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Sonny's Blues Research Paper

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Sonny’s Blues depicts significant aspects of the African American experience in the housing projects, which is a symbol of Harlem’s decline and poverty. Baldwin conveys the frustration and hopelessness of life inside the projects by describing them with imagery like “rocks in the middle of a boiling sea”. The projects are deteriorated physically, drugs run rampant throughout the community, and residents are confined in their homes amidst fear.
Music plays a significant role in defining the characters and culture of Harlem in Sonny’s Blues. Even great musicians at the time, like Charlie Parker who was Sonny’s hero, were addicted to drugs, as were many people in Harlem. For musicians like Sonny, music gives him a channel to express himself, allows

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