Sonny's Blues
In the short story "Sonny's Blues", Sonny is a jazz musician who became a heroin addict. Sonny's heroin problem was an example of Nurture vs. Nature. Nurture refers to our individual experiences and in life shaping who we are. Nature is the environment, for instance the place the person was brought up in, and the friends the person chose to associate with. Sonny's father died suddenly in a drunken brawl, when Sonny was fifteen. He and Sonny hadn't ever gotten along too well, which was one of the causes that contributed to his heroin addiction. Nature also sways Sonny to do heroin. The environment Sonny lived in was Harlem's projects, which were known for its crime and drug problems. For example, the narrator, Sonny's brother stated that, " The moment Sonny and I started into the house I had the feeling that I was simply bringing him back into the danger he had almost died trying to escape" (945). Many psychologists have stated that the main factors that influences a child !are the way parents raise their child, and plus the environment the child is raise in. For example, "Whether a child acquires discipline and self-esteem and becomes well adjusted and productive is largely a function of parental input plus c
The people Sonny chose to be his friends and his idols had an impact on why he chose to do heroin. They were musicians, high school dropouts and also drug addicts. The narrator, Sonny's brother, describes Sonny's friend in this way. "....a boy we used to know, a boy from around our block... He been Sonny's friend. And now, even though he was a grown up man, he still hung around that block, still spent hours on the street corners, was always high and raggy."(940). Research has supported that most teens hang out with teens with similar attitudes and interests. The people you associate with after reflect who you are, and the attitude you develop. Furthermore his friend stated " I never give Sonny nothing the boy said finally, but a long time ago I came to school high and Sonny asked me how it felt"... I told him it felt great."(941). Another person who was not a good influence in Sonny's life was his idol Charlie Parker. Parker, was a great jazz Sonny was ill fated, his parents were not responsive parents. And the enviroment he lived in was comprised of drugs, and bad influences. Sonny's brother had more parental influences, for example his mother communicating with him, explaining to him why his father was the way he is. Plus Sonny's brother left the environment before it had
Some common words found in the essay are:
Parker Sonny, Nature Nurture, Mama Oh, Hewlett West, Plus Sonny's, Blues Sonny, Parker Parker, Houghton Mifflin, Hewlett SA, Blues' English, sonny's friend, harlem bad, environment late, narrator sonny's, drug addict, crime drug, sonny hadn't,
Approximate Word count = 986
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
