“Sonny’s Blues”
“Music is a world within itself, it is a language we can all understand.” - Stevie Wonder
James Baldwin avowed that “It is only in his music… that the negro in America has been able to tell his story,” and music of various kinds features prominently in “Sonny’s Blues.” The story’s title evidently promotes blues music, however the story itself strongly suggests the essence of jazz music.
In the title, “Sonny’s Blues”, the blues are not only the genre of music that is mentioned throughout the story but in fact is the story. The narrator states “The tale of how we suffer and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph…” (Baldwin, page 117) relating back to the understanding that the story itself maintains a blues like …show more content…
The music that Sonny played was his attempt to tell his story to the narrator. The opportunity that was given to Sonny through music was freedom from both himself and the city he was raised in. Sonny writes in his letter to the narrator that “Sometime I think I’m going to flip and never get outside and sometime 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.” (Baldwin, page 100) The above quote describes how Sonny feels trapped in his own life to the point where if he doesn’t find help, his blues will take him down. The author chose to use music to tell the story because like today, it can be used as an escape. For Sonny, playing music helps him tell his story of an awful past and unforgettable present. The narrator inscribes how “Creole let out his reins. The dry, low, black man said something awful on the drums, Creole answered, and the drums talked back… then they all came together and Sonny was part of the family again.” (Baldwin, page 117) The mentioned quote reflects the sense of communication that is told through music. Music is the central focus of Sonny’s life… it releases him from the past years and brings him back to the present with a newfound hope. Baldwin chose music to portray the story, “Sonny’s Blues”, to show the power of art in ways that could move people to discover
“Music is a world within itself, it is a language we can all understand.” - Stevie Wonder
James Baldwin avowed that “It is only in his music… that the negro in America has been able to tell his story,” and music of various kinds features prominently in “Sonny’s Blues.” The story’s title evidently promotes blues music, however the story itself strongly suggests the essence of jazz music.
In the title, “Sonny’s Blues”, the blues are not only the genre of music that is mentioned throughout the story but in fact is the story. The narrator states “The tale of how we suffer and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph…” (Baldwin, page 117) relating back to the understanding that the story itself maintains a blues like …show more content…
The music that Sonny played was his attempt to tell his story to the narrator. The opportunity that was given to Sonny through music was freedom from both himself and the city he was raised in. Sonny writes in his letter to the narrator that “Sometime I think I’m going to flip and never get outside and sometime 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.” (Baldwin, page 100) The above quote describes how Sonny feels trapped in his own life to the point where if he doesn’t find help, his blues will take him down. The author chose to use music to tell the story because like today, it can be used as an escape. For Sonny, playing music helps him tell his story of an awful past and unforgettable present. The narrator inscribes how “Creole let out his reins. The dry, low, black man said something awful on the drums, Creole answered, and the drums talked back… then they all came together and Sonny was part of the family again.” (Baldwin, page 117) The mentioned quote reflects the sense of communication that is told through music. Music is the central focus of Sonny’s life… it releases him from the past years and brings him back to the present with a newfound hope. Baldwin chose music to portray the story, “Sonny’s Blues”, to show the power of art in ways that could move people to discover