Category: Harlem Renaissance

James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” is a great narrative since it incorporates different themes that include life choices, friendly relations, and second chances. “Sonny’s Blues” is a fictional storyline that narrates real-life situations and sufferings. Baldwin effectively provides an understanding not only in Sonny’s life but also into his environments, making the narrative unique in its nature. “Sonny’s Blues” is the best reading because Baldwin connects the audience with all of the characters while also focusing on human suffering, which is the most significant aspect that all audiences can relate to.

Baldwin illustrates how society reflected on how the narrator had succeeded in life by being a teacher, having a wife and two children and thus, showcasing the low living standards of the African American community. Despite being considered as successful, he is always cognizant of Harlem’s gloomy life which is more hazardous. The narrator comprehends the exposed drug dealings that take place in exposed fields near housing schemes, the vanishings of longstanding households and his brother’s constant conflict with the environment. In the narration, Baldwin effectively frames the struggles within a broader framework, positioning him in crime, drug abuse and poverty which are epidemics of the entire society.

Unlike the reading “Superman” by Julie Feiffer, Baldwin has effectively utilized various modes of persuasion in “Sonny’s Blues” to connect with the audience on certain realities that occur in life. He begins by establishing his ethos in the introductory paragraph. He connects himself to his audience as a fellow American citizen who is patriotic and wishes for the well-being of the nation. Although he classifies the main distress of his audience as the anxiety of communalist, he suggests that the main aspect of anxiety in the American society is cruelty and depraved conviction of different generations. He also institutes his ethos by being aware of the surroundings and connects with his audience by revealing how he is fully aware of society’s dark side. Additionally, Baldwin connects to his audience by revealing how he tries to ignore societal challenges by not allowing any tragedy to affect his consciousness, which is typical for individuals who live within a depraved society.

The narrator also establishes pathos by describing the suffering faced by society and Sonny. Suffering is the main theme in “Sonny’s Blues” as it reflects the suffering most African American youths endure in an immoral environment. The narrator connects with the audience by reflecting on how fearful he was for high school students who lived in urban black life in New York neighborhood. He reflects his pathos by reflecting on the miserable futures of how his school students would have to face violence, live with drug addicts, and possibly live with low expectations of achieving higher opportunities.

Baldwin institutes logos by revealing how distress or individual anguish is a critical element of the black community, predominately in the New York neighborhoods. He portrays Harlem to be a trap since it is an area full of viciousness and anguishes and its inhabitants hardly escape the intensified discrimination and bias experiences. He also establishes logos by exploring the methods in which the sufferings have ruined people’s lives, especially due to the individuals’ inability to openly communicate about their sufferings. Baldwin demonstrates how isolated miseries and distresses transform individuals to become hostile and vicious, negatively affects their relationship with others including their families and influences individuals to get ill, addicted to drugs or even die because of intensified psychological trauma.

Additionally, Baldwin’s read was the best since he effectively reveals the negative effects of suffering through Sonny. Although Sonny was able to communicate about his anguish and agony, he appeared to be overcome by anguish, which influenced him to be an addict, get into trouble with the law and have a momentary disaffection from his brother. Baldwin effectively demonstrates that he could not assure Sonny an easy evasion to his suffering, but he provides suggestions on how Sonny’s anguish could be reduced. He realizes, at the Jazz club, the significance of conveying one’s misery and anguish to enable them to control their suffering by revealing how Sonny’s friendship with the musicians relieved him from his overwhelming suffering.

In conclusion, the pathos, ethos, and logos modes of persuasion used by Baldwin are effectively used in “Sonny’s Blues” compared to the establishment of pathos, logos and ethos used by David Foster Wallace in “Good People.” Baldwin’s read is more interesting since he has connected with the audience about typical anxieties most individuals have about the future of their children unlike Foster’s reading which only establishes suspense and also leaves the audience in an adjourned state. “Sonny’s Blues” is also the best read since it provides the hope of revival. This is even after describing the overwhelming suffering experienced by African Americans in Harlem by disclosing how Sonny was able to overcome his misery challenges.

Works Cited

1. Baldwin, James. “Sonny’s Blues.” The Norton Introduction to Literature: Shorter 13th Edition, edited by Kelly J. Mays, W. W. Norton & Company, 2018, pp. 91-113.
2. Feiffer, Jules. “Superman.” The Norton Introduction to Literature: Shorter 13th Edition, edited by Kelly J. Mays, W. W. Norton & Company, 2018, pp. 24.
3. Wallace, David Foster. “Good People.” The Norton Introduction to Literature: Shorter 13th Edition, edited by Kelly J. Mays, W. W. Norton & Company, 2018, pp. 245-250.

In the short story “Sonny’s Blues” written by James Baldwin, character Sonny possesses the gift of music specifically jazz. His music offers him a chance at redemption but at the same time it threatens to destroy him by leading back to his destructive addiction. This suggests that one’s creative ability can be a saving grace, but can lead to a life of despair.

