Topic > Explanation Analysis of the Poem Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin

In the poem “Sonny's Blues” written by James Baldwin is narrated from the point of view of Sonny's brother. The poem goes on to tell the story of an African-American math teacher in 1950s Harlem, to his brother Sonny, a jazz pianist who dealt with heroin addiction at a young age. Unlike many kids in the neighborhood, Sonny is not tough or brutal. He keeps all his problems bottled up except when he plays. The narrator develops a better understanding of Sonny's blues, which was his struggle, by finally hearing both his brother's words and his music. “I can't tell you much about how I got here. I mean, I don't know how to tell you. I guess I was afraid of something or trying to escape from something and you know I've never been very strong in my head (smiles).” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original EssayIn this part of the poem Sunny is trying to say what she feels but is at war with her feelings and morals. It becomes very difficult for him to open up because he is not used to being cared for and asked to open up. “I'm happy that mom and dad are dead and can't see what happened to their son and I swear if I had known what I was doing I would never have hurt you, so, you and a lot of other good people who were kind to me and with those who believed in me. I don't want you to think it has anything to do with me being a musician. This part delves into how he is happy and they can't see what he has become at the same time there is a sense of innocence since he said “if I knew what I was doing,” so in other words he didn't know what he was causing with his actions. “It's more than that. Or maybe less. I can't figure anything out in my head down here and I try not to think about what will happen to me when I get out again." He's clearly at war with himself trying to decipher which things are right and which are wrong. “Sometimes I think I'll turn around and never go out again and sometimes I think I'll go straight back. I'll tell you what, though, I'd rather blow my brains out than go through this again. In this section, he admits his mistakes and doesn't want to make them again. This leads us to conclude that he is aware of his mistakes and does not want them to happen again. “But that's what everyone says, that's what they tell me. If I told you when I'm coming to New York and if you could meet me, I would definitely appreciate it. Say hello to Isabel and the children and I sure was sorry to hear about little Gracie. I wish I could be like mom and say the Lord's will be done, but I don't know, it seems to me that trouble is the only thing that never stops and I don't know what's the point of blaming it on THE". In the end we are left to see that he wishes to be different but struggles to overcome what he has been through and move forward. In conclusion, we can see this internal war going on in his brain, fighting his past and his emotions his old ways of being who he knows he can be.