Week 7-Sonny's Blues

Sonny’s Blues Essay

              In the short story “Sonny’s Blues” written by James Baldwin, Baldwin portrays Sonny as an empathetic character through indirect presentation of Sonny’s dynamic characterization. Baldwin implies Sonny’s depiction of being the sympathetic focal character through a character arc of Sonny’s brother’s narrative.

              Baldwin interprets Sonny as a character that feels misunderstood. As Sonny tries to tell his dreams and ambitions of becoming a musician, his brother expresses disapproval. Sonny deems a lack of emotional support from his brother for his goals, creating an atmosphere of Sonny feeling isolated in his introspection of his aspirations as Sonny states towards his brother “you never hear anything I say.” The career choice draws a line of disconnection between the brothers. Sonny’s detachment created by his brother not approving of his career choice, forms an emotional impact on Sonny’s character.

              Sonny is depicted as a character struggling to survive the dark reality of the projects and his addiction. Sonny states "No, there's no way not to suffer. But you try all kinds of ways to keep from drowning in it, to keep on top of it, and to make it seem-well, like you. Like you did something, all right, and now you're suffering for it…You walk these streets, black and funky and cold, and there's not really a living ass to talk to, and there's nothing shaking, and there's no way of getting it out- that storm inside. You can't talk it and you can’t make love with it, and when you finally try to get with it and play it, you realize nobody’s listening. So you've got to listen. You got to find a way to listen…Sometimes you'll do anything to play, even cut your mother’s throat. Or your brother's. Or your own." Sonny views the harsh actuality of the streets and he struggles to live; he to tries to overcome the projects and its ways but later gives up the fight and gives into a heroin addiction to cope with dark realities. Sonny’s strain of adversity is a foundation of Sonny’s perceptive personality and causes empathetic sympathies.

              Sonny’s is portrayed as passionate. “Sonny played…Then he began to make it his… Freedom lurked around us and I understood, at last, that he could help us to be free if we would listen, that he would never be free until we did. 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 had made it his: that long line, of which we knew only Mama and Daddy. And he was giving it 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. I saw the moonlit road where my father's brother died”.  Sonny plays his pains on the piano. Every struggle and experience Sonny has been through leaked and screamed into melodic piano notes. Sonny’s music, Sonny’s Blues spoke of his story, his afflictions, his blues. Sonny’s “blues”  became Sonny’s Blues.

Week 6-Rewrite Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest Essay

              The fabricated emphasis of the portrayal of the Victorian Era’s high class is implicitly revealed through Oscar Wilde’s diction and syntax. Throughout the play “The Importance of Being Earnest”, Oscar Wilde portrays and disdains the high class of the Victorian society through the theme of self-identification, utilization of irony, a mock-serious tone of understatement, and condescending characterization throughout the play.

              The theme of self-identity is demonstrated. In Act 1, it is discovered that Jack does not know his lineage and creates an alter identity by the name of Ernest. Also Algernon develops a false identity named Bunbury to be an excuse for Algernon’s boredom with being in town.  Through Jack’s alter ego, Wilde implicitly depicts the high- class to consist of social-distortion and not retain an identity, but to simply manifest an identity for self-fulfillment. Jack and Algernon’s fake manifestation of non-existent individuals are an example of social-distortion within the high-class of the Victorian Era.

Throughout the acts irony is often applied.  In Act 1, Jack proposes to Gwendolyn as Ernest and she states she always wanted to marry someone named Ernest. In Act 2, Algernon proposes to Cecily as Ernest and she also states she wanted to marry someone named Ernest. Both Jack and Algernon are neither Ernest nor earnest and therefore depict a deceiving character which reflects on the high-class as gullible and untruthful. The proposals of the “Ernest’s” portrayed the unsophisticated and manipulative side of the high-class individuals.  Irony is also portrayed in Act 3 as Jack discovers his real name is Ernest and is Algernon’s older brother. Jack’s self-discovery brings a new innovative meaning to the cliché “ignorance is bliss” to “ignorance is revealing” as Jack’s ignorance revealed Wilde’s depiction of high-class individuals being blindly perceptive.

A mock-serious tone of understatement is utilized in several aspects of the play. Though there are minor brotherly quarrels, Jack and Algernon’s disagreement of a cigarette case in Act 1 and argument pertaining to muffins in Act 2. Wilde’s implicit perspective is that the high-class can afford to argue over small, petty matters and reveals a small sense of greed and materialism. Also in Act 2, Gwendolyn rejects sugar in her tea and tea cake as it is “not fashionable nowadays,” but Cecily later hands both to her to create an implied insult. Cecily handing both unwanted goods to Gwendolyn proved Cecily indirectly defamed Gwendolyn as not fashionable, supporting Wilde’s perception that wealthy people are concerned with mainstream matters instead of sophisticated concerns. Minor conflicts can obtain understated implications and interpretations.

