Blue Like Jazz And Crazy Love Book Review

The Sacred Romance Drawing Closer to the Heart of God by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge is an interesting book that’s supposedly filled with useful information about how to live like a Christian and become more like Christ. However, this book has many issues. Brent Curtis and John Eldredge attempt to get us as readers to understand how to live and be more like Christ by comparing the pains and sufferings we all go through in our everyday lives to that of arrows piercing our hearts. As Curtis and Eldredge talked about arrows piercing our hearts I realized there have been times in my life that happened to me. Finally, after reading the book I realized that this book has the potential of being an interesting read but, it’s many errors leave us as readers confused.

As we examined the essay “Sonny’s Blues” and “The Rich Brother” that may not have a great deal in common, but with more analysis in to the stories it becomes clear that they are similar but still have their own uniqueness. The stories are “The rich brother” which was written by Tobias Wolff is known for short stories or memoir and “Sonny’s Blues” which was written by James Baldwin also an American writer best known for its eloquence or rhetorical force in his writing. Both writers a best known for their famous writing than span for decades.

In the short story “Sonny’s Blues,” The author, James Baldwin, develops the main character Sonny, the brother of the narrator, by revealing different stages of Sonny’s life, and by showing how the narrator impacts Sonny’s life. The narrator and sonny are brothers who grew up together in Harlem, sonny was a bright normal young boy, but unfortunately, one day the narrator reads in the paper that his younger brother Sonny has been caught in a heroin bust. Even a bright light can go dim. Sonny had been caught using heroin, the narrator feels the needs to step in, and be the big brother that Sonny needs.

“Sonny’s Blues” revolves around the narrator as he learns who his drug-hooked, piano-playing baby brother, Sonny, really is. The author, James Baldwin, paints views on racism, misery and art and suffering in this story. His written canvas portrays a dark and continual scene pertaining to each topic. As the story unfolds, similarities in each generation can be observed. The two African American brothers share a life similar to that of their father and his brother. The father’s brother had a thirst for music, and they both travelled the treacherous road of night clubs, drinking and partying before his brother was hit and killed by a car full of white boys. Plagued, the father carried this pain of the loss of his brother and bitterness

Throughout history, many have been oppressed because of their race, religion and gender, resulting them to lose their rights and freedom. Despite the fact that freedom is natural rights of a human being, it has come to a point where the oppressed demands and fights for their freedom because the oppressor does not give freedom willingly. Although human rights have evolved over the years, humans still fail to learn from their mistakes, resulting in history to repeat itself. Through storytelling and novels, people show depictions of history to honour those who have died and to educate younger generations to prevent unfortunate events from occurring again. As a result of this, Lawrence Hill and Alice Walker display oppression through abuse,

James Baldwin’s Sonny’s Blues is a short story that, for some people, could be considered a challenging read. Not because of the level of difficulty, but for the fact that it shares a lot of human angst. However, Baldwin’s story still manages to be entertaining, as well as holding many life lessons in it. Baldwin’s story teaches lessons such as; dealing with suffering, being supportive, and accepting differences. James Baldwin’s Sonny’s Blues does a noble job of relating to the readers on various levels, while also teaching important lessons everyone should adhere by.

Authors across time have used various relationship models in their works of writing in order to communicate their beliefs about love. By examining the relationship between two unlike brothers in his short story, “Sonny’s Blues,” James Baldwin communicates his belief that the idea of love can save people. Jhumpa Lahiri, in her short story “Hell-Heaven” also shows that the idea of love can save people, but by the end the characters are only truly happy where there is acceptance. Both Baldwin’s short story “Sonny’s Blues” and Lahiri short story “Hell- Heaven” while culturally different, use the trials and tribulations of their characters to prove that the idea of love is a saving force.

