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Sonnys Blues
“Sonny’s Blues”
Introduction
The story of Sonny’s Blue is written in a singular narrative style. The story is about the narrator who narrates the story about the younger brother called Sonny who happens to have been caught in the act of using heroin. Despite the narrator being a teacher in one school in Harlem, he still finds it hard to get his mind away from Sonny. This is because, he is so much worried about all the young boys in class who fails to have a bright future, and therefore they mostly likely to indulge themselves in drugs, just as the case of Sonny. James Baldwin who happens to be the author of “Sonny’s Blues” is an African America who was born and grew up in a society full of prejudice and racism (Baldwin pg 245, 1977). The main reasons of Baldwin writing the story of Sonny’s Blues was outline or delineate the mentality of African-American regarding racism that had prevailed. Therefore this research paper will focus on the role of race influencing individual identity in Sonny’s Blues. The paper will also analyze on how the two brothers within the story have responded to a world environment that is full of racism and prejudices so as to conform the same as the whites.
There are various themes identified in “Sonny’s Blues” that are rich with meanings on different levels, however racism and prejudice is one major explored theme in the story. A careful analysis of this story tries to reveal that, the story is a story of misunderstanding or misapprehension inherent in racism (Baldwin pg 245, 1977). Racism in the story comes in when Sonny was arrested and identified to be a drug addict making people to conclude that he was a miscreant and an outcast to the society. This identity was in comparison to that of Sonny’s brother. In spite of Sonny as well as his brother who is the narrator are both known to be blacks, his brother happens to have adopted the lifestyle of the whites, hence he represents white race equation. After Sonny’s brother finished his high school, he then gets married and employed as a teacher and starts settling with his family, this was known to be a picture of the middle class Americans who seemed to be “regular guys”. The standards of his pursuits as well as aspirations are two major things which also reflected the common values Sonny’s brother predominated in that era.
Racism and Segregation
In Baldwin’s work, “Sonny’s Blues” racism and segregation are the recurrent themes in the story. In the story narrated by Sonny’s’ brother, much of Sonny’s blues comes as a result of the conditions the African Americans live in. However, Baldwin only gives one example of racism while the whole of the story tells us separation existing between the blacks and the whites. Despite the fact that Sonny’s brother is a teacher and stays in Harlem, he therefore had to cope with both the poverty as well as violence that existed in his neighborhood making his efforts of having a better lifestyle becoming unsuccessful. Because of their races, the narrator and his brother endure suffering. Regardless of the two being brothers, one pretends to be more of white than black revealing how different they are, and this is the main reason why Sonny’s brother is not able to understand his brother, the narrator (Baldwin pg 245, 1977). While Sonny feels more intensely throughout his life, his brother keeps on locking his feelings this signifies how the black in America continue facing problems of suffering as a result of racism. Suffering in this case goes hand in hand with racism because it is for the suffering that Sonny faces as a result of being among the black people living in America. Baldwin also is seen presenting one case of overt racism in his story. This is seen in a case where the narrators or Sonny’s uncle was driven by some groups of drunken whites under the wheel of the car. The black people did not react to the situation hence received the repercussions of the treatment to be omnipresent. The death of Sonny’s uncle torments the memory of Sonny’s father making him to hate the white people. Baldwin on the other hand, argues that, the kind of hatred Sonny’s’ father had over the whites tends to warps his soul. Conversely, Sonny’s mother also feels that she is not at peace given that she suffers a lot in Harlem as a result of harshness and from her knowledge; she concludes that, her younger son could be feeling the kind of suffering most.
The issue of racism also is shown where Sonny and his brother the narrator gets imprisoned at the same time , however both get freed in an opposite ways this is because, despite his brother being African American, he had inherited some whites in him making the two to be difference. When Sonny got imprisoned, he gets physically locked up in spite him being a young man and was able of doing what his brother could not do, where he flew out of Harlem and starting his own life. Conversely, the narrator on the other hand becomes physically free and from imprisonment, unlike his brother Sonny and many African young men in the community who gets addicted to drugs. Sonny was not happy with how the Africans were mistreated hence expressed his frustration as well as rages that sent him in imprisonment. While Sonny plays his piano, someone could notice that he plays it from the reason that one day he will be able to break the loose and becomes as free as any other men outside. The narrator however is seen to have been living his life that seems to have been trapped inside himself. He has no enough time in communicating to his brother Sonny, and he argues out that he fails to do that since he did not have enough time of bearing emotions that might come with it. Conversely, it becomes so ironical that, at the end of the story, the narrator temporarily becomes freed by his brother Sonny who’s his artists allows him to offer a glimpse into himself (Frances pg. 213, 1994).
