Should a man be hired for his skills or for the color of his skin? Is racial diversity in the business world more important then the most qualified workers? Affirmative action has become an important topic in today’s society to better diversify the different races in America. Affirmative action is a set of public policies that were designed for the elimination of discrimination toward race, color, sex, etc. These policies are under attack today because of the unfairness toward the more qualified people. Increasing opportunities for a minority that has suffered past discrimination is the cause for affirmative action, and for the reverse discrimination toward the majority. Many people view discrimination toward one race today to compensate for the discrimination of another race in the past as unfair. This reverse discrimination is unfair treatment toward the majority. Affirmative actions are policies created to give preferential treatment to the discriminated, but also discriminate as well.
Affirmative action was first referenced to in 1961 with the signing of Executive order 10925 (Brunner). With this the Committee on Equal Opportunity was created, and was mandated that “projects financed with federal funds ‘take affirmative action’ to ensure that hiring and employment practices are free of racial bias” (Brunner). Three years later, in 1964 President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights act that prohibits any form ...
Sonny’s Blues written by James Baldwin appears to suggest that family and faith are important aspects in someone’s life and that each person has a different way of dealing with their own demons. The author writes with an expressive purpose and narrative pattern to convey his message and by analyzing the main characters, the point of view of the narration, the conflict in the story and the literary devices Baldwin utilizes throughout his tale, his central idea can be better understood.
“Critical discussion of “Sonny’s Blues” has centered on secular matter. Acknowledging the complex interweaving of biblical text that forms the foundation of Baldwin’s short story allows readers the chance to understand and appreciate Baldwin’s significant debt to biblical literature and to grapple with the religious and moral issues at the core of this Christian writer’s most important literary effort” (Byerman 111). Baldwin is a very poignant writer and the majority of his stories are influenced by his experiences during his life. “Sonny’s Blues” is no exception as Baldwin poetically weaves religion and his beliefs through the short story. Even though Baldwin left the religious society at a young age, it was never truly able to leave his writing as evident in “Sonny’s Blues” and his other published works.
In the context of Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” story, the life among his family and others reflected many events. Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” resembled the life of his brother who wanted to make a career established in music before completing high school. As the story went on, there were emotions and bonding among each other and lastly forming some sort of peace. By peace meaning they both established ground rules of what their life would be after going through the trouble. Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” settled a principle of integrity of respect and experienced symbolism as a factor of understanding situations.
The bond of brotherhood is a prize to be cherished by those who know this bond. There is no better friendship than that of siblings, no matter how far apart geographically two brothers may be; they are always brought together by the bond in their heart. Even when brothers do not see eye to eye or have an argument, they will still be brothers and be a part of each other and their lives. The story, Sonny’s Blues, by James Baldwin uses many literary devices throughout this story such as his use of symbolism, his use of the setting and his use on tone to demonstrate the theme in the story, which is the strength of the bonds of brotherhood.
Several passages found throughout "Sonny's Blues" indicate that as a whole, the neighborhood of Harlem is in the turmoil of a battle between good and evil. The narrator describes Sonny's close encounters with the evil manifested in drugs and crime, as well as his assertive attempts at distancing himself from the darker side. The streets and communities of Harlem are described as being a harsh environment which claims the lives of many who have struggled against the constant enticement of emotional escape through drugs, and financial escape through crime. Sonny's parents, just like the others in Harlem, have attempted to distance their children from the dark sides of their community, but inevitably, they are all aware that one day each child will face a decisionb for the first time. Each child will eventually join the ranks of all the other members of society fighting a war against evil at the personal level so cleanly brought to life by James Baldwin. Amongst all the chaos, the reader is introduced to Sonny's special secret weapon against the pressures of life: Jazz. Baldwin presents jazz as being a two-edged sword capable of expressing emotions like no other method, but also a presenting grave danger to each individual who bears it. Throughout the the story, the reader follows Sonny's past and present skirmishes with evil, his triumphs, and his defeats. By using metaphorical factors such as drugs and jazz in a war-symbolizing setting, Baldwin has put the focus of good and evil to work at the heart of "Sonny's Blues."
