Essays on James Baldwin

Drug addiction and brotherly love. Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin. Drug addiction and brotherly love. Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin. African American literature frequently reveals the suffering of people who live in the world full of racism. The Western society used to put African American people in unfavorable conditions throughout the whole history and life in this condition may lead to tragic circumstances. The following essay concerns the story named “Sonny’s Blues” which was written by James Baldwin. It will discuss the main themes of the story which are struggling of people who live in the ...

In 1960, a group of students called the “Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee” (SNCC) began to organize sit-ins with black students who would walk into restaurants throughout the south and sit in places designated for “whites only.” This stirred up a debate between Malcolm X and James Baldwin, who both played a prominent role in the history of the fight against the nation’s racial inequality that led to the Civil Rights Movement. Each of the men had some interesting, valid, and unique perspectives on their thoughts about the sit-ins that were occurring across the south that resulted in the ...

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Sonny Blue is a short story by James Baldwin writing in 1957 incorporating the major themes of suffering, artistic expression and segregation in a society. It is a story about the narrator who has been successful in creating a secure and stable profession of teaching for himself despite the disparaging pressures that have seen so many black American lead astray (Baldwin 394). The narrator explains his bond with his brother in this story that was hit by stages of separation and return. The book starts when the anonymous narrator of the story while reading the ...

Modern instances of racism are rather subtle and usually harder to completely analyze from what the victim recounts later. It ranges from a tinge of scorn from the clerk at the usual supermarket to the stench of serious human rights violation by the police. The concept that these acts of racism are isolated and does not signify any underlying pattern was vehemently upheld by many men and women of authority until recently. But as of today, they stand corrected. Even from a passive standpoint, after hearing from a number of such victims, we have come to accept that this ...

Discuss ‘Another Country’ as a Realistic Novel

Another Country is definitely the innovative and fresh novel of the time as it not only represents the tabooed topics and reveals carefully hidden truths but also gives the new lease of life to the genre of a realistic novel. This particular statement seems to be evident because James Baldwin made his book embody realistic novel’s main features, which are the reality, fidelity, docudrama, human psychology, complex characters, plot structure and narrative style (Shivaji University, 3).

Reality and Fidelity

Even the name of a realistic novel speaks on its behalf; therefore, it is obvious that the proper reflection of the reality ...

Identity has become an unavoidable part of people’s lives. Our identities have become our vectors and are defined by what we do and the reasons behind the acts. As much as people may want to believe that their identity is irrelevant, in reality, they often affect the way other people perceive them. There are many aspects of one’s identity. Therefore, every action that a person takes can have different meanings and implications to different people and thus people have become concerned about shaping their identities. Shaping and defending our identities has become more real to us than ...

Racial inequality is one of the most discussed and urgent problems in the USA. At first, non-white people fought for their freedom, for their human right to be equal with white people. And now, while other countries believe that in USA there are no racial discrimination, non-white people still suffer from unfair distribution of opportunities, powers, rights, and economic resources. Consequently, we can blame 300 years of physical, cultural, and political discrimination as a reason for current inequality. Different politicians, researchers, and writers are trying to come up with the theories, ideas, and historical background of racial identity of ‘ ...

ANALYZE THE TROPE OF VIOLENCE IN ‘ANOTHER COUNTRY’

The story of an unsuccessful musician and his death is a knowingly violent one. The features of violence shape the general image of “Another Country”, revealing the deepest secrets of its characters and leading the plot to unexpected fields. The trope of violence, present in “Another Country” starts before Rufus’s death and is directly connected to him. As the story develops, violence starts to come out in other characters’ relationships. The violence, which takes place in Rufus’s life, is mainly focused around his affair with Leona and Eric. In fact, the origins of heterosexual relations are rooted ...

In “The Fire Next Time” author James Baldwin provides a unique perspective inside the lives of African American and race in the 20th century. Unlike his predecessors he shows an angle of life as an African American male that is different from that of those who came before him. Baldwin’s story tells of the challenges and anger that he held against previous generations of black men who had not done enough to fulfil the freedom of the black people. Baldwin’s experience is one of a young black man looking for an answer in a sea of confusing ...

Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin (1957) “Sonny's Blues” by James Baldwin is a popular story, in which are metaphorically emphasized musical elements. Closer consideration of blues and jazz forms application and use of musicians such as Creole, Charlie Parker and Louis Armstrong by Baldwin shows that the basic motives of the story are supported by these themes. The blues, as music and state of being, can be considered as basic to story’s structure. Richard N. Albert says, “In this story, content (message) of the blues is all important,” because by a number of blacks they are considered to ...

“Sonny’s Blues” is a story by James Baldwin written in 1957. The story describes a position many adolescents find themselves in when they are in high school. They have to listen to teachers, parents, elder siblings, etc.; however, they have their own opinions, ideas, and passions. Adolescents become very frustrating when they feel that dear people do not understand them or take seriously. This is what happens with the protagonist, Sonny. His brother does not understand his desire to become a musician or join the military. In general, the story is about family, overcoming difficulties, music, and human ...

Blues for Mister Charlie, a term used to refer to “white men”, is a thriller based on Emmett Till’s case, a young African American man who met his death in cold blood in Mississippi in the year 1955. He was killed for an alleged act of whistling at a white woman. Interestingly, the murdered was soon after let free. This play is cyclical in structure. The play begins with and ends in the murder of one character in the name of Richard, while at the same time, occasionally making use of a series of flashback approach to establishing ...

Question One

Civil disobedience was viewed in different ways by various scholars. For Martin Luther King, civil disobedience should be used to pass over government rules. He also asserted that the theory of natural law and contemporary consent may be required by the law as a genuine act of civil disobedience. He also considered civil disobedience in the form of non-violent refusal to obey the laws of the government. Civil disobedience may be applied on a large scale to force the government to negotiate changes. It is also conscientious. This implies that it may be motivated by religious convictions and the ...

James Baldwin is best known for his novels, short stories and essays. Most of his work revolves around the themes of discrimination towards blacks and homosexuals. Most of his work is considered to be at least somewhat autobiographical because a reader can often detect the traces of his own past torture and dilemmas. The loneliness and the suffering from all the taunts which he faced all his life are reflected in his writings.

Baldwin was born in Harlem in August 1924. His mother was Emma Berdis Jones, who happened to be single and poor at the time. No one never ...

Though stories vary greatly from one another, good stories have similar literary elements in common which make them a good story. This essay judges James Baldwin’s story Sonny’s Blues based on this criteria of characters, setting, and point of view and conflict. Baldwin’s story features two protagonists, Sonny and his brother and his older, protective brother. Both are from an economically disadvantaged black neighborhood. Sonny is a musician, and as do many musicians, he used drugs. The reader is introduced to Sonny when he has just gotten out of jail and is no longer using drugs, but ...

It has been a documented phenomenon in the field of psychology that art can serve as an outlet for suffering. Olga Gonithellis, MA has written about the topic. It is not that all artists suffer, but many arts suffering can increase their “Artiness.” (Gonithellis, 1). This is a central theme of James Baldwin’s story “Sonny’s Blues.” Sonny, the protagonist in the story was from a poor black neighborhood and like many musicians in his time in place, used drugs. In the story Sonny is an ex heroin addict uses music to ease his suffering. The central question of the story ...

It is not always smooth all the way at the family level when it comes to making decisions. Every family member has their interests and perceptions of life, which help them, make personal choices and decisions. The same can be said about Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin. While reading the story, it is natural that the story can elicit feelings and thoughts in similar situations in real life cases just as events unfold in the story. The two brothers, Sonny and the narrator have different paths that they have chosen in life, just like it can happen to ...