Conclusion
From the story, it can be concluded that racism, segregation and suffering are the main recurrent themes analyzed in Baldwin’s work. The whole story of Sonny’s blue mostly comes as a result of suffering the African Americans are facing in America. Although, there is only one example of racism concerning the death of Sonny’s uncle that is brought out clearly from the entire story, while the rest of the story reveals how blacks and whites are separated from their society. In the story, the narrator and the brother Sonny pretends that they are not the same yet that are both Africans, this seems to look ironical. The reason is that, the narrator thinks that he is better than his brother because, he went to school, joined army and later was employed as a teacher of which in America this seems to be the life of the “normal guys”.
The narrator also have no time in understanding his brother mainly because has refuse to transform himself into being a white. Sonny becomes so much disappointed in his life, and therefore narrates to his friends how his life is full of frustrations even if he tries to make his life look good. He sees himself very much neglected from other human beings since all what he was doing was just opposite of what was required in the society which makes him to be imprisoned in jail. The story ends up in irony when the narrator whom at one point was not in position of helping his brother is helped back by his brother Sonny where he temporarily gets freed. Baldwin on the other hand presented the story of “Sonny’s Blues” to show how racism is wrong and how it affects the blacks living in America. However, there could be some Africans who live in America who sometimes fails to experience racism. For example, the narrator is African America who lives in America but sees life to be the same since he had transformed himself being a white and was comfortable in living with the Americans.
Works Cited
Daniel, Therman B.. James Baldwin, a critical evaluation. New York: Howard University Press, 1977. Print.
Berry, Mary Frances. Black resistance, white law: a history of constitutional racism in America. New York: A. Lane, Penguin Press, 1994. Print.
Weinberg, Meyer. Racism in contemporary America. London: Greenwood Press, 1996. Print.
Kinnamon, Keneth. James Baldwin: a collection of critical essays. London: Prentice-Hall, 1974. Print.
L437 (New Edition)
“Membership of the Institutions of the European Union is Incompatible with Parliamentary Sovereignty”
“There is no question of any erosion of essential national sovereignty,” insisted Tory Prime Minister Edward Health. Yet, after the United Kingdom accepted the Treaty of Accession in 1972, 2,900 EU regulations and 410 directives were incorporated into English law. National legislature lost some of its sovereignty as the European Union was given increased powers. These rulings call into doubt the concept of parliamentary sovereignty, which is the cornerstone of the British legal system and helps to guarantee that parliament retains control. These concerns are not ill-founded. EU membership imposes a number of laws and ensures EU laws trump national laws, mainly where conflict arises, posing the most significant challenge to parliamentary sovereignty and raising the problem of incompatibility.
A correlation between EU Supremacy and EU membership ensures these two institutions operate in tandem with European Union Community and national laws. EU law predominates in areas where member states have chosen to delegate authority to the EU. It is crucial to keep in mind that only in cases where EU member states have chosen to delegate authority to the EU does EU law predominate. These include the infrastructure, environmental regulations, and the common market, among other things, but remain irrelevant regarding social policy and taxes.
Unlike many other EU nations, concerns about political unification are more common in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom lacks a codified constitution that outlines the scope of the government’s authority. Laws may be modified at any time, treaties can be broken, and EU membership is never really binding. The only thing that restricts Parliament’s power is the sovereignty of future legislatures. A Person or organization cannot use English law to invalidate or overturn a law created by Parliament since Parliament has the sovereign authority to pass or alter any legislation at any moment. The immutable concept of Parliamentary Sovereignty naturally contradicts the EU Supremacy and EU membership.
The direct applicability of EU laws thwarts the sovereignty of parliaments. Article 288 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union states that treaty provisions and regulations are deemed “directly applicable.” They immediately become a part of national law due to the member states’ participation in the EU. They do not need the adoption of any enabling legislation by the member states. This suggests that the member countries do not need to pass any enabling legislation.
