As always, you don't have to answer all of these questions in your post, but please make an honest effort to explore the story through your blog post.
Music is an important force in "Sonny's Blues." What role does music play in the story? What is the relationship between Sonny and music? What about between the narrator and music (specifically, jazz and the blues)? What does music have to do with the greater meanings of the story, whatever those may be? How do you relate to music--what role does it play in your life? (If you are a person who creates music or plays an instrument, comment on that.)
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Sonny’s Blues takes place in Harlem. Many people may not know this but The Apollo Theater is there! It’s one of the most famous music halls in the United States. The Apollo has paved the way for multiple African-American artists. For Sonny, music plays a very big role in his life. He tends to show no emotion and really isn’t that much of a talker. However, when it comes to music, in a way he gets lost in it. It’s what he wants to do with his life. He puts all his so-called suffering into his music. For Sonny, music makes him feel like he’s in control. At his revival meeting, he said that the woman who was singing reminded him of what it was like to have heroin in your veins. This explains it all! Drugs and music in there own right are therapeutic. It just so happens Sonny realized the feeling he got from music was far better than anything drugs could give him. For me, music is an outlet. I’m from a very musical family and I’ve always grown up around an eclectic mix. Whenever I’m stressed out or in one of those moods, music is my thing. It’s a way for me to rid myself of all the stresses and drama.
ReplyDeleteIn "Sonny's Blues", the character of Sonny, in his childhood years, seemed to be always told what to do. When his mother died, the brother was trying to get Sonny to come live with him and Isabel, when all he wanted to do was get out of Harlem. Then when asked what he wanted to do with his life, he responded that he wanted to play music. Right away his brother went off on how that couldn't possibly make a living for him and that it was a silly idea.
ReplyDeleteFor Sonny, I think music was a way that he could finally express himself and where others would learn to listen to him through it. This was best captured in the closing paragraphs when the brother finally saw Sonny in a new light as he was up on stage playing the piano and bought him that drink.
Whenever I get the chance I always listen to music. I'm one of those people who you would find singing in the car with the radio on to the steering wheel when you drive by. Like Kacieeg said, it is an outlet; its that song you hear passing by that puts a smile on your face, or cheers you up, or helps you see that other people go through the same things you do. That's what music is to me.
In “Sonny’s Blues” music plays a very important role, as sort of a life saver and a way of life for him. Drugs almost were his downfall in the beginning since he was caught and got arrested for “peddling and using heroin.” He told his brother and family that all he wanted to do was to study and make music. His brother tried to convince him that not everyone makes money by doing what they want. Throughout the story, he tried many things such as going to college to become a teacher, but that didn’t seem to work out. So he joined the military, he finished but still had a hard time finding his path in life. All he ever thought about doing was making music for a living. There were many arguments with his brother about what he wanted to do, but at the end of the story you can see that music really was the right path for him the whole time. As far as the role music plays in my life, it’s mostly a form of entertainment but also helps me move along in papers and gets all of my thoughts out that I have in my mind.
ReplyDeleteAfter having read the story I can agree with what has already been said in this post. The main thing that the reader must acknowledge is that music in this story for Sonny serves as an escape. He says in the story that his father always told him that blues players were "good time people". Growing up in Harlem obviously is not the easiest place to spend your childhood so I think that the music portion of Sonnys life served as some sort of an escape from all of the bad things going on around him. In my life music serves a simialr purpose. It helps with my moods, like for example if im feeling angry or upset I will listen to something upbeat that will trigger something in my mind to let me know that I need to take a breath and calm down. Also, if I am about to go out and play in a big hockey game, I can throw on something to make me get into the zone and concentrate on the game and get my adrenaline going. Music in a way is kind of like a drug in itself because it can alter your moods and your perceptions.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with Gordon when he talks about music being a escape for Sonny. Being that music had a history with his deceased father, I think Sonny uses music to keep his fathers spirit alive as well as family history. Music definitely plays a role of keeping Sonny sane. Music plays a different role for every member in the world. For Sonny it was that escape route rather that be remembering his father or simply doing what he loved. I admire Sonny for sticking up for what he wanted to do with his own life rather than his brother deciding that for him.
ReplyDeleteIn society today, music plays a different role for each and every one of us. Like Sonny, I tend to listen to music for enjoyment. Lyrics in a song can help ease stressful events in ones life as well as get a person excited or pumped up for a athletic event of some sort. I think that music triggered something more than a paycheck for Sonny. More so, I sense that it triggered deeper emotions as coping with his life and doing what he enjoyed to do whether others agreed with it or not.
In Sonny's Blues, music is how Sonny basically showed any emotions. Music basically is Sonny's life and savior. If it was not for music, Sonny would've become nothing more than a just another heroin addict. Music saved his life and led him to success as a person. Playing music is exactly what Sonny wanted to do in life and it made him happy. Many people's lives are based around music even into todays society. Personally, i may not know how to play an instrument but music is with me everyday. I listen to music constantly to the point where I don't know what kind of person I would be if I did not have music. The music I listen to at any time can reflect my mood and I am emotionally connected to music to the point where if I want to cheer myself up, all I have to do is listen to a certain song.