In Sonny’s Blues a big issue is the idea of Salvation. Sonny’s blues is a story about two brothers on opposite paths, with different worldviews. The characters in the story are from the same place, raised by the same people, and taught the same things, but they are different in the brain and heart, which makes their journey to salvation very different trips. Sonny is the younger of the brothers and he struggles with drugs, the ideas of suffering, and feeling trapped. The narrator on the other hand struggles with the death of his daughter, his relationship with his brother, and feeling trapped. James Baldwin wrote this short story during the 1950’s and it is still very relevant today, people are still looking for salvation and still trying to
Tackach, James. “ The Biblical Foundation of James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” Renascence59.2 (2007) 109-118. Literary Reference Center Plus.web.16 Feb 2014
majority, does not advance the cause of minorities in a meaningful way, and needs to be
A hurricane is easily the most powerful storm that mother-nature can throw at us. Every year people who live on the coasts fight hurricanes with no dismay. A hurricane is simply too strong. Their winds reach speeds of 75 mph. The winds around the eye wall can reach 130 to 150 mph. They are 200 to 300 miles in diameter. The number of casualties is endless, as well as the widespread destruction that takes millions of dollars to repair. Even if the hurricane doesn’t cause a lot of damage, the storm surge will. Storm surge is the great tidal waves that crash into our coasts and make huge floods that are caused by hurricanes.
Hurricanes are born over the warm waters of tropical oceans and are formed by a low-pressure system caused by the heating of water. The heat causes the air to rise and form lower pressures in a feedback loop, making the hurricane stronger. Heavy rain results from a condensation of water and strong winds develop from warm air rushing to the eye of the hurricane. Essentially, greater storms and winds occur when the hurricane feeds of the rising temperature of the water. In addition, researchers studied disturbances and intense thunderstorms in the atmosphere over Western Africa and believe they are partly to blame for extreme hurricanes affecting the United States and Canada. While these are all the main ingredients of a perfectly natural process, they were not the primary causes of the damage done by Hurricane
In Sonny’s Blues, James Baldwin makes biblical themes a crucial part in this short story by comparing biblical themes to scenes from the story. There were many ways that biblical themes were present in Sonny’s Blues as James Baldwin made references from the bible such as the Biblical story of Cain and Abel, the story of “The Probable Son” and the book of Isaiah, which talks about the Cup of Trembling. His comparisons are supported by James Tackach’s The Biblical Foundation of James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues”. Baldwin’s message about redemption is that anyone who has sinned or hasn’t lived up to their promises can still be redeemed. All of the references mentioned to support the biblical themes all tie up to redemption.
“Sonny’s Blues” displays imagery in the theme of the story as he portrays light and darkness in events throughout the story tells us as reader the good and the bad. The light of the story being the good and graceful events show when the narrator describes his brother Sonny as a child, and the way his face lit up on Sunday afternoons during their parents friendly gatherings after church. The light is everything good through the flow of the story. The light also shows when the brothers rebuild their relationship at the end of the story. Light represents all of the positivity and hopeful events that are a part of life. The darkness shows in Sonny’s addiction, the fight between the brothers, as well the narrator’s feelings towards his brother’s life style, and the loss of his daughter. When the story first opens the narrator looks out to the young boys and starts to say:
In the story, Sonny’s Blues, James Baldwin uses music, jazz, and hymns to shape the story and show how it shapes Sonny’s life and how music is inherent to his survival. All of this is seen through the older brother’s eyes; the older brother is the narrator and the reader begins to understand Sonny through the older brother’s perspective. Baldwin writes the story like a jazz song to make a story out of his father’s past and his brother’s career choice and puts them together, going back and forth, until it creates a blending of histories and lives. He shows how the father’s past is similar to the narrator’s life; the older brother has conflicts with his younger brother, Sonny. Music heals the relationship.
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.
The Chinese Empire was large and controlled most of Asia at one point in time. One of the dynasties that ruled the empire was the Ming Family. Ruling from 1368-1644, almost three hundred years, the Ming Dynasty impacted Chinese history very much.