This essay discusses the short story “Sonny’s Blues” – a story of two brothers – Sonny, the principal character, and his (unnamed) brother who narrates the story. As a short story, this one is actually quite long, running to some 27 pages (122-148) in the version sourced from the website of the Southwest Career and Technical Academy (SWCTA). Most critics consider James Baldwin as one of America’s great writers and cite “Sonny’s Blues” as a straightforward account of two brothers, endeavouring to live a right and proper life in an era and environment rich in a climate characterized by “hatred and oppression” (Zimmerman, ...

Liberty. Among the most widely putative theories of liberty is that there must be a single predominant formula under which all the comprehensible locutions about personal freedom and liberation. The pervasiveness of this notion largely influences Gerald MacCallum’s classic article, “Negative and Positive Freedom”. The author provides that the need for freedom of an individual is realized once an element of constraint is determined. These elements of constraints prevent individuals from becoming or becoming something. Liberation is a triadic relation between individuals, constraints, and ends. To ensure full liberty, the constraints to the “ends” should be completely inexistent. These insights ...

Compare James Baldwin's view of personal liberation with Jamaica Kincaid's

Compare James Baldwin's view of personal liberation with Jamaica Kincaid's

Introduction

In this paper, the ideas of liberation have been discussed from the perspective of James Baldwin and Jamaica Kincaid. The ideas of both these authors have been derived from their writings. The writings of James Baldwin, which have been used to understand his point of view, include, going to meet the Man, This Morning, This Evening, So Soon, and others. The movie of James Baldwin i.e. the Price of the Ticket has also been analyzed. On the other side, Jamaica Kincaid’s book Lucy has been used for this ...

Literature often deals with various conflicts involving people; wars, families, cultures, nations, and many other factors pit one or more people against each other. However, pivotal moments in literature often occur within the characters themselves. A character may struggle within himself, and this internal struggle can reveal much about the character and therefore the aim of the literature. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” and James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” are short stories that deal intimately with the internal conflict of their protagonists, which reveals much about the characters. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “Young Goodman Brown,” ...

Compare and Contrast “Sonny’s Blues” and “The Yellow Wallpaper”

A lot of stories in literature is about coming to terms with or dealing with the interior world as it places out in the outer world. It has been mused that every person is a world onto himself or herself, and sometimes the rich inner life within the self is in direction competition with the world around them. This concept plays out in two very different stories in unique ways. James Baldwin’s story, “Sonny’s Blues” explores this world of communication of the self to the world through music and drugs and presents image of jazz culture in New ...

In the year 1903, W.E.B Dubois wrote the book The Negro Church. This book was later to be recognized as one among the most instrumental literary works in the Harlem Renaissance of 1918 to 1937. Dubois, much like other African American writers contributed greatly to American writing through philosophical thinking and ideology. James Baldwin is among the most prominent writers whose works are a portrayal of the prominent role of religion in African American literature. His book, Go Tell It on the Mountain, which narrates his life as the son of a Christian minister, is an explication of the role of ...

Introduction

James Baldwin in this classic story writes about 2 brothers growing up in a black ghetto called Harlem in New York. These two brothers are from the African-American race and the story was written during the 1950s, a time when the black people were actually enforced to live in a world of discrimination, prejudice, suppression, and poverty. This means that the living standards of black people were very difficult. The idea of individual suffering actually hovers inescapably over this story. Every character suffers in a particular way that is, from poverty, grief, addiction, and limited opportunities in life. For that reason, this essay ...

Anne Bradstreet and James Baldwin express their concern about the American society and their literary works critique and comment on the societal conditions of the land. Anne Bradstreet was the first woman poet of America and her literary works voiced her disapproval of the societal view of the women folk of the land. She refuted the stereotypical notion of the Puritan society of the 1600s that the female was inferior to the male. The American patriarchal society expected the women folk to embrace passivity and immanence finding solace in the constrictions of the household. In the poem, The ...

Sonny’s Blues

Introduction This is the heart-rending is the tale of how two extreme approaches through which people deal with the tribulations and trials of life. The story reminded me of my own conflict with my family regarding my choice of career as a guitarist. In the novel, Sonny’s Blues, the author James Baldwin narrates the story of two African-American brothers. The story revolves around the relationship between the brothers and how it changes dimensions with the change in circumstances. The narrator, Sonny’s elder brother, had promised his dying mother that he will care for and look after his ...

