Hannah's Essay

Hannah Staley
Mr. Salsich
English 9
23 September 2008



James Baldwin’s Sonny’s Blues: A Message in Music by Susan Bernstein Goldman vs. My Opinion
An essay on an essay written and my opinion


“Theme, form, and image blend into perfect harmony” (Goldman). This is exactly what Susan Bernstein Goldman writes when writing her essay on James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues.” Goldman identifies the themes that Baldwin tries to deliver quite well. She notices key things in the Story and enhances their meaning. Also, Goldman gives us a summary of the story, which helps support her ideas.

Informative, persuasive, and close attention to detail are three things I took away after reading Goldman’s James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues”: A Message in Music. In the essay, Goldman summarizes what happens in the story and highlights important parts that deserve recognition. An example of this is when she talks about the narrator opening his first letter from Sonny. Goldman, the author, is trying to demonstrate “his need to reach his brother” (Goldman) and how communication is key throughout the story as well as in the reader’s relationships. Another point Goldman is trying to make about Sonny, that relates to real life, is finding something you thoroughly enjoy and sticking with it. For example, Sonny connected with music, and it eventually made him a better person while saving his life. Playing the piano showed Sonny’s brother, the narrator, that even if you go through a tough time you can come out on top. These are interesting things to read and brought up some valid points for the reader to think about.

I don’t really like how this essay was written. I think that Ms. Goldman used too many in text citations and chunks from the book. When you use in text citations or chunks in this way, they can be really helpful making your paper flow nicely. When you over use this technique, you can get into trouble and possibly loose the reader’s attention. This method can also get confusing and make your writing look like it was rushed. One thing that I did enjoy was her way of approaching different subjects. Ms. Goldman’s essay is well thought out when it comes to transitions, which made the paper easy to read. Her transitions are smooth and not choppy, which makes the essay a pleasure to read and study. In my opinion, this essay was nice to read except for the occasional chunks that appear to be unnecessary. Other than is, it was well written.


Ms. Goldman did a nice job of capturing the true beauty of “Sonny’s Blues” and emphasizing the main lessons the book has to offer. Her essay was a pleasure to read and to study. I definitely agree with some of the bold statements she writes about and think it is an interesting essay to think and write about. I hope to read more of Goldman’s work in the future.


WORKS CITED:
1. Baldwin, James. Sonny’s Blues. [database on-line]; available from http://www.wright.edu/~alex.macleod/winter06/blues.pdf (accessed 19 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/Sonny%27s Blues/james-baldwins-sonnys-blues-message-music (accessed 19 September 2008).