Black, Blues, And Jazz: The Cumulative Effect Of The Social Milieu - Essay Example

Black, Blues, And Jazz: The Cumulative Effect Of The Social Milieu Society is made up of individuals – individuals with passions, dreams, fears, and regrets. The society where Sonny existed was hell to say the very least. They lived in the shadow of two wars: one where both brothers served for their country and the one that each man must fight from within. Both brothers survived the Second World War but no one knows the outcome of the wars that rage inside. The Second World War caused people grief and suffering but I think that both brothers experienced more pain with their internal conflicts. And they were mere reflections of what was happening at every urban black American house hold. Sonny summed up what was happening in his life and in their society when he partly agreed with his brother when he said; "No, there's no way not to suffer.” (Baldwin in O’Daniel) The society where most of the blacks came from were more than harsh to say the least and people desperately wanted to escape. There were many aspects of urban Black American society that were mirrored with the experiences narrated in “Sonny’s Blues”. The examination of such parallels will give us insight to the pain experienced by these people and let us see how societies can shape an individual’s life (Baldwin in O’Daniel) "I ain't learning nothing in school… even when I go." A prohibitive and negative society like that described in Baldwin’s narrative is a hard place for young people to grow up in. Sonny did see the value of education but it was not what he needed. The whole of America went into recession after World War 2 and even during the war, life in general was hard. The Blacks had more dignity and freedom, yes, but they were still discriminated against as reflected by their mother’s words, This car was full of white men. They was all drunk, and when they seen your father's brother they let out a great whoop and holler and they aimed the car straight at him. They was having fun, they just wanted to scare him, the way they do sometimes, you know (Baldwin in O’Daniel). It was implied that making fun of other black people back then was just a white person’s past time and that it happens quite often. This injustice is plain for all to see, even the children, and they soon realize that being schooled or not does not matter if you are a person of color. Students are filled then with rage as well as helplessness and very soon in their lives, they wish there was some form of escape from all the abuse. Going to school becomes a nuisance then because it really does not change anything. …Her face scarred and swollen from many beatings… Violence did not only exist in the streets, and not just between the blacks and the whites. It’s also a reality inside the urban Black American home. In one scene in the story, two women were described to “address each other as sisters” because though one sings hymns while the other smokes a cigarette, both these women experience the same suffering. A lot of black women back then experienced beatings inside their own households but aside from enduring these physical pains, they also carried the emotional baggage of the whole family as illustrated by Sonny’s mother with regards to the secret of the existence and death of their guitar-wielding uncle, and the support Isabel gives her husband and his brother Sonny despite having sleepless nights as dreams of her daughter’s death haunts her. Women had respect and were strong in the society they lived in but they are equally if not more vulnerable to abuse within and outside their homes (Baldwin in O’Daniel). “…It ain't only the bad ones, nor yet the dumb ones that gets sucked under." This is the sad reality that every member of the urban black American society had to face. Early on everyone realizes, even children, that they are in a vicious cycle and only the lucky ones (if there’s any at all) escape their fate of suffering. The one thing that is making life in the “housing project” more painful and pitiful than it already is the rampant abuse of drugs. It was the unspeakable thing Sonny was trying to escape from after their mother died. It was that same problem that got him in the papers at the start of the story. It was a form of escape for those who knew despair to well but it was a temporary fix that comes at such a high cost. We can then infer that drug abuse was one of the causes and effects of the hopelessness felt by the urban blacks. Sonny knew full well of the negative effects his substance abuse did, and was doing to him. Being someone private, he was forced to confide in his brother because he knew that he needed help – and if not help, then at the very least he wanted someone (his brother) to know what he has been and is going through. That was the sad reality and it would not matter that much if you were good, or had talents, or had big dreams, or if you had any sense – with that kind of suppressive and depressing environment, especially without people who would support you, you are more than likely to get sucked under (Baldwin in O’Daniel). …the very cup of trembling. Even though the blacks were not slaves anymore, a lot, if not all during this particular time in history, wanted to be free. They employed many different methods in this pursuit of this freedom. Some made God and religion their solace. Others found comfort and escape with drinking and using drugs. For a selected few, it was music. Sonny’s life, like many during the era of jazz and blues, is only lived to its fullest when he puts everything he’s got onto the hard ivory keys playing of his instrument. Sonny wanted his brother to see that jazz was his life and it is the very essence of who he is and why he exists. He plays as though his life depends on it and his struggle was reflected on each note, of each run that he plays. Sometimes, it was discordant and full of unsure steps. But when he immerses himself fully in his music and has gone to “open waters”, his magnificence is displayed for everyone to see and hear (Baldwin in O’Daniel). Sonny, his brother and his family, and everyone in Harlem are products of their society. At that time every black American lived in constant fear and suffering. There were a lot of things that were unknown and they are suffocated by the life and filth that surrounds them. Lack of education and basic protective services for women and children exacerbates the problem. And add to that the heavy burden of drug addiction and abuse. The society they were born in shaped how they view their lives and the options that they had. If urban black American communities continued to be such a place, then everyone, not only the blacks would be hopeless and tremble for the future (Baldwin in O’Daniel). References O’Daniel, Therman B., ed. James Baldwin: A Critical Evaluation. Washington, D.C.: Howard UP, 1977 MacMillan, Margaret. Rebuilding the world after the Second World War. The Guardian. 11 September 2009. Web. 11 November 2013 Read More