The music that Sonny performs is based off an expression of freedom and passion more than a traditional strict social order. For artists like Sonny, the new form of jazz bebop gave them the chance to express living freely, resit conservative social norms and create something original. For most musicians around that time drugs were their biggest temptation, like Sonny coping with his heroin addiction. It actually hurts to read to read his struggles about how he “was all by myself at the bottom of something, stinking and sweating and crying and shaking, and [he] smelled it” (Baldwin). On many levels he represents hopelessness, and most readers like me can probably feel empathy towards this man who saw no other way out of his troubled life than to turn to harcore drugs aka heroin. Heroin and music are synonymous; they serve the same purpose for Sonny to escape the everyday struggles in Harlem and the traditional social order. The only way he knows how to relieve himself from his everyday struggles is creating music. To create music, Sonny has to contemplate the suffering and obstacles in his everyday life. He interprets that suffering into a creative expression that, even if only provisionally saves him from his past mistakes; gives him the opportunity to overcome the struggles that plague the society he lives in. He has the chance to express his frustrated and deep-seated longing through his music. The way he offers his music is heroic almost Christlike. He knows that playing music may destroy him by leading him back into a life of heroin which makes him feel “distant [and] feel in control” (Baldwin 24) but he also knows that it’s a burden that he is willing to accept if he wants to freely express himself. We see this being shown at the end of the story when the narrator goes to see Sonny perform his music for the first time. The narrator has no knowledge about jazz especially bebop. He associates it with a certain “stereotype” of people he doesn’t want his brother hanging out with. He puts jazz together with drugs and Sonny’s addiction, blaming the bebop lifestyle for turning Sonny into a heroin addict because he knows that some players have to get inebriated in order to perform. This reveals how he is really protective over Sonny by not wanting him to “walk these streets, black and funky and cold” (Baldwin). But, there is a contrast in the end of the story; Sonny’s music builds a bridge between these distant brothers by having the narrator finally started to appreciate the wonders and horrors it takes to be a musician. We finally see a bond starting between these siblings. Sonny’s gift of music brings them to a common understanding they never experienced together before.

In “Sonny’s Blues” the character Sonny possess the talent of music, specifically bebop jazz. His creative gift is created from his struggles and obstacles he faces which leads him down a path of drugs but it pays off because his songs releases him from this inertial confinement and allows him to freely express himself. His imaginative gift also helps build bonds between people who he has never really related to before, which suggests that a person with a creative gift can possibly lead them down a life of despair but can also lead to a life of liberation and joy.

Before reading the first 60 pages of If Beale Street Could Talk by James Balwin I knew very little of him, other than reading a short story by him in high school by the name of Sonny’s Blues. What struck me most in the reading of If Beale Street Could Talk was the way he wrote about love. I personally wanted to know whether James Baldwin ever fell in love or ever had kids of his own. After reading a couple of different Encyclopedia entries about Baldwin it came to my knowledge that he was in fact homosexual, with very little or no knowledge about possible partners in his 63 years of life before succumbing to cancer. Along with no knowledge about possible partners it was revealed to me that he also never had children. For someone who spent most of the later years of his life away from what little family he had, Balwin does an amazing job at capturing what I’m sure life must have been like for African Americans in the early to mid-1900s.

James Balwin spent most of his early life, childhood, and into early adulthood in Harlem NY. Raised by his mother and preacher stepfather. Balwin was introduced to religion very early on in life and it quickly became a very big role, especially in helping to stay out of trouble. Trouble seemed almost an epidemic at this time in Harlem NY for most children and teens. Selling drugs, gang relations, and general crime making a huge spike in Harlem NY throughout the youths.

At the age of 17, Baldwin gave up on his dream of becoming a preacher, to instead follow his passion for books and literature. He moved to New Jersey where he wrote book reviews. However, not long after getting this job he was fired and moved back in with his mother. Just in time to help support his family after the death of his stepfather came not long after he moved back Baldwin stayed home in NY to support his mother and younger siblings.

Baldwin, a huge fan of his role model Richard Wright, followed the author to France to flee the American life of racism, homophobia, and classism. It was from France that Balwin watched and read about the civil rights movement in the US. Baldwin even managed to go back to the US to befriend those such as Martin Luther King JR as well as Malcolm X. Balwin marched alongside Martin Luther King JR in the March on Washington in 1963. It wasn’t until after the assassination of both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr that Balwin wrote the book If Beale Street Could Talk. Said to be one of his best if not his best novels written it was also one of the last things he wrote that wasn’t completely overlooked by the general public.

While I still wonder how Balwin managed to capture young love so magnificently perfectly, I did manage to find out a lot more than I knew about him through reading these Encyclopedia entries. Who knows, Balwin very well could have had a lover in France that no one ever knew about.

Langston Hughes and the Powers That Be

When it comes to poetry pushing racial freedoms, only a few have gone as far as Langston Hughes. Langston was a famous American writer and poet in the 20th century. He published many well-known works such as ​I, Too, The Negro Speaks of Rivers, ​and ​Let America Be America Again.​ Some of his poetry was controversial for the Cold-War era time, as he was investigated by the American government for interpreting his poetry as Communist propaganda. Looking back on this event with a different contextual lens, we can ask ourselves, “Was it justified for the American government to investigate Langston Hughes under the suspicion of being a Communist threat?” Before that question can be answered, some context of the world that he lived in, and the powers that be must be explained.

The beginning of this series of events starts with Marxism. Marxism is a philosophical system created by the famous German philosopher Karl Marx. Marx believed that in society there are two classes: the Bourgeois and Proletarians; with the former being the upper class and the latter being the working class. These two classes are forever in a state of conflict due to the ideology of Capitalism promoting and favoring the Bourgeois. This conflict creates an inevitable position of inequality where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Marx proposed that eventually, the Proletarians would revolt against the Bourgeois, coming from his famous slogan, “Workers of the world, Unite!”(Marx, 1848). Only then would a new economic system be created where equality is promoted. This system would be known as Communism (The Curious Classroom).

