Sonny's Blues Literary Devices

Zach Mawby
Professor McAuley
English 1202
4/20/2023
Imagery in “Sonny’s Blues” and How it Contributed to the Development of the African American Voice Across Media

Abstract James Baldwin’s use of literary techniques like imagery in the short story “Sonny’s Blues” reflects the influence of the Harlem Renaissance, coincidentally the setting of the story. This research paper examines the role the use of literary techniques played not only in the literature during but also after the Harlem Renaissance, as evident in “Sonny’s Blues.” Additionally, this research paper makes the connection between the Harlem Renaissance and the civil rights movement, as the literary techniques made popular during the era inspired the leaders of the civil rights

James Baldwin is one of the many writers whose success was made possible following the Harlem Renaissance, and “Sonny’s Blues” is Baldwin giving the cultural movements its “flowers.” His success was not only literary, as Baldwin was also an important civil rights activist. The civil rights movement that followed the Harlem Renaissance was not sheer coincidence; as African American literature gained wider recognition during the Renaissance, it provided a platform for the African American community to express their concerns and perspectives. In other words, “The Harlem Renaissance instilled in African Americans across the country a new spirit of self-determination and pride, a new social consciousness, and a new commitment to political activism, all of which would provide a foundation for the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s” (National Museum of African American History & Culture). As time went on, the platform for African Americans to express their concerns would develop from primarily literary, to primarily literal, as civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X sought to use their voices to push for change. Without the development of the African American voice through literature, it would not be possible for the development of the African American voice through vocal means, such as speeches and protests, to

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