“Sonny’s Blues” By James Baldwin

“Sonny’s Blues” By James Baldwin
1. From whose point of view is “Sonny’s Blues” told? How do the narrator’s values and experiences affect his view of the story?
-The story is written in the Sonny’s brother’s point of view. His brother bases his personal view from the all of his experience with Sonny. He expresses his values with how he attempts to guide Sonny with what he should do with his life.
2. What is the older brother’s profession? Does it suggest anything about his personality?
-The older brother is a teacher. I think it does suggest ideas about his personality. Depending on the age of the student, teachers may seem annoying because they are the ones educating you and requiring you do assignments. Younger students usually don’t comprehend that it’s for their own good to pursue a proper education. Also, teachers are people who guide you and people you look up to. This can easily be seen in the personality of Sonny’s older brother. He only wants what is best for his younger brother and attempts to guide him through life.
3. How would this story change if it were told by Sonny?
-The story would be completely different. Sonny and his brother are complete opposites. With Sonny telling the story, a completely new perspective would be understood. We might even begin to see the older brother as an antagonist rather than a character trying to help his little brother. There would be a deeper look into the life of Sonny and we would understand his drug issue even more than we do with his brother’s version of the story.
4. What event prompts the narrator to write his brother?
-The brother running into an old friend of Sonny at the subway. They both discuss about Sonny being arrested for a drug deal. The older brother comes to a realization that he can do nothing more for his brother. The old friend tells him to not worry about Sonny and suggest writing him a letter.
5. What does the narrator’s mother ask him to do for Sonny? Does the older brother keep his promise?
-She basically told him to keep an eye on his brother. She wanted to make sure he looked after him and no matter what keep patient and never give up. I feel like the brother did all he could do. He did as much as he could. At the end of the day, Sonny made his own decisions, no matter what his older brother told him to do.
6. The major characters in this story are called Mama, Daddy, and Sonny (the older brother is never named or even nicknamed). How do these names affect our sense of the story?
-Giving only one character a specific name really pull’s the reader’s focus him. It just shows how important his character is to the story.
7. Reread the last four paragraphs and explain the significance of the statement “Now these are Sonny’s blues.” How has Sonny made this music his own?
-He is referring to the piece of music represents his own life. Sonny makes the music his own because he is expressed through it.

“A Worn Path”
1. What point of view is used in the story? Explain your answer.

-The point of view is limited omniscient because the narrator allows the audience to understand all of Phoenix’s emotions and thoughts.
2. What is the significance of the old woman being named Phoenix?
-When I researched the meaning of Phoenix, I learned that it was related to a mythological bird. Phoenix, like a bird, is colorful and migrates from one place to another. This bird is known to rise above from ashes. Phoenix throughout the story rises above her own trials that she faces in life.
3. Welty presents Phoenix’s dreams and hallucinations as if they were as real as everything else she encounters. What does this technique contribute to the story’s effect?
-To me, it reminds me of hold Phoenix is becoming. How much she has gone through and experienced. It makes the reader think that they are the reality when they are simply hallucinations. The author wants to make you believe that they are realistic, because they seem that way to Phoenix.
4. How would you characterize the way Phoenix is viewed and treated by the white people she meets? Does their behavior toward her give you any indication of where the story is set and when it takes place?
-She is treated without respect. Many of the white people belittle her with certain names that they call her. They treat her as if she is dumb and stupid. It reminds me of a old fashioned southern setting.
5. In paragraph 52, Phoenix laughs at the black dog “as if in admiration.” What does she mire about him, and what does this attitude tell us about her?
- I think the “big black dog” represents the black man of this time period. She admires it because the dog has no fear and does what it pleases. This is not a familiar situation to Phoenix because of the time period and how society treats African Americans.
6. “With her hands on her knees, the old woman waited, silent, erect and motionless, just as if she were in armor” (paragraph 85). Is the comparison at the end of this sentence just a striking visual image, or does it have a larger relevance?
- Yes, it describes how she is physically unable to move, but I believe there is a deeper meaning to it. This is the point where the realization sets in for Phoenix. She understands and identifies with her past. How worn it is to be treated as underestimated woman for so long.