Lena and Ying-Ying from Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club both face injustice in their patriarchal relationships, just as Mariam and Laila from A Thousand Splendid Suns, however on very different terms. Lena, like Amir and Laila, struggles with confrontation and complete deference of others. However, under the influence of her mother, Lena realizes the problematic recurrences in relationship with her husband. Ying-Ying, aware of her daughters submissiveness, must lead Lena to intervention to confront herself and reconnect with her Chinese heritage in order to save her struggling relationships. While Ying-Ying sees the imbalance in Lena and Harold’s relationship as an embodiment of the flaws in her own marriage she reflects on her past and thinks to herself, “So this is what I will do. I will gather together my past and look. I will see a thing that has already happened. The pain that cut my spirit loose. I will use this sharp pain to penetrate my daughters tough skin and cut her tiger spirit loose” (Tan, 153). She has sacrificed so much for her daughter, Lena, and accepts her American ways despite the fact that broadens the cultural gap between her Chinese heritage. Ying-Ying already experienced her loss of identity and self through her own marriage because she was unable to be assertive towards her husband. Here, just like Mariam and Hassan in Hosseni’s novels, Ying-Ying gives up her freedom in order for Lena to live a better life than she had. Although Ying-Ying doesn’t give up

Brown next piece of song he recorded that he wrote was “Mighty Mighty Man” and continue on to write many more “Hard Rock Blues” was a hit. From 1948 to 1951 Roy Brown Continue to record for De Luxe making his mark on the chart by having 15 hits song. In New York article illustrate, “when he was at the height of his success, he placed 12 records in the nation's rhythm-and-blues top 10, a feat matched only by Louis Jordan, Dinah Washington, and a handful of other entertainers.”( Palmer). Brown was a great singer and also declared a great entertainer even Elvis show goes to his show. Was not long Brown dominated the Billboard R&B list. Brown later transition from DeLuxe records to King records. In 1952 Brown started to struggle. His song was top

In James Baldwin's, Sonny's Blues, the title itself is symbolic of the blues in the matrix of the African-American culture of music and suffering. To understand the significance of the blues, one must first define the blues, where the blues originated, and how it is related to suffering and how it is communicated in music.

Discuss place and how James Baldwin uses elements of setting to convey Sonny’s Blues’ larger message or theme.

The reoccurring blues music plays a significant role in the blindness of the book. In the song “Nobody Knows the Trouble I 've Seen” by Louis Armstrong, Louis sings “Sometimes I 'm up, sometimes I 'm down, ohh, yes Lord Sometimes I 'm almost to the ground, oh yes, Lord Nobody knows the trouble I 've seen”. The narrator claims “Perhaps I like Louis Armstrong because he 's made poetry out of being invisible” (Ellison, 10). This statement by the narrator is ironic because the narrator is literally being told that society is blinded to the problems African Americans are facing every day, but he is too blinded himself to realize it. The blues singers have been aware of this problem and are attempting to create reform through their music. The narrator does not even begin to realize his own blindness until he is kicked out of school and goes to work in New York.

James Baldwin's short story, "Sonny's Blues", tells the tale of two brothers, as they come to an understanding of each other. The use of imagery and figurative language can help the reader grasp a deeper meaning of what the narrator is focusing on. In "Sonny's Blues", the predominant imageries throughout the narrative are the reoccurring contrasting images of light and darkness, symbolizing hope and despair.

Coming from a different county was difficult for me because it was hard to fit in with others. And also because there was a language barrier between other people and that was detriment for me from communicating with other people. When my dad transferred here in Hawaii to work, he was by himself with his siblings. He started petitioning us so that he could bring us in the US. It took years for the process to be over because there were complications with visa, passport information and birth certificates.

The story “Sonny’s Blues” By James Baldwin is about a jazz musician and his brother in 1950’s Harlem. The story centers on Sonny who uses jazz music as an escape from his depression. James Baldwin captures the art of jazz during this time period. The themes in this short story are perhaps varied, but all of them revolve around some form of suffering. One theme shows how music can promote change and understanding within relationships. A second theme reveals suffering caused by guilt. Yet another theme references the results of suffering brought about by searching for ones’ identity and how that leads to misunderstanding. There are also subthemes concerning racism and poverty.