with Sonny's triumph, a chance at a better future.
Baldwin, James. “Sonny’s Blues.” The Jazz Fiction Anthology. Ed. Sascha Feinstein and David Rife. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2009. 17-48.
Baldwin, James. "Sonny's Blues." The Oxford Book of American Short Stories 1992: 409 - 439.
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.
Baldwin, James. “Sonny's blues.” Baldwin, James. Going to meet the man. New York: Dial Press, 1965.