Reservation Blues Summary

One of the themes used in the book is of racism towards the Natives. An example used in the book is of Edward Sheriff Curtis who was a photographer of 1900s. Curtis was interested in taking pictures of Native people, but not just any Native person. “Curtis was looking for the literary Indian, the dying Indian, the imaginative construct” (King, 2003; pp. 34). He used many accessories to dress up people up “who did not look as the Indian was supposed to look” (King, 2003; pp.34). He judged people based on his own assumptions without any knowledge of the group and their practices. Curtis reduced the identity of the Native Americans to a single iconic quintessential image of what Native meant to white society. The idea related to the image of this group of people during the 1900s consisted of racism in terms of the “real looking Indian”. This is not

The two most obvious one’s are the music and drug symbols. Two that one might not catch are the light and darkness symbols. Light being the good, while dark being the bad. When the narrator found out that Sonny got busted and put in jail, he started to think to himself, “I didn’t want to believe that I’d ever see my brother going down, coming to nothing, all that light in his face gone out,” (Baldwin 122). He references the light to a bright and young Sonny. After hearing the news, it reminded him that there were also shadows where there was once light that shined. This vision of his younger brother makes him realize that Sonny was once like the boys he now teaches. Some of his students share and face some of the same darkness’s that Sonny does. “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, and in which they now, vindictively, dreamed, at once more together than they were at any other time, and more alone,” (Baldwin 122) The narrator explains how the boys are immersing in darkness and they don’t even know it. Darkness here represents the chances the boys don’t take advantage of and the lack of opportunity they are presented. This darkness that casts over them doesn’t give them hope to want to attempt anything positive. Fate has brought them together but because nothing will ever come their way, they are alone in suffering. This dark reality of living in Harlem leaves no light of hope for these young boys. The narrator now begins to understand the pain and suffering that his students and Sonny go through. Between prejudices towards African American’s in Harlem during the 1950’s and living in severe poverty decreases the chances of them ever escaping the dark reality of life. This setting and darkness make is easy to turn to drugs, crime, and violence

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.

Perhaps one of the strongest demonstrations of the power of music in “Sonny’s Blues” is the street revival. Everyone has seen these types of revivals before. Every song has been heard by the crowd, but when the music starts everyone stops, watches, and listens. “As the singing filled the air the watching, listening faces underwent a change, the eyes focusing on something within; the music seemed to soothe a poison out of them; and time seemed, nearly, to fall away from the sullen, belligerent, battered faces” (57). The music from the street revival helps lifts the hopelessness from the crowd and provides a sense of relief. Music is able to bring people from all walks of life together. It gives them a sense of calm and ease, an assurance that something is there to help. Music listens.

The narrator, a teacher in Harlem, has escaped the ghetto, creating a stable and secure life for himself despite the destructive pressures that he sees destroying so many young blacks. He sees African American adolescents discovering the limits placed on them by a racist society at the very moment when they are discovering their abilities. He tells the story of his relationship with his younger brother, Sonny. That relationship has moved through phases of separation and return. After their parents’ deaths, he tried and failed to be a father to Sonny. For a while, he believed that Sonny had succumbed to the destructive influences of Harlem life. Finally, however, they achieved a reconciliation in which the narrator came to understand the value and the importance of Sonny’s need to be a jazz pianist.

In the first section of the story, Angelou uses figures of speech and extensive detail to show the importance of the event to her community. The first line, “The last inch of space was filled, yet people continued to wedge themselves along the walls of the Store” (par. 1), Angelou uses a hyperbole to give vivid imagery that emphasizes the number of people in the Store. The second line where “Uncle Willie had turned up the radio so that youngsters on the porch wouldn’t miss a word” (par.1), shows the devotion and involvement of the entire community. The simile used by Angelou to represent the mood shift, “… as a black sky is streaked with lightning” (par. 2), shows the sudden, unexpected, and fast change from tense to high-spirited talk. Angelou then goes to give examples the pre-game-chatter like “Joe’s gonna whip that cracker like it’s open season(par. 3-4). The diction used shows the culture of that community. The hyperboles and details give a great view of the settings in the story.

