Anna's Essay
Anna Holt
Mr. Salsich
English 9
September 22, 2008
“A Message in Music”
A Response to an Essay
What does it mean to relate to someone? Is there a way to look within a person and understand who they are, or do we die alone, only able to comprehend our personal being? Perhaps we each communicate in our own way, whether it be through words, art, or the old piano hidden in the attic. Suzy Goldman, a fine and literate writer, discusses these issues of communication and expression and how they play a part in the uplifting tale of a disturbed musician.
In her essay “A Message in Music”, Suzy Goldman speaks about the two constant themes wound together in the short story, Sonny’s Blues. The first argument that Goldman believes is made through Sonny’s story pertains to the vast canopy of communication. As Goldman points out, Sonny, in a fit of rage and misunderstanding, says to his brother, “I hear you. But you never hear anything I say.” (James Baldwin). This example speaks to the barrier between two men at a time in their relationship when “their failure to communicate [was] at its peak” (Goldman). The second recurring theme that Goldman says is present in Sonny’s Blues is music. Passionate melodies and endless rhythm take over Sonny’s life, and his “obsession with the piano […] becomes his only source of expression.” (Goldman). However, according to the author of this essay, maybe Sonny’s music was simply an outlet- a way to connect to the rest of the world. “The finale brings our two themes of interpersonal communication and music together,” says Goldman, concluding her thoughts on the messages sent through the complex and intricate story of a boy named Sonny.
I agree with Ms. Goldman in the fact that these themes are important, however when I look at Sonny, I see a character with additional dominant traits to those discussed in her essay. It is true that Sonny and his anonymous brother have difficulties seeing eye to eye. I also, like Goldman, think music played an important, if not entirely crucial, part in Sonny’s troubled life. When Sonny starts to play his piano, his brother says, “I understood, at last, that he [Sonny] could help us be free if we would listen, that he would never be free until we did.” That being said, are we to forget everything else that there is to know about Sonny and his life? In her four page analysis of this story, Goldman fails to mention the love and companionship shared between Sonny and his brother. The horrors of a drug addiction are a second pressing theme that is all but ignored in this piece of writing. Although I respect and agree with every one of Goldman’s points, I believe that Sonny and his blues were made up of more elements than she explains in her essay.
Ms. Goldman and I have slightly differed opinions on what is important in Sonny’s Blues, but I think we can all agree that expression and communication are two of the most valuable gifts we can be given. There are moments in this life that we are able to skim the surface of one’s heart, to boarder true understanding of another. Perhaps there is a way to peer through the windows of trust and companionship into ones soul. If we must create connections to another through a dusty piano in a dimly lit bar, so be it.
Mr. Salsich
English 9
September 22, 2008
“A Message in Music”
A Response to an Essay
What does it mean to relate to someone? Is there a way to look within a person and understand who they are, or do we die alone, only able to comprehend our personal being? Perhaps we each communicate in our own way, whether it be through words, art, or the old piano hidden in the attic. Suzy Goldman, a fine and literate writer, discusses these issues of communication and expression and how they play a part in the uplifting tale of a disturbed musician.
In her essay “A Message in Music”, Suzy Goldman speaks about the two constant themes wound together in the short story, Sonny’s Blues. The first argument that Goldman believes is made through Sonny’s story pertains to the vast canopy of communication. As Goldman points out, Sonny, in a fit of rage and misunderstanding, says to his brother, “I hear you. But you never hear anything I say.” (James Baldwin). This example speaks to the barrier between two men at a time in their relationship when “their failure to communicate [was] at its peak” (Goldman). The second recurring theme that Goldman says is present in Sonny’s Blues is music. Passionate melodies and endless rhythm take over Sonny’s life, and his “obsession with the piano […] becomes his only source of expression.” (Goldman). However, according to the author of this essay, maybe Sonny’s music was simply an outlet- a way to connect to the rest of the world. “The finale brings our two themes of interpersonal communication and music together,” says Goldman, concluding her thoughts on the messages sent through the complex and intricate story of a boy named Sonny.
I agree with Ms. Goldman in the fact that these themes are important, however when I look at Sonny, I see a character with additional dominant traits to those discussed in her essay. It is true that Sonny and his anonymous brother have difficulties seeing eye to eye. I also, like Goldman, think music played an important, if not entirely crucial, part in Sonny’s troubled life. When Sonny starts to play his piano, his brother says, “I understood, at last, that he [Sonny] could help us be free if we would listen, that he would never be free until we did.” That being said, are we to forget everything else that there is to know about Sonny and his life? In her four page analysis of this story, Goldman fails to mention the love and companionship shared between Sonny and his brother. The horrors of a drug addiction are a second pressing theme that is all but ignored in this piece of writing. Although I respect and agree with every one of Goldman’s points, I believe that Sonny and his blues were made up of more elements than she explains in her essay.
Ms. Goldman and I have slightly differed opinions on what is important in Sonny’s Blues, but I think we can all agree that expression and communication are two of the most valuable gifts we can be given. There are moments in this life that we are able to skim the surface of one’s heart, to boarder true understanding of another. Perhaps there is a way to peer through the windows of trust and companionship into ones soul. If we must create connections to another through a dusty piano in a dimly lit bar, so be it.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2008
Anna Holt
Mr. H Salsich
English 9
September 9th, 2008
The Question and the Journey:
A Comparison of Quotes
As humans, we are each our own. Every one of us is a piece of thread, independent and solid in itself, yet when we delve deep into our souls we find that despite our differences, there is something we have in common. We are all wound together by a mutual goal, by one treacherous and beautiful journey that each of us must travel. Purely and simply, that goal is to live; to truly and wholly fulfill our lives.