All immediately applicable European legislations are incorporated in the body of UK national law, leaving UK Parliament with no selective compliance. A “directly applicable law” is a piece of European law that applies directly to the legal system of a Member State without the need for further legislation. Consequently, any rights or duties established by the treaty must have an immediate legal force in England. This contradicts the constitutional concept of parliamentary sovereignty since directly applicable European legislation is instantaneously merged into the national law in the United Kingdom without the need for Parliament to adopt or reject the measure. If directly applicable Community law, such as a rule or provision of a Treaty Article, and domestic law, such as legislation, are in conflict, there is a danger of misunderstanding. Because paragraph (1) of section 2 clearly states that directly applicable legislation becomes an instant part of national law, Community law will take precedence over UK national law. Given that Parliament in the United Kingdom is obligated to approve immediately relevant European Union legislation, one may argue that Parliament is no longer the supreme authority for making laws.
Nonetheless, the EU’s supremacy in legislative matters is not always acknowledged, and not all EU legal acts are “directly applicable.” For instance, directives do not supersede until they have been implemented into national law and are relevant. Directive rules need new legislation from each member state in order to implement EU directives into their own national legal systems. For example, the UK made the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015 (No. 1415) to implement the EU Directive on the re-use of public sector information. Although the indirect applicability of directives left the UK with autonomy to some extent, the UK still needed to implement the directives in the time frame given by the EU, or the Court of Justice of the European Union would intervene.
European Court of Justice eroded parliamentary sovereignty, primarily when the conflict between community and national law arose. Parliamentary sovereignty is a crucial idea in the British Constitution, granting Parliament supreme legislative authority. This concept serves as the basis for the judicial system as well. However, when national and EU laws disagreed, EU legislation had more weight. The legal proceedings involving Factortame that occurred in 1990 and 1991 explicitly established that the European Community law prevailed against the Merchant Shipping Act of 1988. When legal conflicts between national and EU laws occurred, the UK was obligated to amend its domestic legislation to conform to the EU norm. The concept of the primacy of EU law mandates that EU law take precedence. This concept is often called “precedence.” If this were not the case, when there is a dispute between a component of EU law and a part of the law of a member country (national law), EU member states might simply allow their national laws to take priority over main or secondary EU legislation, making it impossible to implement EU policy.
European Community law is fundamentally incompatible with parliamentary sovereignty. When European Community law and domestic law clash, European Community law is more important and takes precedence. This essentially violates the notion of sovereignty since Parliament is no longer the ultimate lawmaking body, and some aspects of Community law may reverse its decisions and influence the legislative process. The term emphasizes the supremacy of European law over national law, even where the two are incongruous. Alternatively, it is essential that European law continue to take precedence over federal law to ensure consistency across the Community and form a single market. Individual member states of the European Union giving their own national laws precedence over European Community law would be detrimental to the legal standing of the Community as a whole and may threaten its very existence. In the judgment supported by a 1979 ruling of the European Court of Justice in Hauer v. Land Rhineland-Pfalz, the court found that subordinating Community law to national law would eventually undermine the creation of a coherent single market leading to the disintegration of the Common Market.
Additionally, in the case of Van Gend en Loos v. Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen (Case 26/62), the European Court of Justice declared that laws adopted by EU member states must be integrated into national legal frameworks in order to be implemented. This decision was issued in response to the allegation that the legislation must be included into the legal frameworks of EU member states. As a result, European Union law has taken precedence over national legislation. All national legislation, regardless of when it was enacted in reference to the relevant EU rules, must be brought into accordance with the supremacy of EU law. The concept of primacy seeks to ensure that all European Union (EU) members give the same level of protection in line with EU legislation. This is due to the fact that EU legislation is now seen as surpassing national law.
As Britain entered the European Union voluntarily and retained the legal ability to withdraw at any moment, the country’s parliament arguably maintained supremacy and sovereignty to some extent. As shown by Brexit, Parliament held its sovereign status as the institution with the most authority without dispute. However, although the EU referendum voting gives the British parliament complete control over domestic policy again, it crystalizes the sovereignty of collective decisions rather than the sovereignty of parliament. Also, given that Parliament does not have selective compliance with EU laws and EU laws trump UK national laws, it is very improbable to incorporate Parliamentary Sovereignty and EU Supremacy. UK participation in the EU directly and profoundly impacted the constitutional principle of parliamentary sovereignty. No longer could Parliament be considered the supreme legal power, capable of passing or rescinding any legislation at will. In addition, laws need to be consistent with various aspects of Community law; this lessens sovereignty while highlighting the preeminence of Community law and the incompatibility of two sovereign institutions governing the UK and the European Union Community.
