Baldwin’s position on 1950s segregated America

2. Baldwin’s position on 1950s segregated America "I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually." "All of Africa will be free before we can get a lousy cup of coffee." "People pay for what they do, and still more for what they have allowed themselves to become, and they pay for it, very simply, by the lives they lead." "Artists are here to disturb the peace." "Everything depends on how relentlessly one forces from experience the last drop, sweet or bitter, it can possibly give."

3. Segregation The policy or practice of separating people of different races, classes, or ethnic groups, as in schools, housing, and public or commercial facilities, especially as a form of discrimination.

4. Music and Literature

5. Music and Literature How does music help create meaning in “Sonny’s Blues?” How do we understand the characters by understanding their relationship to music, particularly jazz? What is the function of jazz in American history and literature?

6. Music and Literature How does music help create meaning in “Sonny’s Blues?” How do we understand the characters by understanding their relationship to music, particularly jazz? What is the function of jazz in American history and literature? How does music act as a “secret” language in Afro-American history, in the story? Who can read the codes and signs and who cannot? What is the function of race in writing and literature?

7. Intertextuality Intertextuality is often used to refer to literary relations of conscious influence. For example, you could say that there are echoes of WB Yeats when you read Eliot’s “Prufrock.” Intertextuality should not be, but frequently is, used to refer to the intentional allusion (overt or covert) to, citation or quotation of, previous texts in literary texts.

8. Intertextuality Intertextuality is often used to refer to literary relations of conscious influence. For ex, you could say that there are echoes of WB Yeats when you read Eliot’s “Prufrock.” Intertextuality should not be, but frequently is, used to refer to the intentional allusion (overt or covert) to, citation or quotation of previous texts in literary texts. However, there are more appropriate and exact definitions. Specifically, one could say that meaning is not contained within the text itself but exists between texts.

9. Intertextuality However, there are more appropriate and exact definitions. Specifically, one could say that meaning is not contained within the text itself but exists between texts. A text’s meaning sometimes exists in the text’s relation to the numerous other texts which go to make up the multiple discourses of culture. When we read texts intertextually, we immediately go outside of them in our search for meaning, since a text considered intertextually has no inside or, to be more specific, a text’s inside comes from the cultural discourses which exist on its outside.

10. Intertextuality A text’s meaning exists in the text’s relation to the numerous other texts which go to make up the multiple discourses of culture. When we read texts intertextually, we immediately go outside of them in our search for meaning, since a text considered intertextually has no inside or, to be more specific, a text’s inside comes from cultural discourses which exist on its outside. For example, in White Teeth, to truly understand Millat’s ignorance of the book-burning he participates in, you need to know about Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses and the outrage it caused in the Muslim community, and how he was sentenced to death because of it. For this is the book that is burned in Smith’s novel.

11. Intertextuality For example, in White Teeth, to truly understand Millat’s ignorance of the book-burning he participates in, you need to know about Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses and the outrage it caused in the Muslim community, and how he was sentenced to death because of it. For this is the book that is burned in Smith’s novel. To understand the despair and the seemingly destructive choices that Sonny makes, we need to have some understanding of jazz in the American cultural psyche.

12. A BRIEF HISTORY OF JAZZ AND BLUES What do you think of when you hear the term “jazz”? What image springs to mind?

13. A BRIEF HISTORY OF JAZZ AND BLUES What do you think of when you hear the term “jazz”? What image springs to mind?

14. A BRIEF HISTORY OF JAZZ AND BLUES For a lot of people jazz inspires a funny kind of caricature in their imaginations—smoky clubs, black and white photos of men in suits and dark sunglasses with goatees and berets etc. But jazz is probably the United States’ greatest gift to modern culture. It’s certainly the greatest musical innovation in the 20th century, and one of the first global “languages” as it is rooted in the the blues and the slave songs from Africa.

15. A BRIEF HISTORY OF JAZZ AND BLUES For a lot of people jazz inspires a funny kind of caricature in their imaginations--smoky clubs, black and white photos of men in suits and dark sunglasses with goatees and berets etc. but jazz is probably the United States’ greatest gift to modern culture. It’s certainly the greatest musical innovation in the 20th century, and one of the first global “languages” as it is rooted in the the blues and the slave songs from Africa. Consequently, jazz has had a profound influence on the literature of America, for in many ways slavery defined and continues to define the relationship between races in the US.

