The state of childhood, in much of literature, is portrayed as the ultimate in innocence, both in character and of perceptions of the world. The shattering of this innocence is often used in writing as a plot device for character development. At times it seems that the extent to which the child’s pure outlook has been destroyed is a measure of how dire a situation can be. As with many autobiographical works that deal with lives of strife, Baldwin also repeatedly returns to moments of his childhood. These moments are often visited through anecdote, and capitalize on various aspects of his personality, his opinions, and his career as an author.
Baldwin’s anecdotes on his childhood begin in the very first essay, “Autobiographical Notes”. The first few lines paint an abstract image of him as a person; He seems to describe a somber and cynical child that is moderately exasperated with the conditions of his life (“In those days…..of having babies (pg 5)”) In later essays, it can be
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interpreted that these traits have carried on into his adult life. However, despite an apparent dissatisfaction, Baldwin’s childhood-self goes on to tackle the tasks of child-rearing, while still avidly maintaining his own passions. This determination is also another fact of Baldwin’s personality, one that follows him throughout his turbulent career. There is a significance in the suggested mindset of the young Baldwin in that is is surprisingly un-childlike. Instead, the sense of responsibility he possessed, (which is often unseen in children that age), can be a mirror of his upbringing in poverty; That is, that such hard situations would force him to mature at a faster rate. Baldwin also seems to turn to anecdotes of his childhood when speaking about his own opinions. As if to provide reason, a backstory is often given whenever a particularly prominent notion of his is expressed. One instance noted in the text is his own opinion on being judged as a negro, and solely for being a negro. Here he purposely uses his childhood innocence’ ( or in better words, nativity) to sharply contrast with his views later in life. As touched upon in “Notes of a Native Son”, Baldwin describes rejecting his father’s words on the conflicts he would face as a Negro in White America. However, he goes on to describe how future endeavors in various parts of the country would ultimately open his eyes to the hassle he would face as a black man, and how he would be treated as such. This particular opinion of his seems to be very strong, and is revisited several times in the text through ‘ the Negro Problem’, and other various encounters in which he details. Finally, Baldwin uses these anecdotes of his childhood to document and comment on his career as an author.
In “Autobiographical Notes”, he makes a point to stress his love for reading in the first opening lines. Despite assisting in raising his siblings, and living a general ‘bleak fantasy’ of a life, he reads everything and anything made available to him. The young Baldwin also goes on to venture into writing,publishing his work, and receiving recognition for his songs and plays. In the next essay “Notes of a Native Son” he goes further to describe a play of his own that was actually performed. The significance of these childhood anecdotes in this sense is to reaffirm Baldwin's passion in literature. The author makes a point to emphasize how much he loves to read and write, and just how long he has been doing it. While not exactly a boastful gesture, it instead offers an explanation on the course of baldwin’s thoughts and actions, as much of his life seems to revolve around
literature. In conclusion., the significance of childhood in this work is mainly to add reason for the beliefs and actions that James Baldwin exert in his adult life. These moments are told through anecdote, usually adding supporting information to his current topic without being the main subject. As previously stated, these moments portray Baldwin as a somber but responsible young man with a strong drive to pursue a career as a writer. His experiences as a young man have impacted his life and his beliefs, which validate their presence in Notes of a Native Son. While other children a briefly mentioned, the are mostly used as devices to emphasize the previous noted points.
When reading “My Dungeon Shook: A Letter to my Nephew”, it was clear that Baldwin was not just writing a letter to his nephew but to society by interacting personal thoughts with public awareness.
More specifically speaking, Baldwin is assessing through the fictional story the difficulties in understanding and accepting those who do not comply with social norms. Throughout the entirety of the story it is clear that Sonny’s brother cannot understand his brother or his brother’s choices. This inability to identify with and comprehend his brother drives a wedge between the two, until finally, the narrator shows up to a performance put on by Sonny, opens his mind and his prejudices, and begins to finally understand his
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.
The key themes of Baldwin’s essay are love, hatred, rage, and anger. These themes quickly transform into recurring strands that Baldwin applies throughout his essay. These ...
James Baldwin, author of Sonny’s Blues, was born in Harlem, NY in 1924. During his career as an essayist, he published many novels and short stories. Growing up as an African American, and being “the grandson of a slave” (82) was difficult. On a day to day basis, it was a constant battle with racial discrimination, drugs, and family relationships. One of Baldwin’s literature pieces was Sonny’s Blues in which he describes a specific event that had a great impact on his relationship with his brother, Sonny. Having to deal with the life-style of poverty, his relationship with his brother becomes affected and rivalry develops. Conclusively, brotherly love is the theme of the story. Despite the narrator’s and his brother’s differences, this theme is revealed throughout the characters’ thoughts, feelings, actions, and dialogue. Therefore, the change in the narrator throughout the text is significant in understanding the theme of the story. It is prevalent to withhold the single most important aspect of the narrator’s life: protecting his brother.