British Parliament lost sovereignty during the 47 years of EU membership, and it still has a long way to go. As a result of the resettlement, Parliament will be asked to make decisions on broad-ranging issues like foreign and defense policy, controlling immigration and its impact on the labor market, the rights of EU citizens currently residing in the UK and UK citizens living in the other EU 27 countries, and the future of trade relations between the UK and the EU. Health’s phrase has been proved wrong, but Parliament still has a long way to go.
Bibliography
Brack, Nathalie, Ramona Coman, and Amandine Crespy. “Unpacking old and new conflicts of sovereignty in the European polity.” Journal of European Integration 41, no. 7 (2019): 817-832.
Connolly, Christopher K. “Independence in Europe: secession, sovereignty, and the European Union.” Duke J. Comp. & Int’l L. 24 (2013): 51.
Egeberg, Morten, and Jarle Trondal. “Why strong coordination at one level of government is incompatible with strong coordination across levels (and how to live with it): The case of the European Union.” Public Administration 94, no. 3 (2016): 579-592.
Elliott, Mark. “United Kingdom: Parliamentary sovereignty under pressure.” Int’l J. Const. L. 2 (2004): 545.
Ene, Marilena. “Van Gend en Loos Case.” Tax Mag. (2021): 304.
Ewing, Keith. “Brexit and parliamentary sovereignty.” The Modern Law Review 80, no. 4 (2017): 711-726.
Gordon, Michael. “The UK’s Sovereignty Situation: Brexit, Bewilderment and Beyond….” King’s Law Journal 27, no. 3 (2016): 333-343.
Heppell, Timothy, Andrew Crines, and David Jeffery. “The United Kingdom referendum on European Union membership: The voting of conservative parliamentarians.” JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies 55, no. 4 (2017): 762-778.
Otjes, Simon, and Harmen Van Der Veer. “The Eurozone crisis and the European Parliament’s changing lines of conflict.” European Union Politics 17, no. 2 (2016): 242-261.
Trindade, F. A. “Parliamentary Sovereignty and the Primacy of European Community Law.” Mod. L. Rev. 35 (1972): 375.
“The Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015.” Legislation.gov.uk. Queen’s Printer of Acts of Parliament, January 10, 2017. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/1415/contents/made.
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Sorry about some of the funny formatting. Most of it is extra symbols (I have no idea why they are there and they don’t go away)
pH LAB
Red cabbage extract can indicate whether a substance is an acid (like vinegar) or a base (like ammonia). It can also show how strong an acid or a base a substance is. Chemists use the pH scale to express how acidic (like an acid) or basic (like a base) a substance is. A pH value below 7 means that a substance is acidic, and the smaller the number, the more acidic it is. A pH value above 7 means that a substance is basic, and the larger the number, the more basic it is. Red cabbage extract has different colors at different pH values. Acids are materials that have certain properties in common. Bases (also called alkalis) are other substances with a different set of properties. In these experiments, you will investigate some of these properties with materials that are found around your home. In addition, you will learn how chemists use the pH scale to describe acids and bases. Materials ListpH paperred cabbage ammonia vinegar Lemon juiceBaking sodaCans of veggies or fruits (look for fewest ingredients added)straws water beaker/colorless glasses/glass measuring cups teaspoontablespoonstirring rod strainer
PART 1:� Make the indicatorBoil the red cabbage in a beaker or pan of water until the color has been well extracted. More specifically, To make red cabbage indicator first cut the cabbage into quarters and grate into pot. Cover the cabbage with enough water and boil for approximately 5 minutes. Strain the indicator into three equal portions.Alternative method:� Place about 500 milliliters (2 cups) of red cabbage cut into 2.5-centimeter (1-inch) cubes into a blender or food processor. Add about 250 milliliters (1 cup) of water and blend the mixture until the cabbage has been chopped into uniformly tiny pieces. Strain the mixture by pouring it through a sieve.� Divide into three equal portions.
PART 2:� Test the indicatorSince red cabbage extract is an acid-base indicator, it should change color as pH conditions change.� To one portion of the indicator perform the following:1. �Add a few drops of dilute ammonia. Indicator should turn green. 2.�� Using a straw, blow into the indicator solution until the green color turns blue. 3.�� Add a few drops of dilute vinegar….solution should turn pink.