16. A BRIEF HISTORY OF JAZZ AND BLUES Consequently, jazz has had a profound influence on the literature of America, for in many ways slavery defined and continues to define the relationship between races in the US. Gayl Jones writes in her book Liberating Voices, “Modern African American writers began to shape and modify their literature using models not only from European and European American traditions, but also from their own distinctive oral and aural forms.”

17. A BRIEF HISTORY OF JAZZ AND BLUES Gayl Jones writes in her book Liberating Voices, “Modern African American writers began to shape and modify their literature using models not only from European and European American traditions, but also from their own distinctive oral and aural forms.” In other words, jazz contains a multitude of traditions, from European instruments to African spirituals, which in turn encodes jazz with cultural meaning that exists outside the story “Sonny’s Blues.” It is a distinctly African-American art form, and has been infused with alternative and subversive meanings since its conception.

18. A BRIEF HISTORY OF JAZZ AND BLUES How can music be subversive? First, modern (20th century) black American writers clearly build on traditions developed by European and European American writers, but also they look to traditions specific to African American culture, specifically,orality in African American culture Oral traditions are important in black American culture because during slavery whites made such conscious attempts to keep blacks illiterate.

19. A BRIEF HISTORY OF JAZZ AND BLUES First, modern (20th century) black American writers clearly build on traditions developed by European and European American writers, but also they look to traditions specific to African American culture, specifically,orality in African American culture Oral traditions are important in black American culture because during slavery whites made such conscious attempts to keep blacks illiterate. History and literature were passed along in oral ways instead of preserved on paper, and this is one of the reasons why music became such an important part of black American culture.

20. A BRIEF HISTORY OF JAZZ AND BLUES History and literature were passed along in oral ways instead of preserved on paper, and this is one of the reasons why music became such an important part of black American culture. The written word was withheld from slaves, so music moved up in importance; it was a way of narrating stories, it was a way of marking time in the day (singing to work), it was a way of passing along religious traditions, it was a way of dealing with the grief caused by captivity (the blues). So even though black America wasn’t building up a canon of written literature, for generations it was amassing an oral literature that was handed down in folktales, spirituals, work songs, blues, and so forth.

21. A BRIEF HISTORY OF JAZZ AND BLUES The written word was withheld from slaves, so music moved up in importance; it was a way of narrating stories, it was a way of marking time in the day (singing to work), it was a way of passing along religious traditions, it was a way of dealing with the grief caused by captivity (the blues)...and so even though black America wasn’t building up a canon of written literature, for generations it was amassing an oral literature that was handed down in folktales, spirituals, work songs, blues, and so forth. The slave work song in particular was infused with alternative meanings. Before the Civil War, the crime of helping slaves to escape, or even inciting them to escape was punishable by death.  For this reason the slaves started to put coded messages into their songs, so that they could communicate in ways that the ‘massas’ could not understand.

22. A BRIEF HISTORY OF JAZZ AND BLUES The slave work song in particular was infused with alternative meanings. Before the Civil War, the crime of helping slaves to escape, or even inciting them to escape was punishable by death.  For this reason the slaves started to put coded messages into their songs, so that they could communicate in ways that the ‘massas’ could not understand. “Follow the Drinking Gourd” A work song that was also a map to Canada through the “underground railroad.”

