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Sonya Garcia

Ms.O’Keefe

AP English Literature

19 January 2020

Munro, Alice. ​The Progress of Love ​& Baldwin, James. ​Sonny’s Blues.​1957.

All human beings go through obstacles throughout their life, no matter where you live or at any

given time. People seem to say that environment wise really determine whether you have more

opportunities, some may agree and some may disagree, for example, many undocumented

people come to the U.S for a better opportunity of wealth and to give their children a better

living and ways to improve themselves since their parents didn’t have those types of chances in

life. But on the other hand, those who disagree may say that race implies wealth or no wealth,

dominance, and growth meaning being successful in life. Every race is labeled, but who are we

to judge sometimes we are put through some phases where we believe people are eventually

those types that other humans have labeled them as, but for those certain reasons we are put

through to experience and to prove ourselves that anyone can really be or do anything they want

if they are really determined to what they want to achieve.

The story of ​The Progress of Love h​ as many elements but one that really stood out to

me the most is how Euphemia the main character had ambition at a certain time of her life but

her parents weren’t really people who though out of a box, let’s say they were old school since

they had certain expectation for her, in the story it stated “ And they didn’t think of my life going

in that direction, the high- school direction. They thought that I would stay at home and help my

mother, maybe hire out to help women in the neighborhood who were sick or having a baby.”
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(Munro 261) this phrase of the story had a lot of meaning for the same reason that Euphemia’s

parents expected her to go through the same footsteps that they have gone through as they

progressed throughout their life, they made it seem as if she had to be what they were like, such

as her being like her mother staying at home and doing what “ women” are expected to do or be

but like I previously stated she didn’t want to be what has been passed on through her family

generations, therefore, she wanted to be someone in life, not someone that has been miserable

even though at one point Euphemia said she was since she lived in poverty.

Similarly, in another story in which in this case we are talking about ​Sonny’s Blues ​a

story in which again it has a lot of structure to it and a lot of meaning it talks about how during

the 1957 era African American people were seen as people who were a bad influence and “drug

addicts” but to go more into the meaning, in the story it described “ The darkness outside is what

the old folks have been talking about. It’s what they have come from. It’s what they endure. The

child knows that they would not talk anymore because if he knows too much about what is

happened to them, he will know too much too soon, about what is going to happen to him”

(Baldwin 115) this quote implies the fact that the environment Sonny and his brother lived in

which is Harlem was bad, bad within the people living there and bad by what people have made

it to “represent” another quote that can go along with the quote above is (Baldwin 1) “ A teacher

passed through them every now and again, quickly, as though he or she couldn’t wait to get out

of that courtyard, to get those boys out of their sight and off their minds. I started collecting my

stuff. I thought I’d be better get home and talk to Isabel” therefore saying how the teachers talked

down on African American students and how they will never be successful in life, and that
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eventually, they would fall into drugs and crime due to oppression that society had put on

African Americans.

The quotes that I have stated above have similar meaning to the one that I have

previously said but in the story of ​The Progress of Love, ​they both represent what it’s called

stereotype like the belief of Euphemia’s parents of women having to be “house-wifes” it does not

specifically say that in the story but you can definitely see it, especially because it stands out the

point that they don’t want her and they didn’t have the thought of her going to high-school since

they didn’t have an education. Euphemia’s parents never thought about what it would be if their

daughter went to school, they simply didn’t think of giving her a better life than they had. It’s not

even the fact that they did not have money but it was the fact that they expected her to simply be

just like her parents and her past generations. Along, in the other story of​ Sonny’s Blues​ once

again the teachers talking down on African American students really showed how they were

stereotyped by their race and goals in life especially to those who wanted to become jazz

musician even though eventually Sonny did end up falling in the drug addiction it didn’t have a

right for people to talk down on him or any other person, because once again who are we to

judge? furthermore, the fact that the environment that Sonny and his brother lived in identified

them and the people living in Harlem as bad people really outspoke everyone living there as a

whole since it was such a bad territory not only that but this also had made it seem as if in it was

impossible to make dreams come true especially to those people who have said and labeled jazz

musicians as “drug addicts”.