Eventually, in 1917, Communism would have its first time in use when it was adopted by Russia and other neighboring countries after the Russian Revolution. Russia would now be known as the Soviet Union. With their new ideology, The Soviet Union went from a peasant country to a global superpower alongside Britain and America, During World War II, America and the Soviet Union were allies but the clashing of the two economic systems and previous tensions between the two world powers lead to as Wikipedia writes, “​a period of geopolitical tension” (Wikipedia, 2019) known as the Cold War. At this time America saw Communism as a menace and a direct attack on freedom and democracy itself.

For America, the fear of Soviet Union world domination leads to a massive amount of anti-Communist hysteria known as the Red Scare. It became blue vs. red. Us vs. them. But soon this hysteria would lead to a bigger problem than communism. In 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was created to find and prosecute any hidden communists living in the American public. Led by Joseph McCarthy, they called in suspected communists with very little tangible evidence and forced them into a catch-22. They had to plead guilty and lie about not being a communist, or they were punished for pleading innocent. Ultimately their lives would be ruined. They focused on many demographics in the public, but they had a particular focus on the American film industry. Since they controlled most of the entertainment of America, and they had more leftist views, the industry went under heavy fire from the HUAC. In the end, thousands of innocent Americans lost their jobs, were imprisoned, and had their reputations completely destroyed. These events could only be described as a witch hunt. This even inspired the writing of The Crucible; a play about the Salem Witch Trials written by Arthur Miller.

Today, we now call this tactic of political investigation after the leader of the HUAC, McCarthyism. While McCarthyism may have protected America from a potential wave of communism, the damage that it did to America was far greater than any amount of damage that was actually done by Communism.

This is the world that Langston Hughes existed in. He lived from February 1, 1902, to May 22, 1962. Throughout his life, he lived through both World Wars, the Great Depression, the Cold War, and the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. He lived in a time full of conflicts, figures, problems, and clashing superpowers much bigger than he was. He may have been famous, but he was just a single man. He was the first African-American man to make his living solely off of his writing. This shows America’s further advancement of racial equality as he was liked enough to make money solely off his academics. As stated by the Poetry Archive, “Born in Joplin, Missouri, he had a migratory childhood following his parents’ separation, spending time in the American Midwest and Mexico. He attended Columbia University from 1921-1922, but left, disillusioned by the coolness of his white peers… After leaving University, Hughes traveled, first on a freighter to Africa… then extensively in Europe before heading back to the USA.” (Poetry Archive, 2019).

Living most of his life before the Civil Rights Movement, he faced a life of racial oppression and segregation. From this, he became very vocal in his poetry about racial oppression. Such as his famous poem, ​I, Too, ​a poem about how African-Americans will someday be as equal to white people. In 1928, he moved to Harlem, New York, and joined the Harlem Resistance; a cultural pot of African-American art and culture (Poetry Archive). Later In 1932, Langston and some members of the Harlem Resistance went to Moscow for a year to make a film about black representation called ​Black and White. They wanted to get away from what the New York Times calls, “the distorted and stereotypical depictions of the African-American experience that plagued Hollywood films.”(Wilson, 2017). In the U.S.S.R, they were in a different culture entirely where they could make a film with real black representation. There Langston may have gained an interest in Communism due to the emphasis on equality in Marxism. In Marx’s writing, everyone was equal; no matter race, sex, or age. Since he lived a life of racial discrimination, it makes sense he would be interested in a system that was so forward for the time.

From here, Langston would publish many works that showed his interest in Communism. Such as ​The Ballad of Lenin. ​This expressed interest did not go well for him, as he became a subject of interest for the American government. Eventually, he was brought before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Government Operations in 1953 where they questioned him on his visit to the Soviet Union, the meaning of his poetry, and his loyalty to his country. Though in the end, he came out of the investigation unscathed, his reputation did not. After that, it would take years for his image to be fully restored. All was not lost, as he became a cultural emissary for Europe and Africa. He later died in 1962 from prostate cancer. Just two years before the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He was truly revolutionary for the time as he was always pushing new ways of thinking. Being the first Black writer, he paved the way for future African-American writers. His work with the Harlem Resistance had huge importance for black representation and culture. He was never afraid to voice his opinions on racial oppression and to speak out in a fiery manner for equality. The world would be a different place without him.

Langston may have been a famous public figure, but still an American citizen and just as likely to face the mighty fist of McCarthyism. With some of his more controversial writing, it is not surprising to see that the US government investigated Langston Hughes because they felt his writing expressed communist ideas, “So we have encountered quite a number of your works, and I would be less than frank with you, sir, if I did not say that there is a question in the minds of the committee, and in the minds of a good many people, concerning the general objective of some of those poems, whether they strike a Communist, rather than an anti-Communist note.” (Testimony of Langston Hughes, 1953).

A lot of Langston’s poetry focuses on the themes of revolution. In his song, ​A New Song ​Langston writes, “I speak in the name of the black millions awakening to action. Let all others keep silent a moment. I have this word to bring, this thing to say, this song to sing… Revolt! Arise! The Black And White World shall be one! The Worker’s World! The past is done! A new dream flames against the sun!” (Poetrynook, 2019). Though these themes of revolution are about the civil rights of black people in America and not Communism, One can tie these themes of revolution to Marxism. This is exactly what the Senate has done here.

