In the James Baldwin's short story, "Sonny's
Blues", Sonny is a drug addict who is able to free himself of his life
struggles through his passion for music, similarly to Ray Charles from the
movie, "Ray" who Jamie Foxx plays the lead role. In the movie, Ray is
a drug addict who sings the blues to let out his emotions of losing his mother,
his eye sight at a young age, and for the love of the music. Not only does
Ray's music attract people from all over but they also feel a connection to his
music because it speaks to the "people". Just like in "Sonny's
Blues" Sonny's music does not just show him using his music to help him
cope with his drug abuse but also to allow his brother understand him. While,
also showing the racial discrimination that is present in his time and his
daily life struggles. Both settings from the movie and the short story African
Americans still faced discrimination at the hands of whites. The use of music,
such as blues in both in the short story and the movie can be seen as a symbol
to unify their people because music is a form of storytelling. For me I can
kind of relate to this because although sometimes I may not be aware of what is
going on in the world around until I hear a song that has meaning behind that
shows the struggle of daily life. A song like "If You’re Out There"
by John Legend is a song that allowed me to see the world in a wider point of
view. Like in "Sonny's Blues" and the movie "Ray" people
who listened to their blues got a chance to understand a piece of their life
and also a little taste of what is going on in the world around them. Open your
eyes and listen and maybe we too can understand one another.
I love the movie "Ray" and was actually going to do my media outtake on this film until I saw that you beat me to it. Because we thought of the same movie, I can definitely see the connection you made between the two stories. Both involve characters that live for music but also struggle with drug abuse. The drug usage damages relationships with loved ones. I can also see the connection between race as both Sonny and Ray were African American living in times of great discrimination. I also like how you not just used the movie “Ray” but also to music in general. I really like your post.
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