Analysis Of Sonny s Blues By John M. Lee - 2198 Words

Name: Ali Beydoun Instructor: Dr. Kim Course: English 132 Sonny’s Blues is one of the famous stories expressing the deplorable conditions the Black community found themselves in during the struggle against racial segregation in the American history. The analysis given by John M. Reilley is to draw the attention of the readers and audience on the image of the black community, basically as expressed by Sonny’s Blues as a metaphor. Following the publication of Sonny’s Blues, James Baldwin realized he had a role in the African American Civil Rights Movement (Baldwin, 69). The story articulates the thoughts and experiences of the racial violence and oppression that was being experienced by the black Americans at the time. Through the story, the writer treats the issues of segregation and racism in a lesser manner as compared to several of his works, but the weight is felt at different levels. The purpose of the story Sonny’s Blues, in relation to the public image of young Black men. The title used by James Baldwin, Sonny’s Blues, according to John Reilley, can be interpreted in two ways (Reilly, 56). The first interpretation is the state of unhappiness and discontent amongst the Black community and the music played by Sonny, or rather his depression (blues). According to Reilly, the purpose of the story is to lead those reading Sonny’s Blues to sympathetically engage with the young man (Sonny) by digging in deep knowledge on human motives. The intention of the narrator, and