Westerburger 1
Andrew Westerburger
ENC 1102
Angela Jacobs
23 April 2014
Black manhood in James Baldwin story’s
Clark, Keith. “The Perilous Journey to a Brother’s Country: James Baldwin and the
Rigors of Community. ”Black Manhood in James Baldwin, Ernest J. Gaines, and
August Wilson. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2002. 30-64. Rpt. In Short Story
Criticism. Ed. Jelena O. Krstovic. Vol. 98. Detroit: Gale, 2007. Literature Resource
Center. Web. 26 Mar. 2014
By reading this story I have gained more knowledge on the racism issue from back in those days and the brotherly love that sonny and his older brother has in the story. As well as the homosexuality that James Baldwin went through and is trying to show in his stories.
This essay by Clark Keith is about him analyzing, Baldwin’s concept of “black brotherly love” in “Sonny’s Blues” and explores the story’s portrayal of spiritual affinity within families.
With this story I had actually enjoyed reading more and finding out more about the story Sonny’s Blues. In particular about the homosexuality and racism in the society and family, as well as how the narrator in the story has the main voice but that sonny also has a voice trough the letter he sends and through his music I have a broader understanding of this story now thanks to this essay source I have read.

Westerburger 2
Explanation of: “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin
Explanation of: ”Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin.” LitFinder Contemporary Collection.
Detroit: Gale, 2009. LitFinder. Web 26 Mar.2014.
The author of this short story work overview is telling us in short bout the story by
James Baldwin “Sonny’s Blues” and how James Baldwin shows a world in which suffering characterizes man’s basic state and his personal awareness of human frailty talking and showing us that there is a universal suffering and not just one person. The other thing shown in the story is Baldwin’s view of social and political issues.
This work overview I found was amazing, because it simplifies the short story so good and there’s a fact also that I didn’t know about until reading this work overview. That
“Sonny’s Blues” is actually one of Baldwin’s most compelling and effective pieces of short fiction and how jazz music has played a big role in American society in general and in the
African American community. All this information will definitely help me in my research paper knowing a little background and having a better understanding of the story.

Westerburger 3
An overview of “Sonny’s Blues”
Hicks, Jennifer. “An overview of “Sonny’s Blues’.” Short stories for Students. Detroit: Gale,
2002. Literature Resource Center. Web 26 Mar. 2014.
In this really short work overview the author discusses all about James Baldwin and some of his other works like go tell it on the mountain. But more importantly and critical she talks about the racial issues that was common back in those days that James Baldwin himself has experience and struggled through that also serves as a backdrop in “Sonny’s
Blues”
I really liked this short work review, critical essay because it opened up so many doors to questions I had for myself for James Baldwin’s short story that I didn’t quite have a grip on but after reading this it’s all so much clearer now compared to before. This will definitely help me with my research on some background of James Baldwin, as well as the racial issues he had to deal with that are connected to his story’s “Sonny’s Blues in particular.

Westerburger 4
James (Arthur) Baldwin American Writer ( 1924 – 1987 )
“James (Arthur) Baldwin.” Contemporary Literary Criticism Select. Detroit: Gale, 2008.
Literature Resource Center. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
In this essay source there is information to be found and read that is extremely rich especially in helping to make this research from Biographical to Works Critical to writings by the author and even further readings about the author. This essay resource paper kind of got me in James Baldwin’s world to understand him better as a writer and a person, getting to know what kind of person he is most definitely helps me in making this project successful by having not only information on his stories but about his life, his past and his experiences as well.
This entry by far was the longest and most educational on writer James Baldwin and his stories. His novels, essays, and other writings attest to his premise of the black American, as an object of suffering and abuse, represents a universal symbol of human conflict.

Westerburger 5
The Jazz Harmonies of Connection and Disconnection in Sonny’s Blues
Lee, Susanna. “The Jazz Harmonies of Connection and Disconnection in ‘Sonny’s Blues.’.”
Genre 37.2 (Summer 2004):285-299. Rpt. In Short Story Criticism. Ed. Jelena O.
Krstovic. Vol. 98. Detroit: Gale, 2007. Literature Resource Center. Web. 26 Mar.2014.
After reading this critical essay, that was long and had multiple subject being looked over, it had actually confused me more than what I already was from the short story alone.
But after re-reading it for the second time I was finally able to get what the author was trying to say and show, about the short story “sonny’s blues” in this essay, Susanna Lee discusses the connection between music, narration and social theory in “Sonny’s Blues.”
Even though this entry was long and complicated it effectively helped me understood the story better and bout what it actually is about and what the author tries to make the readers see through the story there are so many elements like fighting against loneliness and family matters as well as racial profiling in color race and music it also shows what blues actually means in correlation to all these things and other obstacles we get in life as human beings. I find this very helpful with my research making it easier to talk and or write about the story knowing better what the story actually is about and what I am talking about when it comes to the story.