Defining the Blues with Symbolism Essay

white and wonder “Where’s the blue?” unless a greater being put the idea of “blue” in

Most people do not see color as simply the way something looks, however. They tend to associate certain colors with specific feelings, emotions and memories. (Dmitrieva) For instance, blue is most commonly associated with “feeling blue” meaning one feels upset or depressed, however, blue is

In the same paragraph that discusses the grandmother’s outfit, the colors red, blue, purple, and green are introduced. These colors are mentioned for the first time when discussing the grandmother’s clothes and the mother’s kerchief, and they repeated throughout the entire story. A connection can certainly be seen with the grandmother’s blue dress, because when the reader is first introduced to The Misfit, he is wearing blue jeans, and after his sidekicks kill Bailey, they take his shirt embroidered with blue parrots. It may not be easy to pick up on the repetition of these colors, but they are most

In James Baldwin’s short story, “Sonny’s Blues” there is a constant contrast between light and dark. Baldwin uses this theme to highlight the struggles that the Narrator and his younger brother, Sonny, both face. Light represents all of the positive aspects of life. Meanwhile, the darkness represents the constant struggle that threatens the characters in the story. Light and dark has a presence in both characters. The narrator lives his life in the “light”. He is a teacher, middleclass man, a man who has a wife and family. For the narrator, the darkness is his constant reflections on his brother, and his sense of guilt or blame for being the reason why Sonny turned to a life of drugs. The darkness represents Sonny in a way. He is a

Sonny Blue’s is an attention grabbing short story by James Baldwin that was published in 1957. Baldwin was an african american novelist and playwright that was born in the city of Harlem in 1924. He grew up aspiring to be an iconic writer, while incorporating his experiences of living in Harlem with his mother into his own writing. The setting of Sonny Blue’s is based in the city of Harlem in New York City, which happens to be where the author grew up. The setting provides a feeling of tension due to its non-easy-going atmosphere. The goal throughout the story is to find Sonny the help and stable environment that he needs. Baldwin uses symbols to show that going through struggles can lead to a better and improving lifestyle. The narrator

In the short story "Sonny's blues," James Baldwin describes the conflict and discomfort that winds in Harlem of the post world war II. Through an in-depth characterization of the narrator, a teacher of algebra, and his brother Sonny, a musician devoted to drugs, the author portrays a Harlem in which beside people struggling to have a decent life there are also those who express anger and pain through jazz and somehow living on the margins of society. The narrator disapproves the life choices of Sonny and does not understand the hardships and the unbearable suffering that brings the younger brother to get lost in drugs in a vain attempt to quell a malaise.

In terms of symbolism, the color blue was used more than anything else. It was used to portray the various stages of life Granny Weatherall went through when she was experiencing her flashbacks. It is first introduced when she the days when she ran the household and labeled jars with blue writing – a symbol of youthful days filled with energy. The color blue continues popping back up as she continues reminiscing. It is concluded when blue becomes the color of the light in Granny’s own mind, the light she snuffs out herself. It comes to symbolize the final stage of Granny’s life, when she is easing into death.

In contrast to the symbol of light, darkness plays an important role in contributing to the theme of despair. James Baldwin’s use of darkness is conveyed in Sonny’s Blues through the general state of Harlem which is filled with social problems, poverty, and drug addiction. An example that displays these threats as a symbol of darkness is shown when the narrator makes a cynical statement about his students: “All they really knew were two darknesses, the darkness of their lives, which was now closing in on them. And the darkness of the movies, which had blinded them to that other darkness”

The color blue in The Great Gatsby has some of the deepest meanings. From symbolizing happiness and joy to sadness and loneliness. When blue comes to the mind some people think happiness, others think the reciprocal of that. Blue can be described as a neutral color, meaning that it has various meanings. The color blue does not have many symbols in the book, but when it does they are pretty big ones.

For centuries, the color blue has been associated with sadness. By the mid- nineteenth century the expression “the blues,” was commonly known in this way. Throughout history, the blues was a regular feeling that African Americans experienced. The Blues arose out of slavery. Through slavery, they were confronted with racism, violence, and poverty.

For many years oppression has surrounded the African American community, they have experienced slavery and to struggle due to discrimination. This social issue has been discussed in many literary works such as the short story, “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin. In this short story the narrator’s brother gets sent to jail, though at first he believes he can’t do anything for his brother, he eventually reaches out to his brother due to his daughter’s death and ends up understanding Sonny’s feelings through the blues he plays. Through the use of the symbolism of darkness and characterization of Sonny, Baldwin identifies the oppression among the African American community, which contributes to the idea that hope is the key

In The Bluest Eye, characters experience a variety of oppressive , that give rise to the never ending cycle of victimization in both the families and neighborhood. Throughout the novel, the black community accepts white beauty ideals, for example, judging Maureen’s light skin to be highly attractive in comparison to Pecola’s darker features. Racism is also apparent in other indirect ways. There is a general sense of worthlessness that certain colored characters subconsciously integrate into their daily lives, even without the constant reminder of their apparent “ugliness”. For example, “the Breedloves did not live in a storefront because they were having temporary difficulty adjusting to the cutbacks at the plant. They lived there because they were poor and black, and they stayed there because they believed they were ugly.

The concept of "the bluest eye" symbolizes unattainable beauty based on the blonde-haired, blue-eyed model that permeates 1940s Lorain, Ohio. Morrison initially presents the concept with a literary

Strictly speaking, blue is nothing but light that is reflected off the surface of an object and into receivers. These receivers then send electrical impulses to the brain that then interprets the impulses as blue. In that case, what more is color other than the interpretation of electrical signals? Without the stimuli and the receiver, there would be no color. In that case, color is only defined by the measurement of something else. A scientific approach to seeing color reveals a puzzling explanation.

     In the novel, The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison incorporates various techniques, such as her use of metaphors, the ironic use of names, and the visual images that she uses. The theme of The Bluest Eye, revolves around African Americans’ conformity to white standards. A woman may whiten her skin, straighten her hair and change its color, but she can not change the color of her eyes. The desire to transform one’s identity, itself becomes an inverted desire, becomes the desire for blues eye, which is the symptom of Pecola’s instability.