1. What is meant by the “ghetto defense”? Define it in your own words. 2. Reread paragraph 8. Define what Shellow means by the “ ’cultural psychosis “ or “psychosocial history’ strategy.” What does it have to do with the ghetto defense? 3. What is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? What causes it? 4. Why do leagal experts worry about the ghetto defense being used and accepted in court cases? What would be the implications? How would it protect the poor instead of the powerful? 5. What
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James Baldwin’s short story “Sonny’s Blues” exemplifies suffering as the major theme depicted through the struggle of two brothers as they try to understand one another. Baldwin’s underlying message deals with the hardships that African-Americans endured through the mid twentieth century‚ a time when race determined your status in society. The brothers appear to be completely different people throughout the story but nearing its end‚ Sonny’s brother finally begins to understand Sonny’s bizarre
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The Vicious Cycle | Born Into Poverty | Based on the song “In the Ghetto” Composed by: Mac DavisRecorded by: Elvis Presley‚ 1969 | Renee Jayne 12/1/2010 | When Mac Davis wrote the song “In the Ghetto‚” later recorded by Elvis Presley in 1969‚ he personified an inequality that he felt and experienced firsthand as a child. Growing up in Lubbock‚ Texas‚ Davis’ father‚ a small building contractor‚ employed an African American by the name of Alan Smith. Alan Smith had a son that was the same age
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“The Fire Next Time” by James Baldwin was an interesting and very well written book. I found James Baldwin’s account of being black in America to be very honest and blunt. I related a lot with James and his relationship with the Christian Church. I understood his conflict with what he had been taught all his life to believe. I also in some ways felt like James was speaking to me as I was reading his letter to his nephew. I felt like James Baldwin was taking the words right out of my mouth when
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October 2013 Self-Discovery Truly knowing who you are can be a challenge. Society can influence you to conform to what they believe you should be. This is shown in “Parker’s Back” by Flannery O’Connor‚ and “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin. In “Sonny’s Blues‚” James Baldwin writes‚ “why does he want to die? He must want to die‚ he’s killing himself‚ why does he want to die?”(61) In a sense‚ this is shown in Parker’s Back. The more Parker continues to live through other people‚ the more he continues
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James Baldwin and Richard Rodriguez are writers or authors with similar stories based on racism and religion. Baldwin recounts his stay in a tiny Swiss village where he was the only black man and relates his experience in this village with his experience as a black man in the United States. Besides‚ Richard Rodriguez focuses on race and diversity; his principal concern how Hispanic learn to adapt to American society. For vacation‚ Baldwin went to a Swiss village where he was the only African American
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Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin The short story “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin exposes and explores many social and internal issues. The story is told by an unnamed‚ self-loathing narrator living in Harlem during the middle of the 20th century. He is an everyday family man and school teacher who does not like to expose his emotions and the pain that he’s dealt with in his life. Much of this pain has come from his brother Sonny‚ the main character in the story. Sonny is a long-time heroin addict
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hit his uncle were white drunk men although they didn’t mean to do it they drove away when they crashed into him. Those white men didn’t really care what happened to his uncle those white people; left him for death. In the story “Sonny’s Blues” James Baldwin argues that race limits what
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Family relations is a major theme in “Sonny’s Blues‚” written by James Baldwin. The story focuses on two characters‚ Sonny and the narrator‚ who are brothers. Throughout the story‚ one can observe how the siblings depend on each other for support. At first‚ the reader sees the narrator’s mother him that he needs to watch over Sonny after she is going to pass way. However‚ the narrator “pretty well forgot [his] promise to Mama‚” which possibly lead Sonny to substance abuse and prison. (9) When
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shaking or trembling reveal and reinforce the theme that life is full of suffering and show that Sonny has control of his and other people’s suffering by using those motifs to show the control in which Sonny has recently gained. The first motif that Baldwin uses to show life’s suffering and Sonny’s control over his and everyone else’s suffering is the motif of music. When the narrator writes‚ “with the immense suggestion that Sonny speak for himself. They all gathered around Sonny and Sonny played.
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