2) Medial Level: Genre, Performance, General Phonological- and Syntactical Structures
“Not conceptual speech, but music rather, is the element through which we are best spoken to by mystical truth” (James 326). This utterance by William James, an American philosopher and psychologist, discloses that there is something to music that reinforces the transmission of messages compared to written words that are just read. Beside the topic, the title of the musician 's song reveals further information, namely about the musical genre and about Dylan 's way of ʻsingingʼ - or rather performing. Both aspects are combined in the term “talking blues.” This form is tempting to many young singers [- such as Bob Dylan at that time -] because it seems so pliable and yet so simple. However, the simpler a form, the more revealing it is of the essence of the performer. There 's no place to hide in the talking blues (Dylan 2004 b), 68).
This musical genre1, the “talking blues,” Dylan chose for his song, matches the serious subject matter by the use of spoken lyrics and at the same time Dylan generates a humorous mood since his song is, as Wise defines for the genre mentioned, “characterized by humorous or satirical verses rhythmically spoken, rather than sung, almost invariably
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“The basic rhythm [of a “talking blues”] is always two-four or four-four at a tempo of about 114 to 132 beats per minute” (Ibid.). Now checking Dylan 's song for this feature, it turns out that the instruments adhere to the rhythm, whereas the verses are rather irregular which is visually marked by their strongly varying length. This also contributes to the satirical
From the very beginning of the tale, the sorrow is palpable through the unnamed narrator 's discovery of Sonny 's incarceration, and moreover through the atmosphere created by Mr. Baldwin. The most prominent message that can be deciphered and recognized in Sonny 's Blues is that the sadness and sorrow that one experiences in their life can bring about many obstacles but it can be countered and used for something greater by a search for understanding and acceptance. James Baldwin establishes this implication through the use of his characters; the narrator, Sonny, and the singer seen on the street. All these characters experience sorrow and sadness in their
The opinions of others show us who Dylan was as a person before the
In the reading for today, Benjamin Filene describes the controversial performance of Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. Although the author acknowledges that stories about the performance have been wildly embellished since the event, he notes that “[Pete] Seeger’s backstage rage was real” and that Dylan received boos from a moderate portion of the audience because of his use of electric instruments, as well as the shortness and the poor sound quality of his set(pg. 184). Folk purists were allegedly outraged with Dylan turning his back on both the acoustic guitar and politically motivated lyrics which encouraged crowd participation. For example, Peter Yarrow, who introduced Dylan at the festival and also performed with his three-piece
Browne does not just describe Cocker’s success and the way he touched people’s lives, but also the harder parts of his life. The author produced an article that paid respects to the legend through quotes by Cocker’s friends and colleagues. Jerry Moss, head of Cocker’s label at one point in time, states that, “In those days, he couldn’t sing out of time. He was the greatest white blues singer.” The author also explained Cocker’s struggles through quotes from his colleagues.
Using his writing as a form of self-expression, James Baldwin, an African American author, spent his life seeking to reveal the cruel reality of African American men. “Sonny Blues” Baldwin’s short fiction, was published in 1957 and takes place during the Harlem Renaissance. The literary work tells the story of Sonny and his brother (an unnamed narrator), as they seek to understand how to navigate the delicate and dangerous waters of familial relationships, their role in society and themselves. However, it is not until the end of the story when Sonny’s brother narrates the powerful, melodic sound of Sonny’s blues that he acknowledges his own pain. It is during his epiphany, when he finally begins to understand Sonny’s pain and the pain of every generation who came before him and after him.
There are many ways that symbolism is used to show things that are unique to each story that James Baldwin writes including “Sonny’s Blues”. The main symbolism surround music. One thing that it symbolizes is hope. Music gives Sonny hope that he can travel away from Harlem and those who doubt what he can do using blues music and his piano skills. This is not just used as symbolism in the story, but in what was really happening during this time.
