Sonny’s Blues: Family bonds

Introduction

A. James Baldwin’s short story, “Sonny’s blues” is intriguing because of its display of family bonds and why it is important to look out for each other.

B. Baldwin asks about the value of family bonds and what happens when familial compassion fails.

C. Thesis: The story, “Sonny’s Blues” talks about how family obligations are complex; when family obligations are met with indifference and cruelty they result into conflicts but when they are met with love and compassion it’s a good experience as seen in the novel.

II. Exposition (Ethical appeal)

A. James Baldwin was an American novelist, poet, activist and essayist during the mid-twentieth century.

B. The context of the book was the mid- twentieth century.

C. “And, time your father got down the hill, his brother weren’t nothing but blood and pulp.” (Baldwin, #132)

D. Emphasis on the value of family and looking out for each other.

E. The narrator’s mother wanted him to look out for his brother.

F. His mother did not want Sonny to end up hurt and wanted the narrator to protect him.

G. The value of family is to look out for each other and be there for each other when needed.

III. Confirmation Section—

A. Topic Sentence- Baldwin’s mother wanted him to look out for his brother so that he was not harmed.

B. His mother felt that something bad would happen to Sonny because of his lifestyle since he was an addict.

C. “and don’t let him fall, no matter what it looks like is happening to him and no matter how evil gets with him (Baldwin, # 133)

D. Baldwin’s mother has so much fear about Sonny getting into more troubles.

E. The narrator’s mother asks Baldwin to stick to his brother no matter what he becomes.

F. Sonny’s life parallels the tragic life of their father’s brother, a guitar

player, who was the victim of a hit and run accident” (McParkland, 134)

G. Sonny’s mother is worried that Sonny would end up like his uncle because of how similar their lives are.

H. The narrator’s uncle was a guitar player and Sonny is a musician and hence their lives are seen as similar.

I. The narrator has a family obligation towards protecting his brother and ensuring that he does not get into more harm.

IV. Confirmation (2nd subtopic)

A. Topic Sentence-Initially, the narrator feels like Sonny is a burden but later he understands that he has to fulfill the promise he made to his mother.

B. Later, the narrator started to question himself and whether he was looking out for his brother.

C. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Baldwin, #141)

D. The narrator was asking himself whether he was his brother’s protector.

E. Keeper in the quote means a protector, a guide and relates to the obligation the narrator had towards his brother.

F. “Sonny is Lost; and Sonny’s older brother like his self-righteous counterpart in the New Testament story has little sympathy” (Takach, #112)

G. The narrator did not have any sympathy towards his brother’s situation initially.

H. The first quote shows the narrator’s attitudes afterwards and the second quote shows the attitude he had before.

I. With time the narrator learns that his brother is not a burden but his responsibility because they are a family.

V. Confirmation (3rd subtopic)

A. Topic Sentence- Sometimes looking out for our family saves us grief as well.

B. If anything bad had happened to Sonny then the narrator would have been affected.

C. “He says he never in his life seen anything as dark as that road after the lights of that car had gone away.”

D. The narrator’s father was saddened by the loss of his brother.

E. The narrator’s mother felt that the accident was because Sonny’s father did not look out for him.

F. “…pathetic attempts of Moslem identification, the open hostility, the use of narcotics- everything was blamed on bop.” (Albert, #131)

G. Sonny had a bad lifestyle of drugs.

H. Nobody understood the life and choices which were made by Sonny.

I. If the family took time to understand Sonny they would not see him as trouble.

VI. Confirmation (4th subtopic)

A. Topic Sentence: Music brings Sonny and the narrator together making the family stronger.

B. Afterwards the narrator having seen that he had not been his brother’s keeper he called him to come stay with him.

C. “The memory of their mother’s gospel music comes back to Sonny and his

Brother”. ( McParkland, #131)

D. The two brother’s started bonding through music.

E. They started sharing memories of their mother. F. Sonny is learning the blues with his life and the music challenges Sonny to follow Charlie Parker and the other great players who swirl in his thoughts into “the deep water.” (McParkland, #133)

G. the narrator finally begins to understand his brother.

H. The narrator learned that there was so much he could learn from his brother.

I. When we understand what others go through we learn to embrace them just like how the narrator understands his brother towards the end of the story.

VII. Concession —Address the strengths of another interpretation of this story

A. James Takach talks about the biblical link between the novel and the relationship which Sonny has with the narrator.

B. The source provides detailed descriptions of the arguments.

C. the author analyzes the story well.

D. Takach supports his arguments with the bible and quotes from the story itself.

E. “ That Baldwin would use bible stories as a foundation of his fiction..” (Takach, #109)

F. The author believes that the story is linked to the bible.

G. The story mainly focuses on families and the significance of relationships.

VIII. Refutation—

A. Topic Sentence: Baldwin focuses on the institution of a family and the complexities which exist between the family members.

B. The narrator talks has regrets on having neglected his brother and not keeping the promise that he gave his mother to protect Sonny.

C. Takach bases more of his argument of other authors and does not add much into the analysis.

D. “As Reid suggests the narrator discovers that he cannot save himself” (Takach, #114)

E. The author relates the story to the prodigal son parable in the bible.

F. Most of his supporting points are from other authors and he does not analyze the book much.

G. Baldwin’s narration central theme is family and the value of looking out for each other.

IX. Conclusion:

A. The narrator feels that his brother is a burden but with time is able to understand him better and show compassion which then brings them closer.

Sonny’s mother tells the narrator to stick by his brother even when he gets into more evil.

C. The book teaches us to be supportive of others and be understanding no matter how much we do not like the behaviors displayed by others.