23. When the sun comes up and the first quail calls, follow the drinking gourd. For the old man is a-waiting to carry you to freedom, If you follow the drinking gourd. With the beginning of winter on Dec. 21, the sun starts climbing higher in the sky each day. And in winter, the call of migratory quail echoes across southern fields. So Peg Leg Joe's ingenious song advised slaves to escape in winter and head north toward the Big Dipper -- code name, drinking gourd. A guide will be waiting at the end of the line.   The riverbank makes a very good road.   The dead trees show you the way,   Left foot, peg foot, travelling on   Follow the drinking gourd. This verse directs fugitives to the Tombigbee River, where special "Peg Leg" markings on fallen trees will show they're on the correct northerly course. Travelling under cover of darkness, slaves could find their way along a river even on nights too overcast for the Big Dipper's stars to shine through. The Tombigbee River, which empties into Alabama's Mobile Bay on the Gulf of Mexico, originates in northeast Mississippi. Perhaps as many as 200,000 enslaved people lived near that river ‘The river ends between two hills.     Follow the drinking gourd.     There's another river on the other side,     Follow the drinking gourd. When the Tombigbee ends, the runaways who'd memorized the song knew to walk north over a hill until they came to another river, the Tennessee, then go north on it as well.     ‘Where the great big river meets the little river,     Follow the drinking gourd.     For the old man is a-waiting for to carry you to freedom,     If you follow the drinking gourd. ‘ The song ends by instructing slaves that at the end of Tennessee River they must cross over to the north side of the big Ohio River, where someone from the Underground Railroad would ensure their passage to the first of a string of safe houses reaching all the way to Canada.

24. A BRIEF HISTORY OF JAZZ AND BLUES Blues, passed down from generation to generation through an "oral" tradition, originally acted as a functional music offering African-Americans a vehicle to convey their daily experiences. Early forms of the blues include the "field holler," which allowed laborers in the fields to keep in contact with each other, while the "ring shout" was used for dancing.

25. For those suffering in southern prisons and for whom railroad travel was an impossibility, the free movement of the train took on a deeper symbolism. Leadbelly, wrote Midnight Special while in a Texas penitentiary. Each night a train left Houston heading for the west coast. It went by the penitentiary around midnight, shining its lights over the prison buildings. The inmates believed that any person illuminated by those lights in passing would be the next one released. Leadbelly and his song Midnight Special: one of the most famous blues singers, and his 1930s recordings some of the earliest blues on record. Wrote dozens of songs, most of them about life in prison and violence, where he did two stints for homicide.

26. Leadbelly Lyrics - Midnight Special (1934) Yonder come Miss Rosie, how in the world do you knowWell I know by the apron and the dress she woreWell an umbrella on her shoulder, piece of paper in her handWell I'm gonna ask the governor, he turn a-lose a-my manLet the midnight special, shine the light on meLet the midnight special, shine the ever-lovin' light on meWhen you get up in the mornin', when that big bell ringYou go and march to the table, see the same damn thingKnife and fork are on the table, there's nothin' in my panAnd if you say anything about it, havin' trouble with the man Well I went to the nation and to the territo(ry)Well I thought about the girl I love, in that MexicoIf you ever go to Houston, oh you better walk rightAnd you better not squallow and you better not fightSheriff Rocko will arrest you, Eddie Boone will take you downYou can bet your bottom dollar, penitentiary boundWell jumpin' little Judy, she was a mighty fine girlWell Judy brought jumpin' to this whole round worldWell she brought it in the mornin', just a while before dayShe brought me the news, that my wife was deadThat started me to grievin', then hollerin' and a-cryin'Then I had to give the worry about a been a long time

27. EARLY JAZZ There are numerous styles of jazz, going back to the late 19th Century: Ragtime Dixieland Barrelhouse New Orleans What we need to know is that the music itself if unique and new because it’s a hybrid form because of the unique mix of peoples in the United States Rhythmically it’s influenced by West African music: syncopation, emphasis on the second and fourth beats of each bar, rather than the first and third as in European classical music But what separates it from African music is the harmonic influence of the Western musical tradition, although it’s something that can’t be reduced to a simple equation.

28. What we need to know is that the music itself if unique and new because it’s a hybrid form because of the unique mix of peoples in the United States Rhythmically it’s influenced by West African music: syncopation, emphasis on the second and fourth beats of each bar, rather than the first and third as in European classical music But what separates it from African music is the harmonic influence of the Western musical tradition, although it’s something that can’t be reduced to a simple equation. It’s like putting different ingredients into a stew—the combination of them forms the finished product, and it is hard to distinguish the taste of each ingredient once the whole thing has cooked together.

29. King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band - San Francisco 1921(one of the earliest jazz recordings)

30. One thing that separates jazz from other musical styles in the Western tradition is its emphasis on improvisation. Although improvising does figure into some classical performance, the main emphasis is largely on the composer, on the composition, on the fixed musical piece. In jazz, the emphasis is more on what the performer does.

