- 1) Harlem went through a renaissance in the 1920s and 30s. During this time this is when legend writers and famous performers emerged. Unfortunately, there was also a down side to all the positives and that was the Depression. The Depression brought with it poverty, high unemployment rates and crime rates which in turn made Harlem a hard, and dangerous place to live. http://manhattan.about.com/od/neighborhoodguide/a/harlemnewyork.htm
- 2)The setting affects Sonny's character by showing how all the depression and indifference made him turn to drugs and music. Him and his family lived a hard life in Harlem which took a toll on his being. In order for him to gain anything from his suffering he had to make it his own. Which is where the heroin and the jazz came into play.http://www.answers.com/topic/sonny-s-blues-story-2
- 1)African American soldiers were forced to accept a segregated army and many discriminatory conditions they had already gone through. Northern black troops sent to the South for training often had violent encounters with white citizens there. Black-owned newspapers protested segregation, mistreatment, and discrimination. This brought up many threats of protests which made President Roosevelt enstill an executive order where it states that there should be full participation in the military no matter your race, color, origin, etc.http://rs6.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart8.html
- 2)It is ironic that Sonny wants to enlist because of all the discrimination he already went through as a child, and after getting into the military he would have to go through even more grief due to discrimination and segragation. Also, Sonny's real passion is music and the military has no relationship or opportunity with it.
1)Darn That Dream Lyrics
Darn that dream, I dream each night
You say you love me and hold me tight
But when I awake, you're out of sight
Oh, darn that dream
Darn your lips and darn your eyes
They lift me high above the moonlit skies
Then I tumble out of paradise
Oh, darn that dream
Darn that one track mind of mine
It can't understand that you don't care
Just to change the mood I'm in
I'd welcome a nice old nightmare
Darn that dream and bless it too
Without that dream, I never would have you
But it haunts me and it won't come true
Oh, darn that dream
Darn that dream, I dream each night
You say you love me and hold me tight
But when I awake, you're out of sight
Oh, darn that dream
Darn your lips and darn your eyes
They lift me high above a moonlit sky
Then I tumble out of paradise
Oh, darn that dream
Darn that one track mind of mine
It can't understand that you don't care
But just to change the mood I'm in
I'd welcome a nice old nightmare
Darn that dream and bless it too
Without that dream, I never would have you
But it haunts me and it won't come true
Oh, darn that dream
Darn that dream, I dream each night
You say you love me and hold me tight
But when I awake, you're out of sight
- 2)I chose this song because I think it represents perfectly what he's going through with all the depression and hardships. This song relates to where he's torn between the drugs and the music. The dream is his dream of being a bebop musician and the way it helps him cope but when reality hits that's when he awakens and his dream is out of reach. And when she says "just to change the mood I'd welcome a nice old nightmare" I believe that this represents the heroin and how he knows its a bad habit but he welcomes it anyways to forget about the suffering that he believes every human being goes through.
- 1)Bebop was a new style of Jazz that emerged in the 40s. It consisted of smaller bands then that of regular Jazz bands. This smaller number welcomed new solo opportunites for the band members. The lyrics were unusual which made the style of music interesting to listen to but not good for dancing.http://www.hypermusic.ca/jazz/bop.html
- 2)The music to Sonny is like a door for communication. He communicates his misery and troubles through bebop. The music's irregularity allows him creative freedom. It's a form of escape other then drugs. To his brother the music is something insignificant, and mediocre. He doesn't see the positive power it has on Sonny until the end of the story.