Language Is The Level By Which We Navigate Through Life

Fredrick Douglas in his essay “Learning to Read and Write.” Reflects upon how he learned literacy with no teacher. Amy Tan’s essay deals with her discovery of not just speaking Chines and English, but speaking two different Englishes depending on context. In language, we learn from the world around us. In my personal experience of growing up in South Korea, I first learned to speak Korean, and did not even realize that there were other languages until I was older, when I was then taught English in school. While I do well with English, I do not feel ...

Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin is a story about two brothers, their sufferings, their loneliness and the imprisonment of expressions which leads to a communication gap. The narrator is the older brother of Sonny and flashbacks from the past reflect the relationship and tension between the two brothers. The imagery of the story, amalgamated with the setting brings forth a situation full of despair and hopelessness. The feelings of the protagonist, from the very beginning of the story, are that of guilt, confusion and not knowing what to do. The story begins when the narrator reads about the heroin bust ...

Modern American fiction often concerns itself with identity; the individual is often at stake in part of a larger group, whether it be a family, village, or the societies of a big city. Perhaps it is the very nature of American fiction to place identity at the core of much of its short fiction; as a relatively young country that evolved quickly through colonial times and the industrial revolution, its population comes from around the world yet still seeks to define itself as a nation. Therefore, it is no surprise that in the diverse fiction of America, the theme of identity is wrestled with ...

Ian McNulty’s review of the Courtyard Grill is a fair example of a restaurant review. A good restaurant review should include clear information about the food, cuisine presentation, venue atmosphere, service, price range, accessibility, and what makes this restaurant special compared to others for prospective customers. McNulty’s review fulfills a couple of these items. It is clear from reading the review that McNulty is writing an assessment of a Middle Eastern style restaurant, so there is no confusion about his subject. McNulty’s ethos is trustworthy since the review supplies evidence he has visited and eaten at the Courtyard Grill ...

Many different themes of apparent opposition come from reading James Baldwin’s classic short story, Sonny’s Blues. There are themes of life versus death, good versus bad, light versus darkness, safety versus danger, white versus black, seeing versus blindness, and outside versus inside, to name only a few. A theme that encompasses all of these supposed oppositions is order versus chaos. The characters in Sonny’s Blues attempt to make order from the roiling dangers of poverty, addiction, war, and other chaotic elements of life in Harlem of the 1950s. However, Baldwin does not present chaos and order as ...

[Your Name Here] [] [Course Name] I find the reading a psychologically rich homage to recent history. James Baldwin as the author of this story would have been contemporary or participant to conditions much like conditions that this family lived under. James Baldwin was a black man who had come of age in inner city USA through WWII and the civil-rights era. He beautifully demonstrates the psychological effects of living in a paradoxical society. On one hand America was the bastion of liberty and justice throughout the world; on the other hand, it existed under the yoke ...

A Critical Analysis

James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” (1965) is one of his best known stories, and it continues to attract critical attention and to attract new readers. Written during the Civil Rights Campaign of the 1960s, Baldwin eschews his habitual preoccupations with homosexuality and inter-racial relationships to write a moving story of two brothers. Clark 934) argues that the story “meticulously interrogates and dismantles the superficial, socially imposed aspects of men’s relationships precisely because the story is so uniquely asexual.” – unique in Baldwin’s work, he means. Famously, Baldwin uses the music of the blues and jazz as a metaphor for ...

The book Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin is a masterpiece in terms of bringing out the theme of pain and suffering encountered by African Americans after World War II. This paper intends to analyze this book in terms of its plot structure, character and character change, the narrator’s point of view, and its setting. The analysis seeks to explain how James Baldwin, the author, uses these features of his story to further the story's overall theme.

Focusing on the plot structure of the book Sonny's Blues, James Baldwin structures his plot in a way that he systematically addresses two ...