31. In classical music you have musicians with fixed pieces by Bach or Beethoven or Debussy , but in jazz the emphasis is on the performer’s interpretation the soloist is important, and it’s important to have an individual style, to be constantly innovative, not to rehash ideas that you’ve gone over before that’s not to say that all jazz is improvised, or that all classical music is fixed, but on a general level, this is a big distinction between them Improvisation, as we read in “Sonny’s Blues,” is the key to emotion. page 695

32. This is what the story reads like. We are meant to hear the jazz in the emotions of the musicians. We never know (and the musicians may not know either) what will happen next. Some historians claim this comes from the musical roots in slave songs, and that the music always had to be one step ahead of the “master.” It is also part of keeping the music situated within the cultural life of African-Americans and their particular experiences, and to keep appropriation at bay. It also relates to segregation in the story. You won’t let us in your clubs, but what is happening in ours in unique and original, and what we produce is unique partly because of the restrictions placed on us.

33. White audiences and musicians loved swing jazz, and this is when jazz began to have cross boundaries. Duke Ellington was one of the most popular swing artists, and one of the most innovative. “Bundle of Blues”

34. White audiences and musicians loved swing jazz, and this is when jazz began to have cross boundaries. It also meant that you had imitators who started, in some jazz musicians view, to appropriate black culture—to figure out the code that gave them an identity in the midst of racial strife. Some artists were accused of pandering to white audiences, who flocked to Harlem in the 1920s and 1930s to hear African-American music in places such as the Cotton Club. But by the 1950s, the Harlem Renaissance was over, it was once again a ghetto: “Safe!” my father grunted, whenever Mama suggested trying to move to a neighbourhood which might be safer for children. “Safe, hell! Ain’t no safe place for kids, nor nobody” (682).

35. In the late 1940s, jazz went in the direction of what was called bebop, which comes from the particular rhythms of the style much different from the swing stuff as it placed its rhythm in the bass drum bebop used the ride cymbal more often...a fast style bebop players played at extraordinary paces harmonically they were much different too...bebop used different kinds of chords and altered ones that we are familiar with This is the type of jazz that Sonny plays, and not everyone liked it, let alone understood it, and certainly Sonny has difficulty describing it to his brother. However, it appears to be what Sonny is destined to play, and not the “old-time, down home crap” (685).

36. This is the type of jazz that Sonny plays, and not everyone liked it, let alone understood it, and certainly Sonny has difficulty describing it to his brother. However, it appears to be what Sonny is destined to play, and not the “old-time, down home crap” (685) that romanticized African-American culture.

37. Charlie Parker (1920-1955) Parker was the key figure in the bebop movement, an idol of musicians such as Sonny (686). He was innovative, unpredictable, and a serious heroin addict who was nicknamed Yardbird, which means a convict serving time, but he was also “free as a bird” with no responsibilities, like Sonny.

38. Charlie Parker (1920-1955) Imagine the scene as described on pg 694-95.

39. Imagine the scene as described on pg 694-95. This is what the club might have sounded like (Charlie Parker’s “Now’s the Time,” one of his more accessible songs):

40. Intertextuality What does Sonny think about his brother’s understanding of jazz, and why would Sonny be “playing for his life”?

41. Intertextuality and Questions to Ponder What does Sonny think about his brother’s understanding of jazz, and why would Sonny be “playing for his life”? The narrator asks, “Who’s this Parker character?” (686) “He’s just one of the greatest musicians alive”…he added bitterly, “that’s probably why you never heard of him.” What is different about the narrator’s life, and does our understanding of jazz help us understand race and Sonny, or, if we are like the narrator, do we reveal our ignorance? What is the narrator’s occupation? Does he attempt to fit into white culture in order to make a better life? Is this the role of the military in the story?

42. Questions to Ponder What is different about the narrator’s life, and does our understanding of jazz help us understand race and Sonny, or, if we are like the narrator, do we reveal our ignorance? What is the narrator’s occupation? What is his impression of his students?

43. Questions to Ponder What is his impression of his students? Does he attempt to fit into white culture in order to make a better life? Is this the role of the military in the story?