He also wrote poetry directly referencing the Soviet Union. Such as ​The Ballad of Lenin,​ a poem about the first leader of the Soviet Union, “Comrade Lenin of Russia, high in a marble tomb, move over, Comrade Lenin, and give me room. I am Ivan, the peasant, boots all muddy with soil. I fought with you, Comrade Lenin. now I have finished my toil” (Poetrynook, 2019). While the poem does not explicitly praise Lenin, writing a poem about him was enough to incite investigation. During the testimony, the poem was used as evidence against him, “Mr. Cohn. I am trying, Mr. Hughes, because I think you have gone pretty far in some of these things, and I think you know pretty well what you did. When you wrote something called ‘Ballads of Lenin,’ did you believe that when you wrote it? Mr. Hughes. Believe what, sir? Mr. Cohn. Comrade Lenin of Russia speaks from marble: ​On guard with the workers forever– The world is our room! ​Mr. Hughes. That is a poem. One can not state one believes every word of a poem. Mr. Cohn. I do not know what one can say. I am asking you specifically do you believe in the message carried and conveyed in this poem?… Mr. Hughes. It would demand a great deal of discussion. You can not say yes or no.” (Testimony of Langston Hughes, 1953). Once again, it’s not surprising to see that the US government would have investigated Mr. Hughes for writing a poem mentioning Lenin.

Another piece of evidence that the HUAC had against Langston Hughes was his visit to The U.S.S.R. This was, in fact, one of the first things to be brought up in the hearing, “Senator Dirksen. Would you care to tell us whether you have traveled to the Soviet Union? Mr. Hughes. I have, sir, yes. Senator Dirksen. For an extended period? Mr. Hughes. I was there for about a year… I went to make a movie… Senator Dirksen. That I assume was a Soviet-made movie… Senator Dirksen. As I recall, all movies in the Soviet Union are government products, really, are they not?… Mr. Cohn. Have you ever attended a Communist Party meeting? Mr. Hughes. No, sir, I have not.” (Testimony of Langston Hughes, 1953). This makes sense because if they were looking for potential communists, the first place they would look is someone that spent a year in Communist territory where they may have been poisoned by Communist ideas and attended Communist meetings.

It is understandable why the US government may have interpreted his work as Communist propaganda, but as Langston Hughes says, “That poem would mean many things to different people.” ( Testimony of Langston Hughes, 1953). Someone may read his work and interpret it as inciting Communism, and some may not. But just because one does, does not make it justified. This is because of the literal text itself and the author’s intention. Out of his body of work, none of it explicitly states his personal admiration of Communism. For every poem that is brought up, Langston delivers a different intent and meaning than what the senate interpreted. Such as ​The Ballad of Lenin, ​“In my opinion is a poem symbolizing what I felt at that time Lenin as a symbol might mean to workers in various parts of the world. The Spanish Negro in the cane fields, the Chinese in Shanghai, and so on.” (Testimony of Lanston Hughes, 1953). Just because a person talks about a subject, it does not mean they believe in it. This is how one can interpret that the investigations against Langston Hughes were not justified. It also shows how even under the US government’s skewed lens, they were unable to find him guilty.

He may have not been inciting communism but he was inciting a revolution through his words. A revolution to change the status quo. A revolution to give power to the people with the least power in our society. This would make any main power nervous. Though he was a single man, a man in a world filled with major conflicts. A world filled with new ideas like Marxism and the systems designed to tear it down like McCarthyism. A world filled with discrimination and segregation. And a world full of people who were out for Communist blood. He may have been a single man, but this never stopped Langston Hughes from trying his hardest to change the world and the powers that be.

1. Chambre, Henri T., and David T. McLellan. “Marxism.” ​Encyclopædia Britannica​, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2 Oct. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Marxism​.
2. “Cold War.” ​Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Dec. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War.
3. History.com Editors. “Cold War History.” ​History.com, A&E Television Networks, 27 Oct. 2009, ​https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cold-war-history.
4. Hughes, Langston. “Ballads of Lenin.” ​Poetrynook.com, Poetrynook, 2019, https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/ballads-lenin.
5. Hughes, Langston. “A New Song.” ​Poetrynook.com, Poetrynook, 2019, https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/new-song-0.
6. “Langston Hughes.” ​Poetry Archive, Poetry Archive, 2019, https://www.poetryarchive.org/poet/langston-hughes.
7. Ted-Ed. “What Is McCarthyism? And How Did It Happen? – Ellen Schrecker.” ​YouTube, Ted-Ed, 14 Mar. 2017, ​https://youtu.be/N35IugBYH04.
8. “Testimony of Langston Hughes .” ​NPR, NPR, https://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2003/may/mccarthy/hughes.html.
9. Wilson, Jennifer. “When the Harlem Renaissance Went to Communist Moscow.” ​The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 Aug. 2017,
10. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Marxism
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War
12. https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cold-war-history
13. https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/ballads-lenin
14. https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/new-song-0
15. https://www.poetryarchive.org/poet/langston-hughes
16. https://youtu.be/N35IugBYH04
17. https://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2003/may/mccarthy/hughes.html
18. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/21/opinion/when-the-harlem-renaissance-went-to-communist-moscow.html​.
19. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/21/opinion/when-the-harlem-renaissance-went-to-communist-moscow.html
20. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/21/opinion/when-the-harlem-renaissance-went-to-communist-moscow.html

In “The Shroud” and “Sonny’s Blues” both the Grimm Brothers and James Baldwin created a very sympathetic story that conveys the messages of sorrow, loss and transformation but make peace at the end. There are many similarities in both of these short captivating stories and both stories are made to make the reader feel for the characters. Even though they are “short”, they really can stir up your emotions and are able to depict the difficulties of what each of the individuals went through and how they overcame it. The Shroud is about a mother who has a child that passes away and the struggles she faces not being able to get over her loss. Sonny’s Blues is about two brothers who have a very strained relationship and go through many obstacles to try to mend their relationship. Both stories sound so different but the overall message is the same. An understanding, almost can be seen as a transformation, takes place at the end for the characters in both tales and are able to find peace. In this essay, I will be giving you examples on how these two stories messages are alike.

