James Baldwin

found a short story’s theme and setting make the story interesting. A theme is the message, which focuses on people’s lives, or is the story about. Some stories do not have a theme, as well as some stories can one or many themes. For example, James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” is enriched with many themes such as racism, suffering, addiction, and people’s ego. From all the themes in “Sonny’s Blues,” suffering is one of the main themes. Parents suffering about their children’s future and safety.…

In “Sonny’s Blues”, by James Baldwin, Sonny sets himself in a problematic situation with drug addiction and a loss of communication with his brother. Sonny’s hometown in Harlem causes him to set himself in a dangerous atmosphere, making it impossible to escape from which in Sonny’s situation, is his addiction towards drugs. Not only does Sonny’s habit with drug use causes him a downfall in his life, but it also makes him lose a connection with his brother. Sonny finds a solution to communicate…

In The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin, he tells the story of his life and the challenges he goes through, the racism, battles, struggles, and the oppression that affects not just him but the community. This book is under the genre of auto-biography, which is the writer's point of view of the obstacles in their life that really should not be ignored but instead be told and addressed. It's a miracle that we have evolved from what we used to be centuries ago, but sadly society has become distorted…

In James Baldwin’s collection of essays in The Fire Next Time he expresses a call to action for Americans to abandon the belief that whites and blacks are separate and to unite together as a whole country. In the essays, he identifies religion as the source for this disillusioned belief that whites are inherently better than African Americans merely because of their skin color. In participating in the Christian religion, he learns that the overall teachings to love one another are not practiced…

content of the character” (American Rhetoric). During this time period, James Baldwin wrote The Fire Next Time to convince African Americans to fight for their rights. Although currently, the United States doesn’t display explicit segregation similar to the…

Interlacing Stories Reading both The Brain: The Story of You by David Eagleman and “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin, I can see they are related in many ways. Both readings speak about the issues of using drugs, seclusion, and feelings. First, the drug addiction and incarceration issues in both readings. Eagleman states that “going to prison doesn’t solve their [users’] problem – it generally worsens it.” (125) in most of the cases this situation happens. Besides, Sonny’s friend said that…

Cues can often signal the approach of something important in literature. On certain occasions, the cues may be obvious, but more often than not they only truly manifest once the reader gains a full understanding of the text. “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin is a dynamic short story that encompasses both the lifestyle of the African American community within the time period and the development of jazz music as a form of self-expression. Despite having two dynamic main characters the plot moves…

Uptown," James Baldwin argues thats living in the housing projects can have damaging effects on minorities. Specifically, Baldwin believes these “ghettos” have caused lasting psychological damages, and need to be destroyed. As the author puts it, “A ghetto can be improved in one way only: out of existence.”(Baldwin 13) . Harlem’s projects in the 1960s as Baldwin is describing was exactly that. It was his description, not everyone else’s…

In James Baldwin’s Sonny’s Blues we explore the journey of a recovering heroin addict named Sonny, through the psyche, interactions, and flashbacks of his older brother. With his brother being seven years older than him their relationship lacks the typical sibling bond but rather Sonny’s brother assumes a more anxious parental role. In this role, his brother exerts many prejudices about Sonny’s drug addict status towards him in attempts to fix and protect him. However, a seemingly insignificant…

The story “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin (1957) explores the theme of suffering experienced by African Americans. It features the struggle of two brothers separated and caught in the entanglements of time, space and ideals. Both Sonny and his brother are surrounded by a world full of shadows and light, structure and antistructure. The narrator must understand his brother 's fall into drugs, while Sonny himself must recover and learn to stay afloat. Baldwin utilizes aspects of African culture…