"Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin; "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker

 Baldwin_Sonnys_Blues.pdf

 Walker_Everyday Use.pdf

2. Consider the two sets of siblings in the two stories, and discuss who is more conventionally successful (tell me what that means), and discuss how they got there. Are some characters happier or more fulfilled than others? Why? What does that tell you about how to succeed in the world, according to the stories? See the second sentence in Question 1 about how authors are gods of their created universe.

5. The verb tense of "Everyday Use" changes on p.745 (about 4th page of story if using another edition). This is very unorthodox in fiction. Identify how it changes, then discuss why Walker changes the verb tense at that particular point in the story. (Hint: this is not designed solely to provoke reader interest.) Did you notice this while you read? If so, how did it affect you?

Question 2. Success

"Sonny's Blues" is a story I have read before, and I learned something valuable this time around- sometimes a story needs a second chance. I kind of suffered through it initially, and realize in hindsight that I must have been distracted or rushed- because it is hauntingly well written, and I was deeply touched by it this time. I just thought I'd offer that observation, as a reminder to myself and others. Just like a song may have to grow on you, a story may too.

I'm going to admit a bias in comparing the two sets of siblings: I have been a musician for 35 years, and currently make my living doing so. I also have aspirations of being an on-line teacher (hence the BLS program) and have taught guitar often in the past. So I am very much in Sonny's and his older brother's camp, because they are a musician and teacher respectively. That aside, I really do feel that they are more "conventionally successful". That phrase to me implies a favorable opinion that the majority of society would have of an individual's accomplishments. For some, that may be the amount of income, or the importance of the job. For others it might mean creative or artistic merit. The two brothers have between them reached at least two of those criteria. The older brother is a school teacher, which is one of the most noble professions. Sonny, despite his troubled background, had a dream of becoming a jazz pianist and studied and practiced enough to make it come true. The scene at the nightclub demonstrates that he has won the respect of his fellow musicians (especially difficult in jazz). While the older brother is more traditionally successful, Sonny has followed a vision despite some strong inner demons.

And another quick aside here: James Baldwin does one of the best jobs I've ever encountered of describing the mindset and the interplay of musicians on a stage, from a layman's point-of-view. One after another beautiful description is given, too many to cite here, but among my favorite passages was "the dry, low, black man said something awful on the drums, Creole answered, and the drums talked back... Sonny was part of the family again... right there beneath his fingers, a damn brand-new piano" (Charters 57). Brilliant (and what was I thinking the first time I read this?!)

Turning to "Everyday Use" we find the two siblings Dee and Maggie. By the conventional success standard, Dee has done well- going to university and rising above her fairly humble circumstances. But it's never disclosed what her career is nor Maggie's. The latter is engaged to be married, and it's suspected that Dee may be already. If marriage is a conventional success by itself, then both daughters may have achieved some, but for a story written by a female author in 1973 there doesn't seem to be much feminine empowerment present.

Dee doesn't seem to be genuinely happy, but rather to have shunned her past and now attempting to re-create herself. She has a sense of entitlement that's somewhat offensive, as well as inconsiderate of her sister. Maggie, although timid and not well-educated, does at least seem to be content with her lot in life. It's interesting that in both stories, while the older children have come closer to conventional success, they seem to be less fulfilled than their younger siblings. These older children also share a sense of responsibility to protect the younger, especially in "Sonny's Blues", but Dee also shows a desire to help her sister near the end of "Everyday Use".

In summation, I think these stories show that it is important to rise above your past and try to better yourself no matter how daunting that environment was. However, it shouldn't be at the expense of forgetting your roots. Of the four siblings, Dee seems the most superficial and shallow, and therefore the least successful where it counts the most- in one's inner self.

Question 5. Verb Tense

I have read "Everyday Use" several times for this course and earlier ones, and never consciously noticed the change of tense until I had to search for it. I find that amazing, and exceptionally ingenious on Alice Walker's part. It occurs exactly at the point that Dee announces her new name: "No, Mama," she says. "Not 'Dee,' Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo!" "What happened to 'Dee'?" I wanted to know. (Charters 855).

The technique basically signals a change in the mother's perception. She thinks of Dee in the present tense until learning her daughter has renounced the name. It is such a clever but subtle shift that I doubt if many readers notice it. If I wanted to make more of it, I could say that up to this point Mama had hopes for this reunion with Dee; a present-tense wish for things to go a certain way. But upon hearing her daughter announce that "Dee" is dead, the shift to past-tense reflects the reality that the moment has passed.

Charters, Ann, ed. The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. Print.