The main theme of the book was racial tension. The white folks treated the black folks like they were dirt. Even older white folks treated the younger black children like dirt. I do not understand how any adult could hit a child, especially because of their color. One instance that really bothered me was when a white man almost raped Melba because she was black. It was in 1954, immediately after Brown vs. the Board of Education decision had came down. After that she said she was going to read the newspaper because she wanted to know when white men got angry. And sometimes she had to spend her own nickel for it. Another theme throughout the book could be determination. The nine children were determined to carry out integration. They did not give up. Some older black folks in the neighborhood faulted the nine children for the actual attempt of integration. They claimed that it made it harder than it already was to be black and living in Little Rock. For example, Melba’s neighbor Mrs. Floyd said to her after the first day at Central, “ Now You’ve had your lesson. You don’t have to go back to that awful school anymore.” Not only were they catching hell from the whites, they were catching just as much from the blacks as well. After the first day in the school being taunted and mistreated they could have not gone back. They put up a fight, as far as integration goes- they would not take no for an

One of them is that it talks about Jackie Robinson's early life. Jackie was the youngest of five children. He was raised with less wealth by his single mother. In high school, he loved playing sports which were: football, basketball, track, and baseball. He decided to continue his education in UCLA

In the first paragraph the ambiguousness comes to light as he states "Creole began to tell us what the blues were all about." It could have a literal meaning in the sense that Creole could be singing of the blues, actually speaking the words and the definition. It could also mean that the music itself tells the story of the blues. The notes and the melody intertwine to hit a chord as no words ever could. To convey a meaning as no tale ever could. To truly bind the narrator to his brother as no conversation ever could. It is with this paragraph that the narrator really begins to understand his brother and perhaps begins to understand a little more about himself. Baldwin uses this paragraph to describe the affect of music on a human in terms of finding the good in the bad and embracing life as it is. He chooses words in his description commonly associated with music, such as "beat" with"He hit something in all of them, he hit something in me, myself, and the music tightened and deepened apprehension began to beat the air.' In fact the sentence itself seems to move in "beat." He uses colloquial language that you would expect to hear from someone in a jazz joint with phrases such as "he and his boys" and "keeping it new." The last few sentences intricately weave together the ideas of the music and its parallel in life.

The life of Robert Johnson, one of the most influential early blues artists, in shrouded by vague details and encompassed in mystery. His emotion filled playing and singing blends to form some of the most moving, original blues music ever produced. Ironically, despite being one of the top influences to blues music, little is known about the shy, mild mannered bluesman. "Almost nothing, is known about his life… he is only a name on a few recordings." Where did he come from? Who was Johnson’s family. Who inspired Robert to play the blues and who influenced his music? Who exactly was Robert Johnson? Only the vague recollections of his friends and family link us to the mysterious life of

The main character in the story is Jackson Jackson, a homeless Salish Indian. Jackson lives in Spokane, Washington. His character is described as having working numerous blue collared jobs, having been married multiple times and fathering multiple children. In the story, Jackson eludes to himself having a mental disorder. His character is extremely resourceful with both food and personal care. In the story, Jackson reveals a bit about himself through his introduction of other characters. Jackson states that Indians “Indians are great storytellers and liars and mythmakers” ("ENGL200: Composition and Literature" 87).

In the novel Reservation Blues, most of the characters struggle with their identity at some point. Victor has an especially strong urge to rebel against his Native American heritage, which is apparent in his violent, arrogant demeanor and his obvious problem with alcohol. Victor is tied to his past and has trouble coping with his life as it is, and is in a constant battle with himself, his surroundings, and other people.

The most obvious thing that is important to the character is his adopted daughter, Anna. Throughout the narrative he shows that he cares for her happiness and her health. She is unable to speak clearly and tell her own story, so the character (father) tells it for her. The character is trying to show the reader how effective music can be as a therapy, and is using his own experience to prove the worth of musical therapy. He gives example after example of how music improved the life of his daughter, and how she looks forward to her day with music so eagerly. One line he says, “Ask her a direct question and you will get a stammered word or two at most. Play a song and she will begin to shout out the words, even if she has never heard them before. ”It is a testament to how much music can change her attitude and behaviours. It seems to fill her with confidence and strength where usually she is frail, a picture painted by the quote above.

The story ultimately has a double meaning. In the beginning of the story, the main character, Jackson Jackson, is fairly static. He immediately and rightfully takes on the role of the victim. Jackson utilizes his ethnicity to cast the audiences perception to not only view him as being a victim in the past as a Spokane Indian but also a victim in his present life.

Many times in life we find ourselves in situations that end in suffering. This can become a very dark place, unless we can find something to pull us out. In the story “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin music was the remedy. The main factors that make up this story is suffering, the overall theme of darkness, and the meaning of the music.