I’m first going to be explaining the similar messages of loss and suffering in these two tales. In Sonny’s Blues, the narrator is lost and is suffering from the death of his young daughter Grace. He experienced a great deal of suffering that he had never felt before, which reminded him of his brother and what he had gone through. On page 84, it states, “I think I may have written Sonny the very day that little Grace was buried. I was sitting in the living room in the dark, by myself, and I suddenly thought of Sonny. My trouble made his real”. This allowed the narrator to sympathize with his brother and he began to understand the depth of Sonny’s suffering. From his pain and the sorrow he was going through in that moment, lead him to finally contact his brother, which started the brothers long journey to become whole again. It is said that you are able to feel connected and able to better understand those who are also suffering.

In The Shroud, the mother in the story experiences a depth of suffering she has never gone through before because her whole world came crashing down when her son passed away. On page 60, it states, “Now it so happened that he became ill, and God took him to himself; and for this the mother could not be comforted, and wept both day and night”. Another connection that I just realized is that both characters in these two stories lose their child. Her son passed away from an illness, very similar to the narrator’s daughter in Sonny’s Blues, who died of polio. She loved her child very much, worshipped him above everything and everyone liked him. The mother is struggling emotionally and is battling the pain of losing her child, which makes her cry day and night.

Now I will be explaining to you how these characters in these stories were able to overcome the many challenges they endured and able to make peace at the end. When the narrator wrote a letter to Sonny, the brothers began to communicate once again. Sonny is released from prison and stays with his brother, but this isn’t the end of the story, far from it actually. The brothers go through so many ups and downs in their relationship. Many obstacles occur, but unity is met at the end. Sonny invites his brother to his performance at the end of the story and this is when the narrator connects with his brother. When the narrator finally listens to Sonny play, he understands and accepts the meaning of his brothers life. The narrator was able to accept himself and his life as well, by accepting his brother. On page 92 and 93, it states, “Freedom lurked around us and I understood, at last, that he could help us to be free if we would listen, that he would never be free until we did. 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”. It was an awakening for him, it feels as if he has finally discovered himself, his brother and his life. You can see how much this moment changed him. On page 93, it states, “And I was yet aware that this was only a moment, that the world waited outside, as hungry as a tiger”. He was finally able to understand Sonny through his music, which allowed for both of them to become whole. They found peace.

Over the years, Sonny suffered from being an orphan and a drug addict in a poor neighborhood. Music was the only thing he had and what helped him. Music gave Sonny an outlet to express his suffering and darkness while it also giving his life meaning. Music is what brought the brothers closer. All the conflicts these two brothers had with one another and in their lives was resolved in the pivotal scene at the end when the narrator accepts to go see his brother perform. They appreciate each other because there’s an understanding between them now. Music is what let this happen since it is universal and can make people connect and feel. The narrator asked a girl to take drinks to Sonny. The girl put a Scotch and milk on top of the piano for Sonny. On page 93, it states, “He didn’t seem to notice it, but just before they started playing again, he sipped from it and looked toward me, and nodded”. The look toward his brother and nodding, in my opinion, signified that they both had a mutual agreement that they understand one another. Throughout the story, you see the journey that the narrator and his brother had to go through so that they could value their relationship, support each other and recognize the pain and sorrow they have, which lead them to become whole again. They were no longer estranged, formed a bond and can let go of all the negative feelings they had bottled up inside.

When the mother kept on weeping and crying everyday, day and night, the child that had been buried, would appear and sit in the places he used to and played. When the mother wept, so would the child, and he would leave in the morning. The mother would not stop crying and one night the child came in the middle of the night with its shroud that he had been buried with and stood at the foot at the bed and talked to her. On page 60, it states that he said, “Oh, mother, do stop crying, or I shall never fall asleep in my coffin, for my shroud will not dry because of all thy tears which fall upon it”. I believe that when he says he can’t fall asleep in his coffin, he’s really meaning his soul can’t move on and rest. The child isn’t able to be at peace while his mother is drowning in her own tears and sorrow. This is when the mother stopped her crying. The child came one last time the next night holding a little light in his hand and said, “Look, mother, my shroud is nearly dry, and I can rest in my grave now” (pg. 60). I feel that after the child told her he couldn’t fall asleep in his coffin from all her crying, it shifted something inside her. The mother knew what he meant by that and knew her son wouldn’t want her to be in this pain and keep weeping over something she can’t change. She was now able to be at peace knowing her son was at peace.

The narrator and Sonny in Sonny’s Blues and the mother in The Shroud, all suffered. They prevailed through all the hardship, and were able to walk down the path that lead to their salvation. Both messages are about sorrow, suffering and loss but are resolved when they come to peace at the end of both stories. You saw and felt their sorrow when reading the stories, and now were able to see them transform. In “The Shroud” and “Sonny’s Blues” both the Grimm Brothers and James Baldwin created a very sympathetic story that conveys the messages of sorrow, loss and transformation but make peace at the end.