ReplyDelete-John Choquette
People use different methods to cope with the everyday struggles of life. In "Sonny's Blues", Sonny needed music as much as music needed him. I knew a few people like Sonny. They had a hard time accepting things for face value, and were always trying to find some sort of happy place within themselves. Music, especially blues, is a connection between man and instrument. It is a beautiful conversation and mutual understanding. Sonny had a difficult time conversing in "normal" life, but he was a genious at communicating through music. Music is a very important part of my life. I play my guitar as often as I can. It is my release, my coping mechanism and a great way to have fun. There is nothing better than just jamming out with friends, having a few beers, and making tunes. I love music and I can admire people like Sonny. Stay true to yourself and the rest is history. I do not advocate the use of heroin though, keep that shit out of your veins. There are other ways to get a rush, stick to the music.
ReplyDelete--Scott Van Winter
To most music people and to sunny music is life. The music to sunny is a way that he can express himself compaird to his brother. His brother thinks that here is no way to make a living my being a musition and he feels it's his respoznciliblity to convince his brother to stay away from music and do something that will provide for him in the long run. I can testify to sunnys struggle because as being a music major I have delt with the nay-Sayers that I couldn't make any kidnd of living being a music major. Even with my parents they want me to teach music and not be a voice major bc they feel that teaching will give me more of a chance at a good living insted of just being a music voice major.
ReplyDeleteIn everyday life, people deal with different situations differently. In the story “Sonny Blues”, the important role that music plays in the story is that Sonny needed music to heal. In the story, Sonny was arrested for dealing heroin and had other problems. The music, blues, was a way for Sonny to forget about his other problems and led him to better things in life. I personally do not play an instrument but music does play a role in my life. I have grown up around all different types of music. I listen to different genres of music depending on my mood. When I am in a bad mood, I will listen to upbeat music to cheer me up. Music is a way for me to take everything off my mind and relax.
ReplyDeleteAs everyone above has stated it's obvious that music is Sonny's escape. Through the heroin addiction, almost going to prison, and the military music was the one constant in Sonny's life that also keeps his dad alive. I also think growing up in Harlem, Sonny had a big musical influence just in his community. Throughout anything Sonny just want to play and study music so obviously it's a big part of his life. Music led Sonny to success. Music is something big in my life. Although I don't play music, I love it. It can change your mood and as weird as it may sound it can get me through some really touch times.
ReplyDeleteIn the short story "Sonny's Blues" i believe he used music as a way to cope with his emoitions and the things that were going on in his life. His father passed away,he was arrested and lived in a Harlem and also used drugs as a way to escape his reailty. Sonny became a different person when he was playing his music. He was so passionate about his music and became lost in it whenever he played. At the place he played he was so popular because he was known for doing something great, playing his music instead of being known for doing drugs or being an adddict like everyone else saw him. His brother saw that and was proud becuase at first he doubted Sonny and told him he would never be able to go far in life playing music. Sonny replaced the use of drugs with playing his music which is a beautiful thing.
ReplyDeleteMusic is a very important part in my life because it is almost like an outlet when your feeling down or hurt. It can help you get through the bad times and also is there for the good. I love listening to music and just being able to dance like at parties or just in my car driving. I can just forget about everything else and relax, not have to worry about anything and be carefree.
-nicole
I would have to also agree with everyone else that posted here. The main focus is music, and that it serves as an escape for sonny. Music was a way for him to escape the day to day hardships of his life..his father passing away...getting arrested..using drugs etc. Its hard to even picture Sonny as someone who abused drugs because he was so into his music and seemed so carefree about it. He's serious about his music so it makes you think like why is he doing drugs when he has a great thing going for him.
ReplyDeleteIn my life music is also an escape. I however cannot play an instrument but I like to listen to music loudly when I'm feeling down, or just want to escape that situation that I am in.
Music is important in Sonny’s blues, because in the story, music is what Sonny is passionate about. When Sonny was younger and he lost his parents and had to move in with his brother, he started playing jazz piano as a way of bringing meaning to his life. This continued throughout other aspects of his life, and even though it leads him to struggles, music also had a way of getting him out of it as well. The way I relate to music is by playing music that enhances my mood. When I am jogging, cleaning or getting ready to go out for the night, I listen to upbeat music to boost my energy. In the same respect, I like to listen to slower more relaxing music when I am taking a bath or resting.
ReplyDeleteIn Sonny's Blues, Sonny is in a world full of depressionand despair. Not many people in the Harlem area have hopes for their lives furthering from where they are. Sonny had music growing up, that was his escape from the world and the one thing that gave him hope. When Sonny plays his music he drifts into a world that is better than the reality of the life around him. When his brother discourages his dream of music he goes down in life hence "sonnys blues". This is the greater meaning of the story, although depression desapirs and his drug use surround Sonny and imprison him he finds a release in the music, a way to express his blues. Everything Sonny had encountered negative is expressed or rid of when he plays music. When I am stressed or upset I usually put a song on that can relate to my mood or is upb eat and I feel better.
ReplyDelete