Ingrid Salazar

Earth

Intersections between Drug Use & Music

Writer and civil rights activist, James Baldwin, wrote several stories most of which were written
on subjects during the era and that involved different perspectives, depending on what the subject was.
Although James Baldwin came from a rough background where he didnt receive the support he had
hoped for from his stepfather, his teachers and the mayor of New York City at the time, were in awe of
his work. During the 1940s Baldwin would go on with his writing and abandon his religious faith only
to be surrounded with writers who were as passionate about literature as he was. To most people,
James Baldwin would become one of the most prominent figures of the Civil Rights Movement. Most
of Baldwins writings were based off of events that were occurring at the time, both social and political.
He was very different considering he was a black lower-class homosexual who was living a different
lifestyle than most authors. Sonnys Blues relates to Baldwins life with all the controversial issues that
occurred during the 1950s such as sexuality, drugs, and music.
In Sonnys Blues, Sonny had a serious heroin addiction but later replaced his addiction with
music. During that era, drug use was considered a controversial issue. As we watched the film, Ray, in
Beals class, there were a lot of musicians who were experimenting with drugs. It was the new thing
and although they were dealing with a serious drug, they felt different when consuming it. To them it
felt almost as if they could get away from all of their problems just like with music.
In the story, Sonny finds himself through music. As we read the part where the narrator hears
Sonny play the blues, he realizes that through music Sonny is able to express himself and one is able to
truly hear it. The narrator stands there, watching Sonny as all of his struggles come pouring out as he
plays and his brother finally sees what he is truly made of. Jazz and Blues give a sense of liberation
where people, especially the musicians, are able to express themselves. When we did the poetry
activity, where we sat and listened to the different beats, we were able to hear every one of them and
how different they were from one another. Jazz and the Blues were idiosyncratic. There sound came to
have its own uniqueness.
Artists like Sonny often struggled to find their place in society because they found themselves
stuck in a situation where the world did not allow them to be themselves. For Sonny, music had become
his new addiction. It had become his and other musicians form of releasing their creativity, to enhance
the natural high of performing, and to cope with the strain of a disapproving society. Because they
struggled to find their place in society, many of these musicians consumed drugs because they were
struggling with segregation and racial discrimination. They did their best when under the influence of
drugs but it came with consequences. Eventually they were in trouble with the law and their lives were
at risk of death. In the end, drugs might have been the road to creativity but realistically it was only
killing them and lead them to a much sooner death than expected.
James Baldwin would change the way we all viewed society. Not only was he an African
American writer struggling to find his place in society, but he was a lower class citizen just like many
others who wanted to prove that it didnt matter where you came from but who you wanted to be and
where you hoped to see yourself. One thing that captivated my attention was when James Baldwin
referenced Book of Isaiahs, cup of trembling. This plays a huge role in Sonnys character and the man
he comes to be towards the end of the story. It is almost as if he has redeemed himself and becomes a
new man. He owns up to his bad decision making in life and finally finds himself through music and so
does his brother. The narrator is able to look at his brother and see how passionate he is about
something. Sonny was begging for forgiveness all along and wanted to move past all the crazy events in
his life so that night, when he decided to play in front of his brother, not only was he pouring his heart
out to him but he was also letting go of the rough past and finally becoming the man he had hoped to
be.
Overall, Sonnys Blues was a story that depicted the many events that occurred during the
1950s. The story was told perfectly. There was insight into what it was like to live a life of a drug addict
and to learn to cope with a recovering drug addict. The story gave the allusion that for many musicians,
drugs had become a great factor in their daily lives. It gave them this sensation known as freedom, the
freedom to express whatever it was that they were feeling at the time. Whether that was love, anger, or
suffering from an emotional breakthrough. The author, James Baldwin, was able to write about drugs
and how music had become this path to a better life. Because he was living in the crazy streets of
Harlem at a point in his life, Baldwin knew what it felt like to live in a society filled with people who were
crumbling. He wanted better for his community and by writing this story he was able to send a message
to his people about finding that path that would lead them to a better future.