The play Blues for Mister Charlie, of James Baldwin was a successful theatrical play. It has been famous because of the plot’s capturing scheme and because of its playwrights clever ways of stating everyday issues in sharp and clever manner. According to Mark Blankenships, “some plays grapple with history; however some feel like history themselves.” Blues for Mister Charlie, a 1964 drama by James Baldwin, is a part of history replayed as clearly and vividly as possible. The play was inspired by the execution of Emmett Till, an African-American boy whose white attackers went free without prosecution; the powerful subject has been motivated by the documentary "The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till." Baldwin, however, takes a simple story and uses his playwriting style to make a great play. Noted by the New York Times, “James Baldwin has written a play with fires of fury in its belly, tears of anguish in its eyes and a roar of protest in its throat.” In this award-winning play, Baldwin turns an execution and its aftermath into an investigation in which even the most narrow-minded whites are at awe --and in which even an assassin is looked at with empathy and compassion. The play has been criticized by many but it still made its way to fame. When Blues for Mister Charlie, stormed into the ANTA Theater, the New York Times stated that it had a “loose structure and made valid points as if they were ordinary.” However, according to Yvette Hardie, a famous director, the play is “filled with liveliness and zeal. It is like a thunderous battle cry.” Many critics say that if you look at the entire picture of the play clearly, the play mirrors "Waiting for Lefty" of three decades ago, when Clifford Odets rallied labor to its rights. Blues f... ... middle of paper ... ...erFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 1 June 2011. Gluck, Victor. “Blues for Mr. Charlie (Theatrical Production).” New York: Backstage, 1964. Print. Kinnamon, Keneth. "James Baldwin: Overview." Reference Guide to American Literature. Ed. Jim Kamp. Detroit, 13 Aug. 1994. Web. Lyne, Bill. "God's Black Revolutionary Mouth: James Baldwin's Black Radicalism." Science & Society 74.1 (2010): 12-36. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 1 June 2011. Miller, Quentin D. "James Baldwin: Overview." Contemporary Popular Writers. Ed. Dave Mote. Detroit, 3 May 1997. Web. Taubman, Howard. “Theater: 'Blues for Mister Charlie.” New York Times. New York Times, 26 April 1964. Web. 1 June 2011. Turner, Darwin T. "Visions of love and manliness in a blackening world: Dramas of Black life since 1953." Black Scholar 25.2 (1995): 2. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 1 June 2011.
Reilly, John M. " 'Sonny's Blues': James Baldwin's Image of Black Community." James Baldwin: A Critical Evaluation. Ed.Therman B. O'Daniel. Howard University Press. Washington, D.C. 1977. 163-169.
Baldwin, James. "Sonny's Blues." Miller, Quentin and Julie Nash. Connections: Literature for Composition. Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008. 984-1006.
Baldwin’s father died a broken and ruined man on July 29th, 1943. This only paralleled the chaos occurring around him at the time, such as the race riots of Detroit and Harlem which Baldwin describes to be as “spoils of injustice, anarchy, discontent, and hatred.” (63) His father was born in New Orleans, the first generation of “free men” in a land where “opportunities, real and fancied, are thicker than anywhere else.” (63) Although free from slavery, African-Americans still faced the hardships of racism and were still oppressed from any opportunities, which is a factor that led Baldwin’s father to going mad and eventually being committed. Baldwin would also later learn how “…white people would do anything to keep a Negro down.” (68) For a preacher, there was little trust and faith his father ...
In James Baldwin’s short story, Sonny’s Blues, he describes a story of pain and prejudice. The theme of suffering makes the readers relate to it. The story is told in the realistic point of view of Sonny’s brother. The setting and time of the story also has great significance to the story. From beginning to end, the story is well developed.
James Baldwin is one of the premier essayists of his time. He draws on his experiences in a straightforward, unapologetic manner, which helps achieve his purpose in The Fire Next Time. His style elucidates his arguments for racial harmony and for the understanding of other religions.
---. “White Man’s Guilt.” 1995 James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998: 722-727.
In his work, “A Talk to Teachers,” James Baldwin poured out his point of view on how he believed American children should be taught. Throughout the essay, Baldwin focused on a specific race of school children: Negros. Perhaps this was because he himself was an African American, or even for the mere idea that Negros were the most vulnerable for never amounting to anything — according to what the American society thought during the twentieth century, specifically the 1960s when this piece was published. With the focus determined, the reader is able to begin analyzing Baldwin’s main appeal through the essay. At first glance one could argue that the essay has no credibility with Baldwin’s lack of not being a school teacher himself; however, when further evaluated one could state that whether or not he was a school teacher has nothing to do with the fact that he establishes his credibility, he appeals to morals, emotions with authority, and values, which thus outweighs the possible negativities associated with his argument.
...cy." Western Journal Of Black Studies 28.1 (2004): 327-331. Academic Search Premier. Web. 18 Sept. 2013.
Baldwin, James. “Sonny’s Blues.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia.12th ed. New York: Pearson, 2013.58-78.Print.
The essay “Notes of a Native Son” takes place at a very volatile time in history. The story was written during a time of hate and discrimination toward African Americans in the United States. James Baldwin, the author of this work is African American himself. His writing, along with his thoughts and ideas were greatly influenced by the events happening at the time. At the beginning of the essay, Baldwin makes a point to mention that it was the summer of 1943 and that race riots were occurring in Detroit. The story itself takes place in Harlem, a predominantly black area experiencing much of the hatred and inequalities that many African-Americans were facing throughout the country. This marks the beginning of a long narrative section that Baldwin introduces his readers to before going into any analysis at all.
The narrator in James Baldwin’s short story, “Sonny’s Blues”, at first glance seems to be a static character, trying to forget the past and constantly demeaning his brother’s choices in life. Throughout the story, readers see how the narrator has tried to forget the past. However, his attempt to forget the past soon took a turn. When the narrator’s daughter died, he slowly started to change. As the narrator experiences these changes in his life, he becomes a dynamic character.
Baldwin, James. “Sonny's blues.” Baldwin, James. Going to meet the man. New York: Dial Press, 1965.
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B Dubois is a influential work in African American literature and is an American classic. In this book Dubois proposes that "the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line." His concepts of life behind the veil of race and the resulting "double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others," have become touchstones for thinking about race in America. In addition to these lasting concepts, Souls offers an evaluation of the progress of the races and the possibilities for future progress as the nation entered the twentieth century.
To begin with, let’s get to know more about James Baldwin, the author. James Baldwin constantly wrote about his experience as a black man in white America (“about the author”). In various essay’s James Baldwin wrote about the struggle and
The above-mentioned essays are: Nihilism in Black America, The Pitfalls of Racial Reasoning, The Crisis of Black Leadership, Demystifying the Black Conservatism, Beyond Affirmative Action: Equality and Identity, On Black-Jewish Relations, Black Sexuality: T...