Majid Firoozi

ENL-10C

5-14-18

Sonny’s Blues and Kanye West

            Suffering and self reflection are the two most consistent themes in both Sonny’s music and the story itself. “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin tells the story of a struggling unnamed narrator as he tackles with his surroundings and self conscious. He has a brother named Sonny who was persecuted for using and selling heroine. The duration of the story is filled with the narrator facing numerous life altering obstacles, but the moment when his daughter unexpectedly dies suddenly drives him to reach out to Sonny. Upon their reunion, the narrator already has a bit of thick skin built up towards Sonny as he discredits nearly everything he tells him. After all, Sonny had just been released from prison and the narrator is living a stable life as an algebra teacher, so why listen? They live in a struggle dominated community that the narrator hadn’t fully recognized since he had taken the unconventional route and pursued a better life. But it is not until Sonny performs for the narrator when he finally is able to recognize his own struggles and the suffering he and his family have endured throughout time. We as readers are finally able to recognize the narrator's internal struggles and self realization as he listens to Sonny’s Blues. With this being said, I will compare this idea of suffering and self reflection with Kanye West’s song, “Roses”. In this song, Kanye reflects on the death of his grandmother as well as the financial disadvantage he and his family faced when he was in his youth. Throughout the duration of her treatment he touches on the struggles and hardships he and his family endured which is exactly what Sonny emphasized in his music as well. Both of these songs contain very thought provoking and self reflective qualities and as I consider the lyrics and overall motifs of these songs it will become more apparent that both these artists are trying to convey a similar message. 

            At first, the narrator didn’t consider anything that Sonny had to say upon their reunion. Sonny touched on the battle he had with drugs and how his way of coping with the difficulties embedded in their community was to shoot up heroin, but the narrator remained deaf to what he had to say. He felt that since he was able to escape these circumstances and maintain a job, Sonny had no room to be sympathized with. The narrator has completely neglected his families suffering and what they had endured until Sonny’s blues began to play and he was given an instant sense of clarity. Since there is no lyrics presented in the story we weren’t able to know exactly what Sonny was singing about, but the narrator's observations reveal everything there is to know about this final scene and his reaction goes as follows, “Yet, there was no battle in his face now, I heard what he had gone through, and would continue to go through until he came to rest in Earth. He made it his: that long line, of which we knew only Mama and Daddy. And he was giving back, as everything must be given back, so that, passing through death, it can live forever. I saw my mother’s face again, and felt, for the first time, how the stones of the road she had walked on must have bruised her feet” (Baldwin, 21). As you can tell by the narrator's reaction, he was able to finally see the struggles that his brother has gone through and was able to take that and think about his own heritage. His mother is seen as a very powerful figure in this instance as he understands the difficulties that she faced as well. All in all, there was a numbness that the narrator felt towards his family because he was on the opposite side of the spectrum. The way that Sonny’s music was able to derive such a internal self reflection signifies the influence of his blues towards the narrator. With this being said, I will make a comparison to Kanye West’s song “Roses” that possesses a very similar purpose. 

            Very similar to the upbringing of Sonny and the Narrator, Kanye West grew up in an impoverished neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia. Being as famous as he is today, he has been able to live through two very different lifestyles as his early years weren’t filled with the luxuries he is now so accustomed to. In his song “Roses”, Kanye touches on the suffering and the financial troubles that his family had to face all while mourning the death of his grandmother. At first glimpse the song appears to simply be a tribute to his grandmother, but with further inspection the song undoubtedly contains deeper more thought provoking ideas. One of the most poignant verses in the song that reveals how Kanye was trying bring light to the struggle that African Americans face in these inter cities of Atlanta goes as follows, “What do you say this time? Remember when I was 9? Tell her everything gon’ be fine, but I be lyin’, Her family cryin’, they want her to live, and she trying’. I'm arguin’ like what kind of doctor can we fly in? You know the best medicine go to the people that’s paid”. This verse stands out to me because it not only touches on the struggle that he has faced, but the financial struggles that his family endured as his grandmother was in critical condition. This fundamental issue that he emphasizes allows the listeners to reflect on the things that he take for granted such as healthcare and how it isn’t accessible for everyone. The duration of the song touches on the struggles and obstacles that his family had faced but this verse, the one concerning his grandmother and her treatment, is perhaps the steepest challenge he faced in his younger years. To be able to sit back and listen what he had gone through and then self reflect on the obstacles that you and your family members have faced, essentially is the purpose of this song. He shares his story and this enables his listeners to ponder upon their own unique stories as well. 

            All in all, the motives and purpose behind both of these songs appear to be the same. Their stories contain a very thought provoking quality that makes its listeners deeply think about their own upbringing. From the Narrator’s reaction in Sonny’s Blues to the way that Kanye portrayed a similar message concerning his struggles, we as listeners and readers are able to recognize the strong influences these songs possess which will make you think about your own life and heritage as well.