Many of his songs have way too many words per line creating a rushing feeling, and his voice while singing them was nothing special. Bob Dylan was very much a writer and poet as opposed to a songwriter. He used music to get his message into the open, but not as a way to write proficient music. Bob Dylan didn’t just write the songs and go on his way he spent a lot of time crafting the correct lyrics and form, “The changes across the four days are generally small, slight changes that help the
James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” is a short story depicting the relationship of two brothers, Sonny and an unnamed narrator. The story takes place in the project of Harlem, New York in the early 1950s. The narrator is a high school math teacher. His younger brother Sonny is a troubled musician struggling with his addiction to drugs. Before their mother dies, she asks the narrator promise to her he’ll look after his younger brother when she is gone.
As a matter of fact, the storyteller does not appreciate Sonny's motivations to play jazz music until the evening he socially joins Sonny to his stage show at a nightclub. Sitting in a dark corner at the nightclub, the storyteller listens to his brother play, considering the reminder of Sonny's friend, Creole, of what the Blues are about, "The tale, of the blues, how we live, and how we are delighted, how we suffer... and how we triumph... must be heard... it's the only light we've got in all this darkness." (Baldwin 139). For the narrator, he perceives that the Blues is the manifestation for Sonny's emotions, especially his suffering, because, as Creole would say, music is the only light in the
When the narrator accompanies Sonny to the nightclub to listen to him play his music; Sonny’s music portrays his wisdom as he plays about his brother’s frustrations with the trials and sufferings they both endured. Sonny’s artful playing of the blues opens the narrator’s heart to listen genuinely. If one listens to what lies on the inside that is the key to finding oneself. Joseph Flibbert states in the article “Sonny’s Blues” Overview, “In the music he hears, he sees his mother’s face, and that of his little girl … The powerful incantations of Sonny’s art reaches his soul, and for the first time, he listens to the dark voice within”.
“She ‘was intrigued by the music of Bob Dylan, particularly the hauntingly elegiac song 'It's All Over Now, Baby Blue,' [and she] dedicated [it] to Bob Dylan”’(Nyiknos). Clues from the story allow readers to understand that his music heavily influenced the writings. For instance, Friends use of “blue eyes” when the short story states that Connie has brown eyes. Additionally, Dylan obtained the nickname “The Pied Piper” for his musical ability and a tie to the mythological story of music misleading the innocent children to their death. “Much like the Pied Piper, Friend is able to lure Connie to her probable death and the strange sound of the music that was playing both is the house and in his car” (David).
“Sonny’s Blues” is not just about Sonny's decisions and struggles but also about how they affect the narrator. This story is as much about family and brotherhood and the relationship between these two men as it is about the character of
James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” uses Sonny as an antagonist character to the protagonist, his eldest brother. While Sonny and his eldest brother both are the center of the stories content, Baldwin uses Sonny to represent a challenge to the narrator of the story. Through the rekindling of a brother’s relationships, Baldwin is able to depict Sonny's motivations and aspirations through his flaws, and the way in which his flaws affected his life. Sonny’s flaws ultimately shape Sonny’s character, his reserved feelings and silent demeanor isolate him from the world, but at the same time contribute to his aspirations and motivations by music.
Clark states in his article “James Baldwin’s Sonny’s Blues: Childhood, Light, and Art” that “…the narrator is seated “in a dark corner” ...in contrast the stage is dominated by light” (Clark). Clark shows by this that within the darkness that surrounds Sonny, music is a place of hope for him. Light is shown to effect Sonny in a different way than his Uncle. Light is shown to effect Sonny in a surrounding that would have been a place of comfort for him before his addiction. The narrator states, “…[they] were being careful not to step into that circle of light too suddenly…that if they moved into the light too suddenly… they would perish” (Baldwin 112).
As Donald C. Murray has said in his article, “James Baldwin’s ‘Sonny’s Blues’: Complicated and Simple”, “Images of light and darkness are used by Baldwin… ( Murray 354)”. Also, Baldwin is able to tell a story that can make the reader visualize what is happening to this character Sonny, even though it is being narrated through the eyes and perspective of his older brother. He portrays the older brother as someone who can understand and recognizes the internal struggles of Sonny and be compassionate about them, even though the elder brother does not agree with all the life choices his brother has