49 pages • 1 hour read
James BaldwinA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Page references refer to this online edition of “Sonny’s Blues”
Reading Check
1. Sonny is the narrator’s brother (Page 1)
2. Algebra (Page 1)
3. The narrator’s wife (Page 9)
4. Complications with polio (Page 17)
5. Heroin (Page 1)
Short Answer
1. He is reading about how his brother, Sonny, has been picked up for peddling heroin. (Page 1)
2. Sonny’s friend asks the narrator for a dollar. (Page 4)
3. The narrator’s mother asks him to look after his brother, Sonny after she dies. (Page 9)
4. The narrator is concerned that a person cannot make a living as a musician. (Pages 11-12)
5. The narrator finally understands the importance of music in Sonny’s life. Playing music is how Sonny expresses himself. (Page 28)
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