Baldwin's mind seems to be saturated with anger towards his father; there is a cluster of gloomy and heartbreaking memories of his father in his mind. Baldwin confesses that "I could see him, sitting at the window, locked up in his terrors; hating and fearing every living soul including his children who had betrayed him" (223). Baldwin's father felt let down by his children, who wanted to be a part of that white world, which had once rejected him. Baldwin had no hope in his relationship with his father. He barely recalls the pleasurable time he spent with his father and points out, "I had forgotten, in the rage of my growing up, how proud my father had been of me when I was little" (234). The cloud of anger in Baldwin's mind scarcely lets him accept the fact that his father was not always the cold and distant person that he perceived him to be. It is as if Baldwin has for...
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.
In conclusion, the short story "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin brings out two main themes: irony and suffering. You can actually feel the pain that Baldwin's characters experience; and distinguish the two different lifestyles of siblings brought up in the same environment. The older brother remaining nameless is a fabulous touch that really made me want to read on. This really piqued my interest and I feel it can lead to many discussions on why this technique was used. I really enjoyed this story; it was a fast and enjoyable reading. Baldwin keeps his readers thinking and talking long after they have finished reading his stories. His writing technique is an art, which very few, if any, can duplicate.
Baldwin’s superior usage of point of view is a major cause of the success of “Sonny’s Blues.” By having the point of view as first person, and having the main omniscient character, the brother tells the story and reading it from his perspective grants the reader a more completeness of the story, which would otherwise be incomplete. “Sonny’s Blues” shows that point of view matters and that you’ll never understand someone else until you step into those other shoes and walk a mile in
Loss of Innocence is a classic theme in literature. Protagonists are forced into situations where they must sacrifice their goodness/what they believe. It is a theme that runs through both “ Young Goodman Brown” and “ The Most Dangerous Game”, though each of them happen in a different way.
James Baldwin was born in Harlem in a time where his African American decent was enough to put more challenges in front of him than the average (white) American boy faced. His father was a part of the first generation of free black men. He was a bitter, overbearing, paranoid preacher who refused change and hated the white man. Despite of his father, his color, and his lack of education, James Baldwin grew up to be a respected author of essays, plays, and novels. While claiming that he was one of the best writers of the era could be argued either way, it is hard to argue the fact that he was indeed one of the most well-known authors of the time. One of his intriguing skills as a writer is his ability to intertwine narration and analysis in his essays. James Baldwin mixes narration and analysis in his essays so well that coherence is never broken, and the subconscious is so tempted to agree with and relate to what he says, that if you don’t pay close attention, one will find himself agreeing with Baldwin, when he wasn’t even aware Baldwin was making a point. Physical placement of analytical arguments and analytical transitions, frequency and size of analytical arguments, and the language used within the analytical arguments are the keys to Baldwin’s graceful persuasion. Throughout this essay, I will be using Baldwin’s “Notes of a Native Son” for examples. “Notes of a Native Son” is an essay that Baldwin wrote which focuses primarily on his life around the time his father died, which also happens to be the same time his youngest brother was born.
Children have often been viewed as innocent and innocent may be a nicer way to call children naive. Since children’s lives are so worry free they lack the knowledge of how to transition from being a child to becoming an adolescent. Their lack of knowledge may be a large part of their difficulties growing up, which could be a few rough years for many. In books like the boy in the striped pajamas the story is told from the point of view of a little boy, this way we get a full view of how innocent he is. In this book the writer shows the reader first hand how a child viewed the holocaust and how his innocence cost him his life. Then in books like the perks of being a wallflower Charlie is a teen whom is struggling with the transition from being a child to becoming an adolescent. In this book the writer gives a first hand look at how difficult it can be to transition into an adolescent. Charlie has many difficulties in this book; he is in search of his identity and how to fit in.
... the miserable life that African Americans had to withstand at the time. From the narrator’s life in Harlem that he loathed, to the drug problems and apprehensions that Sonny was suffering from, to the death of his own daughter Grace, each of these instances serve to show the wretchedness that the narrator and his family had to undergo. The story in relation to Baldwin possibly leads to the conclusion that he was trying to relate this to his own life. At the time before he moved away, he had tried to make a success of his writing career but to no avail. However, the reader can only be left with many more questions as to how Sonny and the narrator were able to overcome these miseries and whether they concluded in the same manner in the life of Baldwin.
James Baldwin is highly regarded as one of the great writers of his time. In the “Notes of a Native Son” he describes a very influential moment in his life. The essay’s setting takes place during the Harlem riots in New York City and Detroit. The riot in New York all began due the fatal shooting of a young African American boy by a white police officer. Protesters began to protest the police brutality, but then fights and looting broke out when some protesters became unruly. Baldwin’s essay reflects upon his interactions and feelings with and about his father. He analyzes how his father affected him and talks about what kind of person his father was. He also reflects on the impact of his father’s death. All the while, within the essay, Baldwin uses different techniques in order to obtain and intrigue his readers. He primarily makes his essay a narrative. However, he also incorporates his analysis, which usually stem from his use of binaries and contrasts. His use of repetitive words also plays a big part in his style. All of those techniques all intertwined in a way that will help the reader understand Baldwin and his ideas a lot clearer. His combination of both narrative and analysis can be viewed in the very first paragraph.
James Baldwin is a very perceptive man and usually gets his point across pretty well. In his excerpt “A Fly in Buttermilk”, Baldwin discusses his encounter with a southern family. This family includes a young black male who is enrolled in an all white high school. He asks of the boy’s troubles and discusses his responses.