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Literature has been written and studied for thousands of years, but why do humans love the written word? Literature is way for us to learn about each other whether it be our grandparent, neighbor, or a civilization across the planet. The most informational and interesting piece I’ve read over this semester is “Too Ways to Belong” Bharati Mukherjee. This story is written about the relationship between Bharati and her sister Mira, more than that though, this story is about the different ways immigrants approach living in the United States. In short, Bharati seeks to assimilate herself into American society and culture while her sister, Mira, wishes to remain true to her Indian roots while at the same time flourishing in this new land of opportunity. Reading this story, I learned a lot about the way immigrants view our country and how their culture differs from my own. I believe literature is so beloved because it allows people to connect and learn about one another from great distances without ever meeting. …show more content…
I feel like this story speaks to me personally and has something to teach me. This story, heavily grounded in themes of brotherly love and family ties, is about two estranged brothers. One brother lives a good life and walks the right path, but the other wastes his potential by getting into trouble. The first brother cannot turn his back on his brother and eventually walks with him on a road to recovery. The story ends with the second brother, Sonny, realizing his true potential as a musician. It is this element of self-understanding that makes this story so great. I have a large family and three brothers of my own, when I read this story I feel like I learn more about my own situation and better appreciate the family I have been
It also shows some more common ideas, like how all families have secrets, and in just a short time, someone’s life can be turned upside down and they have to find the best way to stay strong for themselves and their families. The most important thing I learned from this book, is how some people in other cultures find life to be very difficult when they are trying to do what is best for their family. Anita kept saying America is the ‘free country’ and I couldn’t agree more. So many people want to come here for so many different reasons, and it makes you realize that if our country is so great that people from all over the world want to move here, we are very lucky to be so highly thought
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.
Sonny’s brother has been distant towards him, but recently, he has been trying to understand him and help him. Sonny decides to take his brother to a concert to see if he will understand what he is trying to convey through music. Sonny hasn’t played the piano for “over a year” and he is a little bit rusty (147). Sonny also says he isn’t on “much better terms with life” than he was a year ago (147). In a way though, he is in a much better place, because his brother is there for him. When Sonny starts to play the piano, he is a little bit nervous, and he does not really feel the music that he is playing. After a while though, he starts to loosen up and play his heart out. The tune he is playing is no longer just a song; it is “Sonny’s Blues” (148). The music he plays “fills the air with life, his life,” and Sonny’s brother finally understands “he could help us be free if we would listen, “ and that Sonny “would never be free until we did” (148). By the end of the story, Sonny achieves his goal of communicating his problems though his
The two characters come to the realization that they do share a brotherly bond, and that the narrator cares deeply for his brother even after all the time apart. The narrator says, “I don’t give a damn wh...
...sures such as missing limbs, rape, and deportation as they travel on top of trains to the United States. They persevere through these struggles simply to provide for their family. I believe that the risks the migrants are willing to take to keep their family happy and healthy are courageous and beyond reproach. The mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters who travel to the United States leave behind their country, language, and people in hopes that they will be able to build a life for their family and leave the crime, danger, and joblessness of their home country forever. In my opinion, the main idea of the story is one that should be shared with people from every nationality and ethnic background. This story’s main idea and theme exhibit the importance of family and just how hard people are willing to work in order to maintain happiness and peace within their home.
The short story “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin is an emotionally compelling story in which the narrator describes his relationship with his brother and the struggles they have been through together. Sonny, the narrator’s brother, was sent to prison for selling and using heroine. Time passes and the narrator writes to Sonny in prison when his daughter, Grace, dies. In a flashback, the readers learn that before Sonny’s improsinment the narrarator was in the army and their parents both died. The readers also learn that Sonny dreamed of becoming a jazz musician. After Sonny realizes he’s being a burden to his sister in law’s family he decides to leave and join the navy. When he gets back he and his brother fight, ending with Sonny saying that
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
The story begins with the narrator’s brother, Sonny, being arrested for using heroin. When the narrator discovers what has happened to his brother, he slowly starts to relive his past. Up to this point, the narrator had completely cut his brother and his childhood from his life. He disapproves of the past and does everything in his power to get rid of it. The narrator had become an algebra teacher and had a family who he moved to get away from the bad influences on the street. As a result, it is shown in the story that he has worked hard to maintain a good “clean” life for his family and himself. Readers can see that he has lived a good life, but at the toll of denying where he came from and even his own brother. For years, his constant aim for success had been successful. However, as the story progressed everything he knew started to fall apart.
