Monday, April 26th, 1999

Announcements: Papers will be returned on Friday at 9:05am in 258 Willard

Lecture notes:
Sonny's Blues

• Relationship between brothers
• Is Sonny's brother responsible for the situation which Sonny is in?
• Relationship is very distant
• Older Brother tries to get out of Harlem
• Does it in a "Franklinesque" way
• Marries a higher class
• Goes to school and becomes a teacher
• Made it to the outskirts of Harlem, but not completely out
• Sonny is involved in drug use and is imprisoned
• Mother is the ethical center in the story
• Themes
• Innocence lost, becoming disenchanted
• Innocence becomes recognition
• Brother's suffering finally made Sonny's suffering real
• Music
• Used to characterize the difference between the two brothers
• misreading
• Sonny tries to escape Harlem through music
• Sonny is playing the music for his life
• Older brother reconciling himself through the music
• Question:  Can Sonny play without using drugs and will the brother be able to learn?
• To play the blues one must experience suffering
• Experiences change, in turn the music changes