Rene Rosales
Literary Heritage
Essay 2
November 24, 2017
Sonny’s Blues: Behind the Notes Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin tells the story of brothers and their attempt to make it out of a situation they feel trapped in. The story is told through a narrator that tells the story of his own struggles, but also tells us of his brother Sonny. Sonny is addicted to drugs and is trying to become a better person. Through this story, James Baldwin focuses on the impacts drugs have on poor communities like the neighborhoods in Harlem. Baldwin illustrates how people become dependent on drugs in Sonny’s Blues. In Sonny’s Blues, Sonny and his brother listen to a woman singing on the road. Sonny tells the narrator of how it reminded him of being high. Sonny says, “When she was singing before, her voice reminded me for a minute of what heroin feels like sometimes – when it’s in your veins” (Baldwin 90). He continues detailing his comparison between the two by saying, “It makes you feel sort of warm and cool at the same time” (Baldwin …show more content…
He shows Sonny’s dependence on the drug when Sonny thinks of heroin when he hears a woman singing. Baldwin shows the impacts drug abuse has on the individual, but also on the family and friends around that individual. This is shown when the narrator feels the outpour of emotions when he realizes his suspicions of his brother being addicted to drugs are true. He also finished the story showing Sonny reconnect with his brother and begin his journey of becoming an independent and sober person even though he acknowledges it will not be an easy journey. Baldwin wanted his readers to know of issues that infect poor communities. Sonny’s story is a life many people live every day. Drug addicts are human too, and society should look towards helping these individuals turn their lives around instead of demonizing
Literary Heritage
Essay 2
November 24, 2017
Sonny’s Blues: Behind the Notes Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin tells the story of brothers and their attempt to make it out of a situation they feel trapped in. The story is told through a narrator that tells the story of his own struggles, but also tells us of his brother Sonny. Sonny is addicted to drugs and is trying to become a better person. Through this story, James Baldwin focuses on the impacts drugs have on poor communities like the neighborhoods in Harlem. Baldwin illustrates how people become dependent on drugs in Sonny’s Blues. In Sonny’s Blues, Sonny and his brother listen to a woman singing on the road. Sonny tells the narrator of how it reminded him of being high. Sonny says, “When she was singing before, her voice reminded me for a minute of what heroin feels like sometimes – when it’s in your veins” (Baldwin 90). He continues detailing his comparison between the two by saying, “It makes you feel sort of warm and cool at the same time” (Baldwin …show more content…
He shows Sonny’s dependence on the drug when Sonny thinks of heroin when he hears a woman singing. Baldwin shows the impacts drug abuse has on the individual, but also on the family and friends around that individual. This is shown when the narrator feels the outpour of emotions when he realizes his suspicions of his brother being addicted to drugs are true. He also finished the story showing Sonny reconnect with his brother and begin his journey of becoming an independent and sober person even though he acknowledges it will not be an easy journey. Baldwin wanted his readers to know of issues that infect poor communities. Sonny’s story is a life many people live every day. Drug addicts are human too, and society should look towards helping these individuals turn their lives around instead of demonizing