In his book Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke speaks to this challenge that life presents us with. His answer, quite simply, is inactivity. “Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now,” he advises, “You would not be able to live them.” We are not to go looking for instruction and guidelines and answers on how to best spend our time here on earth. We, so young and so auspicious (fast), are to sit back like an old man with a cup of tea, and unfold our lives as they come. We are to “live everything”, from the smiles on the faces to the songs hidden between our lips. Perhaps most importantly, we are to avoid “everything unresolved” slumbering (fast) within our hearts. We should ignore the burning questions of life’s meaning, for this moment, this youth, will never come again. Why waste such a perfect river of time thinking about the waterfall that is to come? Have patience, have contentment, and have trust in the future, because looking for an end will only lead us to forget the perfection of today.
When we tread the halls of Pine Point every morning, we see a proverb written in careful print above the doorway; “The journey is the reward.” To me, this quote states the exact message that Rilke tries to portray in his work. The journey, barren at times and thriving at others, is what creates life. We must not look to the end of the road, just as we must not waste our time with unanswerable inquiries. “Love the questions themselves,” Rilke says, not just the answers. Similarly, the proverb tells us to love the passing of an experience, not just the magnificent conclusion. Instead of loving the end, “love the questions” and love the trees and the rocks and the friends by your side as you head down the road of life, on a mission to complete your journey (loose sentence). A year ago, my classmates and I were hiking the steep trail of the Appalachian Mountains. We hiked for hours, long and hard and seemingly impossible hours that ticked by, up and up to the grand peaks above. Today, when I look back on that experience, I realize that no matter how beautiful the view from the top of Carter Notch was it was nothing in comparison to the three beautiful days we spent together as a class. For those three days, I did not question the meaning behind what we were doing. For those three days, “the journey [was] the reward.”
As we go through our course of existence, we find that endings are rare. Ultimately, the one true ending is death itself. Live by the words of a Chinese proverb, and follow in the footsteps of Rainer Maria Rilke. When you look down from up above, stare back at your journey with pride and appreciation, and know that you “lived [your] way into the answer” (loose). Rest in peace knowing that there was a time when “I don’t know” was a good enough answer, when the ending didn’t matter at all. Look back at your life and know, without a doubt, that you lived.
Mr. H Salsich
English 9
September 9th, 2008
The Question and the Journey:
A Comparison of Quotes
As humans, we are each our own. Every one of us is a piece of thread, independent and solid in itself, yet when we delve deep into our souls we find that despite our differences, there is something we have in common. We are all wound together by a mutual goal, by one treacherous and beautiful journey that each of us must travel. Purely and simply, that goal is to live; to truly and wholly fulfill our lives.
In his book Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke speaks to this challenge that life presents us with. His answer, quite simply, is inactivity. “Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now,” he advises, “You would not be able to live them.” We are not to go looking for instruction and guidelines and answers on how to best spend our time here on earth. We, so young and so auspicious (fast), are to sit back like an old man with a cup of tea, and unfold our lives as they come. We are to “live everything”, from the smiles on the faces to the songs hidden between our lips. Perhaps most importantly, we are to avoid “everything unresolved” slumbering (fast) within our hearts. We should ignore the burning questions of life’s meaning, for this moment, this youth, will never come again. Why waste such a perfect river of time thinking about the waterfall that is to come? Have patience, have contentment, and have trust in the future, because looking for an end will only lead us to forget the perfection of today.
When we tread the halls of Pine Point every morning, we see a proverb written in careful print above the doorway; “The journey is the reward.” To me, this quote states the exact message that Rilke tries to portray in his work. The journey, barren at times and thriving at others, is what creates life. We must not look to the end of the road, just as we must not waste our time with unanswerable inquiries. “Love the questions themselves,” Rilke says, not just the answers. Similarly, the proverb tells us to love the passing of an experience, not just the magnificent conclusion. Instead of loving the end, “love the questions” and love the trees and the rocks and the friends by your side as you head down the road of life, on a mission to complete your journey (loose sentence). A year ago, my classmates and I were hiking the steep trail of the Appalachian Mountains. We hiked for hours, long and hard and seemingly impossible hours that ticked by, up and up to the grand peaks above. Today, when I look back on that experience, I realize that no matter how beautiful the view from the top of Carter Notch was it was nothing in comparison to the three beautiful days we spent together as a class. For those three days, I did not question the meaning behind what we were doing. For those three days, “the journey [was] the reward.”
As we go through our course of existence, we find that endings are rare. Ultimately, the one true ending is death itself. Live by the words of a Chinese proverb, and follow in the footsteps of Rainer Maria Rilke. When you look down from up above, stare back at your journey with pride and appreciation, and know that you “lived [your] way into the answer” (loose). Rest in peace knowing that there was a time when “I don’t know” was a good enough answer, when the ending didn’t matter at all. Look back at your life and know, without a doubt, that you lived.