Suppermentarily, in the story of ​The Progress of Love, ​talking about freedom and

about people’s opinion in the story it quoted “ People doing something that seems to them
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natural and necessary. At least, one of them is doing what seems natural and easy, and the other

believes that the important things is for that person to be free, to go ahead. They understand that

other people might not think so. They do not care” (Munro) this quote outspoke for the same

reason that Euphemia says how people do what they think is natural when it’s not and how one

person is doing what she believes is natural and easy in which she is talking about her freedom,

along with what other people see as to what she think is freedom is but they just don’t like how

she is going through a different route from what they have expected to do.

Including once again ​Sunny’s Blues​, quoting “ Yet, it was clear that for them I was the

only Sonny’s brother. Here, I was in Sonny’s world. Or, rather: his kingdom. Here, it was not

even a question that his veins bore royal blood” (Baldwin 15) this quote implied how the club

had become Sonny’s home for the same reason that his family did not believe in him just for the

simple fact that he wanted to become a jazz musician, but he was not supported for his drug

usage and because that was going to get him nowhere in life. Sonny hated the fact that he didn’t

have enough family support that is why he blames the drugs because that is his only “escape”

sometimes he wished to have someone to talk to.

In addition to what has been said, both stories implied freedom and a living example to

what they have been wanting to become and the support they had throughout the journey that

they have been stepped into. It has also proven that they both had many obstacles but both

characters had gone through it by themselves.

For that matter, ​The Progress of Love ​states “ I stopped because I saw that I had to give

up expecting people to see it the way I did. I had to give up expecting them to approve of any

part of what was done. How could I even say that I approved it myself? If I had been the sort of
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person who approved of that, who could do it, I wouldn’t have done all I have done- run away

from home to work in a restaurant in town when I was fifteen, gone to high to night school to

learn typing and bookkeeping, got into the real- estate office, and finally become a licensed

agent.” ( Munro 273) I saw this quote as if she grew through her experiences living in the

household that was toxic and took those things as a life lesson to be where she as now, she

proved those people and herself that anything is possible and that even though her parents didn’t

want her to pursue something in life that if it wasn’t for them to build her up as she did she

would not be there at that point of her being an agent.

In the same way, ​Sonny’s Blues ​made a connection, in the story in enunciated “

Freedom lurked around us and I understood, at last, that he could help us to be free if we would

listen, that he would never be free until we did. Yet, there was no battle in his face now, I heard

what he has gone through, and would continue to go through until he came to rest in earth”

(Baldwin 17) what Sonny has said was that he can’t leave in silence anymore he is tired of not

being able to speak up, not only did he say that but he implied the fact that the past troubles we

have made in life never leaves us. This compares to ​The Progress of Love ​since they both speak

about the struggles they have made throughout their lives and how they can not change what they

have made in addition to what they could’ve done.

As a final point, ​Sonny’s Blues s​ tates​ ​“ glowed and shook above my brother’s head like

the very cup of trembling” (Baldwin 17) meaning that rather than Sonny living in the darkness he

​ uphemia
has become the light, the light of music. This takes us back to ​The Progress of Love E

also shines in the light of her accomplishing what she wanted to pursue, her goal. Even though

she had a family dynamic and couldn’t have the chance to go to school because her parents
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prohibited her she still was able to outshine her past living experiences of the life cycle. On the

other hand, Sonny was faced with his troubles but overcame them by facing them to get to the

point where he wanted to be in which he also proved that jazz musicians were not bad people at

all, also his relationship with his brother may show “ melodies of blue” this is where I leave it to

you to see it as a different perspective. To get to the point the main focus was about stereotypes

and proving people wrong, also proving how even though you may live in a bad environment

does identify you like the rest as well being stereotyped and it definitely does not mean you are

trapped to be as a “nobody”. During this era jazz has been more popular, jazz music has actually

even increased from 26% in 1982 so actually Sonny did not do bad with his life choice as well as

Euphemia escaping from her house, it made her be more independent and more of a life

experience journey. These stories can be seen as reflections of life changes in which it can be

something that you can take as consideration due to the fact that one day you can be so low but

then another day you can be set up so high if you want to achieve your goal/goals.
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