Suffering In Sonny's Blues

Art allows people to connect with one another and to to freely express themselves. In the story, “Sonny’s Blues”, art plays an important role. As two suffering brothers reunite, they find themselves at different points in their lives. They grew up to become two different people and each had a different way of handling their pain from their past. With the pain he feels and sees around him, one of the brothers, Sonny, tries to speak through his music. He is really sensitive to pain and becomes a heroin addict to try and cope with it. However, the narrator is different, he denies his own pain and doesn’t really deal with it in a certain way. He stated, “But there’s no way not to suffer- is there, Sonny?” (Baldwin 74). The narrator has just accepted his suffering as part of

In Baldwin’s recording speech, he argued that artist need to put themselves out there more and continue to make fearless and strong acts. They need to start ignoring those who are telling them to “get a real job”, and continue to put their all into their work. Baldwin is arguing that our collective integrity- our humanity as a whole- has failed since we lack equality for one another. He states, “an artist can tell and only an artist have told…what it is like for anyone that gets this planet, to survive it…” and that “the price that [the artist] has to pay…is a willingness to give up everything...” (Baldwin). I believe what he is trying to explain is that it takes a lot for an artist to take all of their emotions and express it through art. People out there underestimate art and don’t give enough thought or credit on what it takes to create such a piece, whether its through drawing, writing, or painting. Baldwin believes art to be powerful and also important in easing or relieving ones suffering. In relation to the story, it’s by playing jazz that Sonny is able to project his pain and help his brother face his own suffering as