Eleanor's Essay

Eleanor Hilton
Mr. Salsich
English 9
23rd September 2008

The Universal Language of Music
An Summary and Thoughts about Goldman’s Essay


There is one small thing in the world that connects all human beings together. This thing is music. It is the universal language that can soothe us when we’re sad, excite us when we’re happy, or is just something we can listen to or create ourselves. Music also seems to be one thing, essay writer Suzy Bernstein Goldman understands.

In her essay about the classic short story, Sonny’s Blues, by James Baldwin, Goldman connects everything to music. To begin with, she divides up the story into five movements, like a piece of music. The first movement, she says is about the older brother, ‘a strait-laced Harlem algebra teacher’ and his morning after discovering his brother has been arrested for heroin. The second movement is described as the recovery of Sonny, and the letter’s between the two brothers. In the third movement Goldman says, revolves around the word, ‘safe’, and when the brother’s fathers said, ‘no place safe.’ (Baldwin). The fourth movement is shown as the shortest movement, and builds on the first. This is when the brothers begin to understand each others lives. “The new relationship between the brothers.” Is what Goldman calls the fifth movements own theme. This is when Sonny enters his, ‘kingdom’ (Baldwin), and starts to play the blues, which is what this story is all about. Blues and music.

Goldman’s essay, I found was most enjoyable to read. The way she wrote it was kind of out of the box. She included everything she possibly could about music into her long essay. She even talked about the two small words that popped up through-out the story, ‘hear’ and ‘listen’. Although I liked her topic and style of writing I thought that the length of the quotes she put in were a little long. There were sometimes full passages that she included to make her point. I do think this shows dedication to her topic, but if they were shorter, the essay overall would be even more interesting. I’m glad that the story Sonny’s Blues has a great essay writer to back up and show the true meanings of it’s story.
As I have previously said, music is the universal language that connects us all. We use it however we want to and where we want to, within reason. However I didn’t think about the fact that it can also connect us to books and writings. Without out music, or sound, books would probably be boring because we wouldn’t be able to relate to them as well.

Works Cited:

1.) Baldwin, James. Sonny’s Blues. [database on-line]; available from http://www.wright.edu/~alex.macleod/winter06/blues.pdf (accessed 20th September 2008)

2.) Goldman, Suzy Bernstein. “James Baldwin’s ‘Sonny’s Blues’: A Message in Music.” Negro American Literature Forum; vol. 8, no. 3, Fall, 1994: 231-3 [database on-line] available from http://www.enotes.com/sonnys-blues/james-baldwins-sonnys-blues-message-music.com (accessed September 19th)