In the play condescending characterization occurs in Lady Bracknell as she looks down on Jack’s character and worthiness of being married to her daughter Gwendolyn since Jack does not know his lineage and was found in a hand bag. Lady Bracknell’s characterization is a supporting view point in Wilde’s perception of the wealthy that the wealthy are narrow-minded and intolerant of other social classes especially if unknown and suspected to be lower- classmen. Lady Bracknell’s character portrayal is an implication of Wilde’s perspective of the wealthy.

Week 5- Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest Essay

              Throughout the play “The Importance of Being Earnest”, Oscar Wilde portrays and disdains the high- class of the Victorian society through the theme of self-identification, utilization of irony, a mock-serious tone of understatement, and condescending characterization throughout the play.

              The theme of self-identification is a recurring theme in the contents of the play. In Act 1, it is discovered that Jack does not know his lineage and creates an alter identity by the name of Ernest. Also Algernon develops a false individual named Bunbury to be an excuse for Algernon’s boredom with being in town.  Through Jack’s alter ego, Wilde implicitly depicts the high- class to consist of social-distortion and not retain an identity, but to simply manifest an identity for self-fulfillment. Jack and Algernon’s fake manifestation of non-existent individuals are an example of social-distortion within the high-class of the Victorian Era.             

Within all acts irony is often applied.  In Act 1, Jack proposes to Gwendolyn as Ernest and she states she always wanted to marry someone named Ernest. In Act 2, Algernon proposes to Cecily as Ernest and she also states she wanted to marry someone named Ernest. Each Jack and Algernon are nor Ernest nor earnest and therefore depict a deceiving character which reflects on the high-class as gullible and untruthful. The proposals of the “Ernest’s” portrayed the unsophisticated and manipulative side of the high-class individuals.  Irony is also portrayed in Act 3 as Jack discovers his real name is Ernest and is Algernon’s older brother. Jack’s self-discovery brings a new innovative meaning to the cliché “ignorance is bliss” to “ignorance is revealing” as Jack’s ignorance revealed Wilde’s depiction of high-class individuals being blindly perceptive.

A mock-serious tone of understatement is utilized in several aspects of the play. Though there are minor brotherly quarrels, Jack and Algernon’s disagreement of a cigarette case in Act 1 and argument pertaining to muffins in Act 2 is Wilde’s implicit perspective that the high-class can afford to argue over small, petty matters and reveals a small sense of greed and materialism. Also in Act 2, Gwendolyn rejects sugar in her tea and tea cake as it is “not fashionable nowadays”, but Cecily later hands both to her to create an implied insult. Cecily handing both unwanted goods to Gwendolyn proved Cecily indirectly defamed Gwendolyn as not fashionable, supporting Wilde’s perception on wealthy people as concerned with mainstream matters instead of sophisticated concerns. Minor conflicts can obtain understated implications and interpretations.

In the play condescending characterization occurs in Lady Bracknell as she looks down on Jack’s character and worthiness of being married to her daughter Gwendolyn since Jack does not know his lineage and was found in a hand bag. Lady Bracknell’s characterization is a supporting view point in Wilde’s perception of the wealthy that the wealthy are narrow-minded and intolerant of other social classes especially if unknown and suspected to be lower- classmen. Lady Bracknell’s character portrayal is an implication of Wilde’s perspective of the wealthy.

Week 4- A Voyage

Poem Portrayal Analysis: “A Voyage”- Lang Leav

"A Voyage"

To be guided

              nor misguided

              in love,

              nor brokenhearted.

But to sail in waters

              uncharted.

-Lang Leav

In the poem extended metaphor poem “A Voyage”, although there are risks, Lang Leav passionately emphasizes for the essentialness to journey through life by walking and expanding the meaning of love despite risks. In the first set of stanzas “To be guided nor misguided in love, nor brokenhearted,” Lang Leav indirectly implies to let love lead a path in one’s voyage, one’s life. Leav manifests an impassioned atmosphere of hope and guidance through the lines “to be guided nor misguided…, nor brokenhearted”, creating an interpretation of love having an essence of optimism. Lang Leav reveals love as a guide.

In the separated lines of the first stanza the impassioned determination of not being misled or hurt by love is revealed. Leav considers the concept and perception that one’s love can only distort by solely the individual themselves. The breaks of the stanza create a fervent appeal and effect of love being a guide in “waters uncharted”, unfamiliar ambiance. Therefore the stanzas, implicitly exposes the love of an individual cannot be taken away or altered but only guided and navigated.

Within the second stanza “But to sail in waters uncharted”, a shift of valor is demonstrated as Lang Leav comprehends the risks and reveals the chances metaphorically as unknown territory. Sailing on open, uncharted waters gives an appeal of freedom and uncertainty that Leav emphasized in the last stanza as a final solution for one’s journey; to give love, be free in that same love, and to expand love in unrecognizable regions. Lang Leav acknowledges another dimension of love.  To be love is the motivation, implication, and interpretation of Lang Leav’s poem “A Voyage”.