Music and Bible in James Baldwin's Sonny's Blues Research Paper

Music and Bible in James Baldwin's Sonny's Blues - Research Paper Example Music also provides the context for which the narrator finally sees his brother for who he is at the end of the story while playing jazz music. The unnamed narrator of ‘Sonny’s Blues’ engages an estranged and strained relationship with his brother throughout the story. While each is not trying to out-do the other in terms of impressing other people or gaining acclaim of any kind as is the case in most conventional sibling rivalries, it is their opposing lifestyles and attitudes which are fighting against each other as the narrator cannot accept his brothers actions and constantly attempts to coax him into a more traditional and ‘normal’ lifestyle like his own as he does not understand Sonny’s self-destructive behaviours, â€Å""Tell me," I said at last, "why does he want to die? He must want to die, he's killing himself, why does he want to die?" (38). Though the narrator has largely ignored his troubled younger brother for many years, when he does reach out to him while in jail, their lack of communication is evident as the narrator realises that he does not really know his brother at all. His mother asks him to watch out for his brother, "You got to hold on to your brother," she said, "and don't let him fall, no matter what it looks like is happening and no matter how evil you gets with him" (104), but has not done so for years. At the beginning of the story, the narrator sees news of his brother’s trouble in the newspaper and it is only because of this report that â€Å"Sonny became real to [him] again† (Baldwin 3). The narrator enjoys a conventional and respectable lifestyle – he is married with a family, maintains a full-time teaching job and is a respected member of the community in which he grew up. In stark contrast with this, the younger brother Sonny, has engaged in drug use since a very young age and has been in trouble with the law consistently. Feeling extremely trapped in his life by fa cing obstacles typical of that of a black man in Harlem during the 1960s, Sonny represents the problems faced by that community at that particular time (Reilly 56). The dynamics of this relationship is greatly reflective of the biblical story of Cain and Abel from the book of Genesis (Tackach). In the story, Cain is portrayed as being extremely sinful and kills his brother Abel. Though an extreme comparison, the fundamental differences between Cain and Abel and the tensions this causes, reflect the difference between the narrator and his brother as Sonny appears to be corrupted with temptation and sin while the narrator enjoys a highly moral, acceptable and conventional lifestyle. From the very beginning of the story right through to the end, music plays an extremely fundamental and important role in this narrative. It is through music that the narrator finally understands his brother, feels his passion and sees his unique and positive qualities. When he first sees Sonny after his s tint in jail, he initially does not recognise him â€Å"Yet, when he smiled, when we shook hands, the baby brother I’d never known looked out from the depths of his private life, like an animal waiting to be coaxed into the light† (Baldwin 35). It is not until the very end of the story, when he and Sonny go to a jazz club

Agricultural Tourism in Cameroon Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Agricultural Tourism in Cameroon - Assignment Example It has beautiful rain forests in the south eastern part of the country and desert at the northern end in addition to this it has regular rainfalls which makes travelling through the country even more attractive for tourists (West). However despite of all the beautiful location and tropical crops available throughout the country tourism is comparatively very low. People are usually unfamiliar with the hidden beauty of the place or they do not have sufficient guidance to travel there. This project on Agricultural Tourism in Cameroon is based on the objective of increasing tourism in the country by a significant percentage which will ultimately result in increased economic growth. Initially the hidden adventure of visiting Cameroon shall be unveiled in order to attract tourist (Fund). For this purpose the project will limit its scope only at the Tropical Crops and Landscapes of the country as these are the major components which influence tourism. Cameroon is blessed with immense natura l resources in addition to cultural heritage and inhabitants of majestic characteristics. It has the unique ecotourism sites of the world with Kapsiki summits in the North and in Kibri located in the Atlantic Ocean which directly falls in to the sea portraying a beautiful scene for the tourists. Building Agricultural Tourism Project in Cameroon is a challenging task because there is no cultural of tourism in the country, people do not like many foreigners roaming around them neither they encourage to build tourism supportive organization either on public or private level. Additionally it is very difficult for tourists to reach there and find accommodation for them since Africans of Cameroon do not provide accommodation services to the tourists coming to their land. Animals found in the forest are extremely dangerous and tourists cannot risk traveling without a proper tourist guide (West). The most important landscape open for tourism in Cameroon are (West): Mountains: They are usual ly found on the western part of the country. They provide extensive activities and sports to tourist such as mountain hiking, etc. Deserts: The famous Sahara desert is present in the north of the country. Forests: Rainforests are present in the southern and eastern parts which are primarily responsible for the overall climate of the country. National Parks: Various national parks are located at different places with in the country some of them are centuries old and attract great many tourists from all around the world. Following are most attractive tropical crops for tourist visiting Cameroon (Atangana) : Banana: Cameroon produces more than 400,000 tons of bananas which are far more than the actual needs of the population. The bananas of Cameroon are famous because of their distinctive characteristics including their smell and size which is very attractive to the tourists visiting the country. Coffee: It is produced from the Western highlands of the country. The sweet aroma of coffe e, its flavor and the real qualities of Boyo Arabica coffee makes it a part of the tourist packages which is highly attractive for all the coffee lovers. Sugar: Cameroon is active in trade of sugar. There are several mills within the country which produce and exports sugar to other parts of the world. Tourists who also travel for the purpose of identifying business opportunities then Cameroon is the most suitable place for them. Time Period The Project will start by the mid of 2013 and will be completed within one year i.e. by the mid of 2014. It is a team based work consisting of five core team members and a group of 10 members acting as supporters to the project. Plan The project will perform its