The surroundings of someone has impact and influence on an individual’s behavior, this is also referred to as “nurture.” These influences later eventually determine mental health and the roles in society one fulfills. Two short stories, James Baldwin’s, “Sonny’s Blues’ ‘ and Daniel Alarcón, “The Ballad of Rocky Rontal” are great examples of two different men who are from two different cultures, yet still have similarities. Both storylines give an exceptional amount of details elaborating on suffering, stereotyping, anger, and redemption. Each story has a theme of it’s own reflecting on how the environment plays a role in life decisions.

For instance, suffering is a dominant factor for these men, starting at young development ages. In “Sonny’s Blues’ ‘ Harlem was where Sonny grew up. Harlem was filled with drugs and addiction. Sonny became an addict of heroin himself, explaining that drugs were to cope with suffering. Similarly, Rocky grew up in Stockton, California, “Further you go, the worse it gets. And we lived at the very end.” Most people in these neighborhoods struggled both socially and economically. These communities are segregated and don’t offer a lot of opportunity, this forcing Rocky into becoming a gang member.

Suffering not only occurs in their communities but also occurs in their personal lives. Rocky is beaten as a child, at the age of thirteen he and his siblings were sent to a shelter because a social worker came by the house and there was no food. When Rocky went home three months later, he began to steal for food and survival. Personal dark experiences also dominates Sonny motivations. Due to being African American, his uncle was murdered in a cold-blood hit and run done by racist white men. These experiences and exposures are what leads these two men down dark paths, eventually becoming the stereotypes that society has labeled them as.

In both short stories, “Sonny Blues” and “The Ballad of Rocky Rantal” both men are imprisoned. Sonny is put into jail when he is caught for heroin. Being in prison he reflects on how he wishes for freedom. Although Sonny is in physical prison, he also believes Harlem is a form of imprisonment. He believes the community is a trap. Similarly, Rocky was sent to jail. At just fifteen, Rocky was carryinging guns and doing robberies at stores, but it wasn’t just for him. He would take some of the money and slip it under the pillows of his siblings and other families’ children. He realized he became what the world saw of him, Rocky and shot a sixteen year old at close range, killing Chuy. He was sent away to a correctional facility.

These stories are about being a product of the environment in which they live, but also about looking for redemption and finding one’s identity. It isn’t until his 40s that Rocky begins to think about simple words. He was always on the defensive side of life that ignored words like compassion, understanding, forgiveness. When Rocky gets out of prison the first person on his list to see is Chuy’s mother. He wept on his knees to the old lady that is now in her 70s. He accepted responsibility. The woman said she’s seen him around making amends she forgives him. When Sonny left prison, he contacted his brother to make amends. Sonny begins to find beauty in his pain by playing music.

When we hear these chilling stories about individuals it is easy to start stereotyping individuals without thinking about the social structure that got them there. The social class and environment of where these men lived was a key factor in shaping their behaviors. These stories capture the struggle of self identity outside of the community someone on developed in.

Literature Cited

1. Sonny Blues. 1957: by james baldwin
2. The Ballad Of Rocky Rontal, The King Is Always Above The People : Daniel Alarcón

The story “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin talks about Sonny who lives in Harlem in the 1950’s. The story, is centered about Sonny who is a talented musician, lives a life full of struggles and was trapped in drug addiction which got him in jail while trying to attain success in life. The narrator, Sonny’s brother has a very hard time understanding Sonny and believes his brother’s choice of being a jazz musician is bad and tries to convince him to finish school “you got to finish school.” (107). Sonny loves jazz music and he’s very talented in it, and despite his brother’s rejection of that as a career, he doesn’t want to do anything else because it makes him happy, “I think people ought to do what they want to do, what else are they alive for?” (107). While some have limited the scope of the story to the conflicts that existed between the two brothers and how Sonny was able to resolve the relationship between him and his brother through jazz music, the author explores a broader theme of “how society and family influence can adversely affect or limit one’s dreams and aspiration in pursuit of success and happiness”. The author takes us through several plot in the story, in understanding this theme by reflecting on several characters that lives in Harlem, New York in the 1950s. As Kelly May stated that literatures enable us “experience difficult situations and human conundrums in all their complexity” (8). The narrator describes Harlem as a place where kids are disrespectful, festered by drugs, a ghetto environment that is dangerous for kids, “between the green park of the stony, lifeless elegance of hotels and apartment buildings, toward the vivid, killing streets of our childhood.” And that the streets haven’t changed much since he was a kid, “But houses exactly like the houses of our past yet dominated the landscape” (101).

All around, humans’ tendency towards success is shaped by their family interactions and societal influences, for a poor person becoming rich is the height of success, for the oppressed, freedom is invaluable, a kid born into a family of lawyers often tends towards doing law, with aspiration of being a judge. This is the very case in Harlem as Baldwin paints this picture in the Sonny’s blues. The story started with the narrator reading about Sonny’s arrest for heroin addiction, he has had his suspicions but think Sonny was wise enough not to get to the use of heroin. He is wrong, the career choice of Sonny has been an influence on him especially because he stays in Harlem where most of the young people there doing jazz were doing drugs, “It ain’t only the bad only the bad ones, nor yet the dumb ones that get sucked under.” (Mom, 103). At the time when Sonny’s mom was alive, she was able to help Sonny stay focused amidst the drug use and that helps him “if anything happens to me he ain’t going to have nobody to look out for him.” (Mama, 103), but when she died, he wanted to get away “I couldn’t tell you when Mama died-but the reason I wanted to leave Harlem so bad was to get away from drugs”, (Sonny, 114). In fact a lot of people try to leave Harlem or at least, live a life which was void of Harlemy mores, “Some escape the trap most didn’t. Those who got out always left something of themselves behind, as some animals amputate a leg and leave it in the trap.” (101, Narrator). Harlem lacks opportunity, Sonny’s friend mentioned by the narrator has been hanging around blocks and spends hours on the street corners. He often begs around for quarters and fifty cents, he didn’t do heroin, yet he was not able to change his social status and he his into other drugs that makes him high and often raggy.

