Homework Clinic
Social Science Clinic => English => Topic started by: joesmith1212 on Jul 20, 2018
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How would this story change if it were told by Sonny?
What will be an ideal response?
Question 2
What is the older brothers profession? Does it suggest anything about hispersonality?
What will be an ideal response?
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Answer to Question 1
- The story, of course, would be entirely different. We only see Sonny through the lens of his older brother; if Sonny were the narrator, we would see everything from a different setting and point of view. Sonny, in contrast to his older brother, is a romantic artist who is not afraid of taking risks to pursue the things he desires. His passion for music makes him impatient with everything else. He drops out of school and ends up selling and doing drugs. In the end, it seems that music is the only thing that saves him, especially since the older brother failed to keep his promise to take care of him.
Answer to Question 2
- The older brother is an algebra teacher, which seems to be an appropriate profession for him. He is a methodical, analytical thinker, who doesnt want to get his hands dirty in helping Sonny. Although he deals with equations, factors, problems, and solutions in his job, he doesnt seem able to translate this capability very well into his life. He isnt truly close to anyone, even his wife. He is blinded to his own role in Sonnys troubles, erroneously believing that the answer for Sonny is for him to make the same choices in life: find a decent job, move to the projects, get married, start a family. The older brother has forgotten his promise to their mother to take care of Sonny, and has, in one sense, given up on his younger brother. The narrator doesnt realize until the end that there isnt just one solution for Sonnys blues, or his own.