Sonny's Blues Group at eNotes

What literary elements are used in Sonny's Blues?

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:14:23 PST

What literary elements are used in Sonny's Blues?

What does Baldwin suggest are the barriers to intimacy in "sonny' Blues"?

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:29:30 PST

What does Baldwin suggest are the barriers to intimacy in "sonny' Blues"?

In John Updike's "A&P" define sammy and how he acts in the beginning...

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:53:01 PST

In John Updike's "A&P" define sammy and how he acts in the beginning of the story. And what are 2 things that cause him to change?

define the main character in sonny' s blues. what are the 2 main...

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:35:37 PST

define the main character in sonny' s blues. what are the 2 main things that cause him to change?

sonny' s blues short story

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:33:47 PST

define the main character in sonny' s blues. what are the 2 things that cause hime to change?

Most Wrong About "Sonny's Blues"

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:36:20 PST

I would like to suggest that there there's no difference between Bub in "Cathedral" and the brother in "Sonnys Blues." The narrater is unrealiable and can't be trusted. It is he that assumes that his brother is guilty, suggest that his students are probally on drugs, cant see why anyone would befriend a child, can hate you then, not hate you and be about to cry like a baby in a single conversation with a stranger, name call " He looks...

plot

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:01:29 PST

Maybe both. It is a known fact that musicians live an odd life,...

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:52:30 PST

Maybe both. It is a known fact that musicians live an odd life, sleeping during the day and working at night. Their schedule and their association with "goodtime people," as Sonny's father had called them, can often lead to drug use. Added to this temptation in "Sonny's Blues" is the isolation Sonny feels when he tells his brother that he wants to play jazz, and the narrator-brother is not too receptive to the idea. When Sonny stays...

In "Sonny's Blues," is music a savior in Sonny's life or his ultimate...

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:20:33 PST

In "Sonny's Blues," is music a savior in Sonny's life or his ultimate weakness?

James Baldwin effectively creates a blues/mournful tone in his story...

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:26:11 PST

James Baldwin effectively creates a blues/mournful tone in his story of "Sonny's Blues" by having the disappointed brother read about Sonny in the paper "trapped in the darkness which roared outside." He narrates that a "great block of ice got settled in [his] stomach as he read about Sonny's trouble in the spring. Little Grace died in the fall...she only lived a little over two years. She died of polio and she suffered. Then,...

How did the author create the tone in Sonny's Blues?

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:18:59 PST

How did the author create the tone in Sonny's Blues?

The narrator of "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin finally talks with the...

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:49:16 PST

The narrator of "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin finally talks with the brother from whom he has been alienated. Years ago Sonny would come by his house, but the narrator perceived him as "loose and dreamlike all the time" and he disliked his friends. But, now as adults, the narrator realizes that he should listen to Sonny, for Sonny is "doing his best to talk." And, as Sonny speaks of his addition to heroin, his attempt to keep from...

Which are the revelations/epiphanies that occur in the living room and...

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:54:47 PST

Which are the revelations/epiphanies that occur in the living room and in the nightclub?

What parts of "Sonny,s Blues" correspond to the plot stages of a...

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:29:42 PST

What parts of "Sonny,s Blues" correspond to the plot stages of a traditionally told story?

In James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" there are flashbacks which provide...

Sun, 7 Jun 2009 10:39:57 PST

In James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" there are flashbacks which provide information for the reader to understand the main conflicts between the narrator and Sonny as well as the conflicts within Sonny. However, the story opens with the traditional exposition in which the main characters are introduced and the "discriminated occasion," or problem is presented: Sonny's addition to heroin. However, the development of Sonny's problems does not...

In Baldwin's story "Sonny's Blues," Creole is more like the father who...

Sun, 7 Jun 2009 10:20:38 PST

In Baldwin's story "Sonny's Blues," Creole is more like the father who awaits the prodigal son(s), awaiting the return of Sonny so that he can guide him to understanding. Likewise, he seeks to guide Sonny's brother, the narrator, to a better understanding of his brother Sonny. For, he places the narrator in a dark, secluded corner where he can lose his sense of sense and totally focus upon the stage and Sonny. The narrator states that all...

What parts of "Sonny Blues" correspond to the plot stages of a...

Wed, 3 Jun 2009 06:22:40 PST

What parts of "Sonny Blues" correspond to the plot stages of a traditionally told story:?

In James Baldwins's "Sonny's Blues," is Creole a prophet symbol? If so...

Wed, 20 May 2009 20:28:34 PST

In James Baldwins's "Sonny's Blues," is Creole a prophet symbol? If so how.

This is a complex question. The narrator makes clear that Harlem is a...

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:52:54 PST

This is a complex question. The narrator makes clear that Harlem is a place of darkness, with temptations for any child brought up there, and he notes that the same temptations still exist for the students he teaches. But Sonny's brother also remembers a support system when "old folks were talking after the big Sunday dinner" (444) and Sonny knows there is darkness and joy when he says, "All that hatred down there, all that hatred and...

In "Sonny's Blues", how does society (Harlem) influence (positive or...

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:40:59 PST

In "Sonny's Blues", how does society (Harlem) influence (positive or negative) the two brothers? What is Sonny's biggest vice?