Sonny’s uncle is a musician like Sonny, he likes to perform on Saturday nights. He was a little drunk on one of the Saturdays alongside Sonny’s dad and was running down a hill on to the highway, a car full of white men driving on the road aimed and killed him. Alongside the heroin abuse in Harlem, racism was evident too, “and he heard them white men shouting, and the car kept on a-going and it ain’t stopped till this day.”, (Mama, 104). This affected Sonny’s dad till he died, he relates every white man he sees to the one the drove the car that killed his brother. “Oh yes, Your Daddy never did really get right again.”, (Mama, 104). The narrator also talks about how on Sundays, church folks and relatives gather together to wine and dine “together talking about where they’ve come from, and what they’ve seen and what’s happened to them and their kinkfolk”. (103, Narattor). They try to avoid discussing in front of their kids to keep their horrible experiences from their kids. The narrator was better off the other characters referenced in the story, he was able to enlist in the Amry, got deployed and become a teacher, while this in itself is a form of success to him, in reality this should have just been the norm and success will have been defined greater if he grew up in a better neighborhood. Despite his achievement he still settled in a government subsidize apartment in Harlem, “A few days after it was up it seemed uninhabitably new, now, of course, its already a rundown. It looks likes a parody of the good, clean, faceless life-God knows the people who live in it do their best to make it a parody.”, (101 -102, Narrator). Finally, through his jazz music, Sonny was able to make his brother realize success is a personal goal not some destination set by others. Baldwin uses this story to communicate to readers the importance of family and neighborhood in the development of mankind throughout generations especially on the hindrances and set cap on success experienced by various individuals.

Works Cited

1. James Baldwin. “Sonny’s Blues.” Norton Introduction to Literature:
2. Kelly Mays, 11th edition, 95 – 118.
3. Kelly May. “Norton Introduction to Literature”:
4. Kelly Mays, 12th portable edition.

In the poem “Sonny’s Blues” written by James Baldwin was narrated from the perspective of Sonny’s brother. The poem goes along to tell a story about an African American math teacher in 1950s Harlem, to his brother Sonny, a jazz pianist who has dealt with heroin addiction at a young age. Unlike many of the young boys in the neighborhood, Sonny is not hard or brutal. He keeps all of his problems bottled up except when he plays music. The narrator develops a better understanding of Sonny’s Blues which was his struggle by finally listening to both his brother’s words and his music.

“I can’t tell you much about how I got here. I mean I don’t know how to tell you. I guess I was afraid of something or I was trying to escape from something and you know I have never been very strong in the head (smile).” In this part of the poem sunny is trying to say what he feels but he’s at war with his feelings and his morals. This becomes very hard for him to open up because he’s not used to being cared for and being asked to open up. “I’m glad Mama and Daddy are dead and can’t see what’s happened to their son and I swear if I’d known what I was doing I would never have hurt you so, you and a lot of other fine people who were nice to me and who believed in me. I don’t want you to think it had anything to do with me being a musician.” This part gets deep in the way that he’s happy they can’t see what he’s become. Although at the same time there is a sense of innocents since he said “if I knew what I was doing” so in other words he didn’t know what he was causing with his actions. “It’s more than that. Or maybe less than that. I can’t get anything straight in my head down here and I try not to think about what’s going to happen to me when I get outside again.” He is clearly at war with himself trying to decipher what things are right and which are wrong. “Sometimes I think I’m going to flip and never get outside and sometimes I think I’ll come straight back. I tell you one thing, though, I’d rather blow my brains out than go through this again.” In this section, he’s admitting to his wrongs and doesn’t want to do those wrongs again. Thus leading us to conclude that he is aware of his mistakes and doesn’t want them to happen again. “But that’s what they all say, so they tell me. If I tell you when I’m coming to New York and if you could meet me, I sure would appreciate it. Give my love to Isabel and the kids and I was sure sorry to hear about little Gracie. I wish I could be like Mama and say the Lord’s will be done, but I don’t know it seems to me that trouble is the one thing that never does get stopped and I don’t know what good it does to blame it on the” Finally we are left to see that he wishes to be different but struggles to get passed what he’s been through and move forward.

In conclusion, we can see this internal war going on in his brain, battling his past and his emotions. He is left to fight and push past his old ways to be whom he knows he can be.

Drug abuse is extremely prevalent in our society today and has increased tremendously due to the controversy of whether some drugs should be legalized in our country or not. As a result, it can be argued that drug abuse is very harmful to people and should be controlled and dealt with accordingly.

First, drug abuse results in the destruction of the user’s health. When using drugs, it may lead to serious medical complications and even cancer. The user eventually reaches a point where they can no longer function without the use of drugs which eventually results in them relying on centers for rehabilitation or hospitals. According to research, the most affected population is the youth. This leads them to waste their most crucial years of life which may destroy their relationships with friends and family, miss out on career opportunities, and even ruin their physical and mental health.