The narrator hesitates to start but goes to support his brother; while at the club Sonny introduces his brother to a few his band members like, Creole, the band leader. Once they began to perform, Sonny was a little shaky, but eventually adjusted just fine. At this moment the narrator finally saw Sonny doing what he loves, it made him look at his brother and his passion differently; the way Sonny and his band played almost brought his brother to tears. “Yet, there was no battle in his face now, I heard what he had gone through, and would continue to go through until he came to rest in earth… I saw my mother’s face again… I say the moonlit road where my father’s brother died… I saw my little girl again and felt Isabel’s tears again, and I felt my own tears begin to rise”
However, he finds redemption in the eyes of his brother without sacrificing his individualism. Sonny manages to use music to bridge the gap, taking a greater responsibility for his reintegration into family and community than the prodigal son.
The narrator allows Sonny to move into his apartment. By allowing Sonny to live with him he has allowed to trust him again. For example, the narrator explains, “The idea of searching Sonny’s room made me still. I scarcely dared to admit to myself what I’d be searching for. I didn’t know what I’d do if I found it. Or if I didn’t” (pg. 91). This shows how the narrator had the opportunity to search his brother’s room, but had the ability not to. Tension grew among brothers while living under one roof. This starts the climax of both arguing in the apartment. The narrator doesn’t understand why his brother wants to be a musician. This argument was built of emotion both had and not yet discussed among each other. Such as the narrator expressing his anger towards his brother’s drug use and Sonny’s frustration towards the narrator not understanding his plan to become a jazz musician. For example, the narrator states, “I realized, with this mocking look, that there stood between us, forever, beyond the power of time or forgiveness, the fact that I had held silence – so long! – when he had needed human speech to help him” (pg.94). The argument with his brother made him realize that he abandon his younger brother when he needed him the most. He realized that if he would have spoken out and talk about his drug use that he wouldn’t have to go
The story of “Sonny Blues” emphasizes two brothers building a relationship, having flashbacks, and being there for each other when they need it the most. The story starts off by making mistakes because Sonny starts using drugs and running away from home in Harlem. Then by the end of the story Sonny finds his path as a musician and becomes successful, due to listening to his older brother advice, and chasing for his dreams. Although, the story shares good moments and bad moments it inspires readers to open up their mind by being a good brother or sister to their young sibling. Everything is possible as long as we have that support, and set our self-goals and achieve them.
Literature has had a major impact on society, and, also our history. Literature has reformed and shaped civilizations, changed political systems, and has exposed injustices (3). Our literature has changed and developed as we have, keeping up with our society. “...literature is crucial for the advancement of society (3).” With literary works, we can convince others to view things a certain way, share our opinions, and more. Literature is greatly intertwined with our society and everyday lives, and they would not be the same without it. Literature plays an irreplaceable role in our
Literature has many purposes, and opens doors to unique worlds. Through Literature, we discover ourselves and world time and again.
During the course of this class, I have had the opportunity to read literature from authors who come from different backgrounds and places in the world. Some of the stories and poetry we read were straight forward while others were confusing and sometimes required a second look. But one thing is clear, it changed the way I think about literature in a few ways that I wasn’t expecting. Three works in particular stand out in my mind. “ I Wont Let You Go” by Rabindranath Tagore, “To New York” by Leopold Senghor, and Pedro Peramo by Juan Rulfo all had an impact on my thinking for similar yet different reasons. They all incorporate their cultural backgrounds into their work through the setting of their pieces. They also compose their pieces in a way that makes you want to research their history to find the deeper meaning. Finally, a couple of the authors write about things they are emotionally connected to. Some of the examples we will look at, really opened my eyes to going beyond a superficial understanding of literature.