Tuesday, March 30, 2010

James Baldwin

Sonny’s Blues,
I really enjoyed reading this story. The main issue of the story, addiction, is something that is still relatable to this day. Sonny has this addiction to heroin and it affects the family aspect of his life. From early on he has this connection with his older brother. He was there for everything. He watched him grow from a baby to this man with this huge problem. Sonny is up front to his brother about what his problems are from the get go. It isn’t until when they are listening to the music at the barbecue place the main character finally starts to listen to Sonny and understand his pain. As brothers, there is always a connection there, whether they realize it or not. Through this musical gateway, they are able to start rebuilding what they once had.
I like the family aspect5 of this story. There is nothing like family for a person. They are there through thick and thin, no matter what. There might be a period of time where family is at odds with you, but they will always come around.
The brother goes to the club with Sonny and this proves to him that Sonny still has talent without the drugs. This is proof that you can still be the same person and still have the same strengths even without the drugs. This, I believe, is also what helps the relationship build even more. This positive thing feeds into the overall well being of the relationship.
The blues part of the story is all the turmoil the brothers endure throughout their relationship. They start off on a good path, split ways, and then come back together. Most families will go through this same maze in their lifetimes. It is nice for Sonny’s brother to be so supportive of him towards the end and find that middle ground to come together and repair their relationship.

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