In comparison, ‘Sonny’s Blues’ by James Baldwin conveys a central theme which is surrounded by drugs that impact both the users and loved ones. In the story, the heroine destroys their lives, families, and artistic talent. The jazz musician turned to heroin and drug dealing to cope with his depression and harsh physical environments. This coping mechanism offers a momentary escape and also helps deal with the human suffering which surrounds him.

But it can be argued that drug abuse isn’t harmful at all because people use drugs not as a coping mechanism, but as a way to have fun and relax. This eventually leads people to become advocates for the legalization of certain drugs such as marijuana. Some people claim it will reduce crime, create job opportunities, and promote consumer safety. So, if people are given more accessibility to the drug it would most likely result in a greater usage of the drug. In addition, this would lead teens and young children to become more susceptible to encountering and using drugs. With that being said, drug abuse is harmful and not safe. If we encourage drug use, it will cause more negative problems in our society.

In contrast, Melville’s “The Paradise of bachelor’s and Tartarus of Maids” does not contain the use of drug and alcohol abuse. Instead, most of the first sketch describes the narrator sharing dinner with nine of the other bachelors. This elaborate meal contains frequent drinking, but not in an irresponsible way. Instead, alcohol is used in a social manor and is used only in social settings or gatherings. In the story, the bachelors only drink if they are all going to drink. “The very perfection of quiet absorption of good living, good drinking, good feeling, and good talk.” This storyline is mainly pertaining to drinking in moderation, which is best.

In conclusion, the harmful effects of drug abuse are pertinent. Our society must recognize the immoral and selfish values that they are trying to expose the youth to. We need to inform and aid in the reduction of drug abuse in order to protect and save the youth from harmful drug and alcohol addiction. For example, the development of youth projects would allow them to maintain positive and goal-oriented mindsets, which in addition would prevent them from abusing drugs or other substances.

Works Cited

1. Holliman, Chloe, and Chloe Holliman. “Surviving and Suffering:” Medium, World Literature, 1 Dec. 2015, medium.com/world-literature/surviving-and-suffering-ed3c3a94bc94.
2. Traynelis, Josh, et al. Literature and Technology, www.briancroxall.net/lit-tech/page/10/.
3. “Marijuana Legalization and Regulation.” Drug Policy Alliance, www.drugpolicy.org/issues/marijuana-legalization-and-regulation.

Family for most people play a vital role in their life, whether it is from personal development, emotional support, or moral guidance. Family is everything. One would assume, parents are the sole contributor to the overall development of a child while that may be true, the bond of a brother or sister can be just as significant. This goes beyond just a bond between a sibling, or the back and forth bickering, no this creates a foundation, a blueprint into a person’s life. This could be understood in the short story “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin. The connection between both the brother’s narrative is shown through disunion and narcotic abuse.

“Sonny’s Blues” cornerstone is the connection between Sonny and the unnamed narrator. Although not the strongest connection, a connection is a connection. Sonny and the narrator for most of the story remained in a relatively forced relationship, as the narrator was responsible for caring for Sonny. The relationship does not improve until the passing of their mother, and even then, only really connected because they are siblings. The narrator realizes his relationship with Sonny when he sees him, “many things I had forgotten came flooding back to me. This was because I had finally, begun, to wonder about Sonny, about the life Sonny had lived inside” (Sonny’s Blues 23).

The narrator had a complex connection with family. While he created his perfect family, his relationship with Sonny is weak and he feels bad about watching him suffer, never intervening as his promise to his mother. Though, through this realization, he upholds his promise and starts to care for Sonny unconditionally. Though the narrator and Sonny never reach that tight-knit togetherness in the story, their relationship also fades away from separation. The narrator promises to care for Sonny in the absence of his mother but is called to war before her passing. While overseas, he “pretty well forgot my promise to Mama until I got shipped home on a special furlough for her funeral” (Sonny’s Blues 30).

The narrator knows he is responsible as the older brother to support Sonny, yet he’s not fully committed to doing so. Thus, he fails to care for Sonny and distances himself, more concerned with the war efforts than his own flesh and blood. Due to Sonny’s isolation, he is thrown into the dark world of narcotics to escape his lifelong negligence. This dark world can consume a person from the mind, body, all the way down to their very soul. Thus, transforming sonny into a junkie. Sonny says, “I needed a fix, I needed to find a place to lean, I needed to clear a space to listen- and I couldn’t find it” (Sonny’s Blues 43). Sonny’s addiction led to the narrator’s revelation that some of this is caused by him, he isn’t being the brother that Sonny needed. The final conviction came during one of Sonny’s performances, as Sonny plays the piano, the speaker hears “what he had gone through, and would continue to go through until he came to rest in the earth” (Sonny’s Blues 47).

Finally coming to an understanding, the narrator admits his brother’s narcotic abuse is due to the dejection that consumed Sonny because of the narrator’s lack of care. Life puts the squeeze on all of us, the challenges a person faces in everyday life can be extremely tough. Not having some type of family base to fall back on can be detrimental to your overall journey through life. Sadly, the two brothers do not so much come across that inseparable bond that is so often seen in families. Nonetheless, they do come to an understanding that the separation and use of drugs played a huge role in the fallout in their relationship through the years. Ultimately driving them to the harsh realism that they will never be that cohesive unit that they both need.