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The American Tradition in Literature, Volume 1 Book Cover
The American Tradition in Literature, Volume 1, 10/e
George Perkins, Eastern Michigan University
Barbara Perkins, University of Toledo-Toledo

Essay Questions



Analysis



1

Define the "blues" as it is illustrated when Sonny plays it at the end of the story "Sonny's Blues."
2

What does the narrator learn from Sonny's music?

Interpretation



3

Identify the key terms that seem to capture the experience of many Black Americans locked in lives of poverty, abuse, and racism.
4

What does the narrator learn from his younger brother? In what sense is the older brother prejudiced by his own formal education?

Evaluation



5

What criticism might Baldwin intended in his notice, following the completion of the final musical set, that "there was a lot of applause and some of it was real"?
6

To what degree might Baldwin be accused of legitimatising Sonny's lifestyle and its complementary questionable and illegal activities?








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