Suffering and Triumph (Mr. Pace)

4/14/2024

"For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it always must be heard. There isn’t any other tale to tell, it’s the only light we’ve got in all this darkness" (Baldwin, James. "Sonny's Blues").

In the quote above, the narrator of "Sonny's Blues" is experiencing a revelation about the music Sonny plays, as well as its function in Sonny's life and the African American community at large. Baldwin has also made this claim about his own writing, and there are undoubtedly structural connections between the jazz music Sonny plays and the story Baldwin writes. In fact the title itself, "Sonny's Blues," sounds like a song title, so the narrator, it seems, is essentially playing his brother's blues via the text.

What do you make of the statement that "There isn’t any other tale to tell, it’s the only light we’ve got in all this darkness"? Do you agree that these are at the heart of all works of art? Explain. Do you think literature and music share elements of style, structure, and the ability to communicate? Why or why not?

Strauss, Vivienne. Sonny's Blues. Oil Painting. https://www.viviennestrauss.com/product/sonny-s-blues-original-oil-painting. Accessed 14 Apr. 2024.

3 Comments

Zackeryah

4/15/2024 08:11:51 am

The phrase "There isn’t any other tale to tell, it’s the only light we’ve got in all this darkness" gives the understanding that music is a way to share our stories and thoughts with the world. Although most of what music and literature is about happens to be shrouded in darkness, both with its subject matter and with the hands which wrote it, getting those thoughts down onto writing is the only light one might have. However not all music and literature written shares the commonality, as it's nearly impossible to group together such a broad range of items which classify as art. All art however tells a story, whether fictional or something from real life it's all a story. Told both from the smallest stroke of a paintbrush to a simple chord in a pianos lament, it's all a story being told to the audience.

Shaylee

4/15/2024 08:14:43 am

I think that music connects us all and allows us to communicate with each other in a way that doesn't seem possible. Through literature and real life, people go out to hear a performance or read a story to feel something, whether that it's an entirely new feeling or a remembrance of past feelings. I agree that when an artist puts something into the world, they do in fact put their whole heart into it. Because they hope that when they tell their story, it will connect with the audience. In a way they become venerable expressing themselves, but they do so that way another can feel a little light in the darkness of the world and life.

Sidney

4/15/2024 08:18:50 am

I believe that the quote above is expressing how music can be an outlet for many people. Music tells stories that a lot of people can connect to. Throughout the world there is a lot of darkness, but music can be an escape for some to see the good. In my opinion, there are many similarities between music and literature. They both are structurally made to tell a story with meaning. The two of them have literary devices placed within them to help signify what the meaning behind the words is.

Suffering and Triumph (Mr. Pace)

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