PART 3:� Set up references (standards)The second portion of the red-cabbage extract will be used for exploring acids and bases. Examine the label of a bottle of white vinegar. The label probably says that it contains acetic acid. This indicates that vinegar is an acid and has properties of an acid. Let’s see what effect an acid has on the color of the red cabbage extract. Pour 125 milliliters (� cup) of vinegar into a labeled colorless drinking glass. Add 5 milliliters (1 teaspoon) of red cabbage extract, stir the mixture, and note its color. What is the color of the mixture? (Write your answer below.) Red
Red
The color of the cabbage extract with vinegar is the color the extract has when it is mixed with an acid. Save the mixture in this glass to use as a reference in part 4. Now examine the effect of laundry ammonia on the color of red cabbage. Pour 125 milliliters (� cup) of laundry ammonia into another labeled colorless drinking glass. Add 5 milliliters (1 teaspoon) of red cabbage extract and stir the mixture. Write the color of this below. Yellow
Yellow
Laundry ammonia is a base (alkali). The color of this mixture is the color of cabbage extract when it is mixed with a base. The color of cabbage extract indicates whether something mixed with it is an acid or a base. Cabbage extract can be called an acid-base indicator. Save the mixture in this second glass to use as a reference in part 4. Now test the properties of a solid, baking soda. Place 5 cubic centimeters (1 teaspoon) of baking soda in a labeled glass and add 125 milliliters (� cup) of water. Stir the mixture until the baking soda has dissolved. Then, add 5 milliliters (1 teaspoon) of red cabbage extract to the solution. Write the color of the mixture below. Green
Green
The color obtained with baking soda is different from the color obtained with vinegar and from the color obtained with ammonia. �Save for use as a reference in part 4.These colors and approximate pH values are:
approximate pH: 2 4 6 8 10 12
color of extract: red purple violet blue blue-green green
Based on this information, what is the approximate pH of vinegar? 4 What is the approximate pH of ammonia? 2 What is the approximate pH of the baking soda mixture? 6
PART 4:� Determine pH of household itemsUse the instructions for testing vinegar and ammonia to test the pH of several other nearly colorless liquids, such as lemon-lime soft drink (Sprite or 7-Up) and lemon juice. Record your observations. Liquids that are white, such as milk, can be tested in the same way. You can also test solids that dissolve in water by following the instructions for baking soda. This will also work with viscous liquids such as liquid detergents. Test other substances around the house, such as sugar, table salt, shampoo, hair rinse, milk of magnesia, antacid tablets, and aspirin.
CAUTION: Some household products can cause skin irritations. Do not allow these to contact skin; rinse thoroughly with water if they do.
Part 5:� titrationLAB: Acidity of Food INTRODUCTION: Commercial canning of food involves the sterilization and cooking of the food by pressure-cooking at a temperature of 250� F. The food is then sealed in cans. Today, people are also canning their own food at home. One major factor that determines the temperature needed to kill bacteria is the amount of acid present in the food because bacteria grow well in low-acid foods, such as green beans. This is a major problem for home canners, since a bacteria called botulinum is extremely harmful to humans. In fact, even a small amount as that in a single bean can kill an adult. These bacteria exist as spores, which are resistant to heat and therefore require an increased boiling time in order to sterilize the beans. In this experiment, the acidity of canned foods is measured using a red cabbage juice indicator. This indicator acts like litmus paper and indicates the pH of a solution quickly, but less precisely than a pH meter. The red cabbage indicator is called an acid-base indicator, which is a colored substance that can exist in either an acid or a base form. The two forms are different colors. The red cabbage juice exists normally as a purple solution. It can react and change color when in contact with acids to pink and with bases to green. Titration is the progressive addition of a solution (the titrant) usually from a graduated tube called a burette to a known volume or mass of a second solution or substance until the end-point.� The end-point is indicated by a color change of an added indicator or by some other detectable change, is reached. PURPOSE: To measure the acidity in canned fruits and vegetables by the method of titration using red cabbage juice indicator. PROCEDURE:
Create controls showing the endpoint colors of the indicator by placing 25 mL lemon juice in one 100 mL beaker and add enough indicator to get the color to change to pink. Count and record the number of teaspoons of indicator added.
Repeat step 2. with the baking soda to produce a color change of purple to green. Count and record the number of teaspoons of indicator added.
For each type of canned fruit/vegetable place 2 tablespoons of the red cabbage indicator in a 100 mL beaker.
In each beaker add the juice from the canned food one teaspoon at a time. Count and record the number of teaspoons added until there is a color change (end-point of the indicator).
OBSERVATIONS: Rank the fruits and vegetables according to acidity, from most acidic to least acidic. Differences could be caused by the presence of flavoring and other juices added during the canning process. You should check the labels of the fruits/vegetables for these additives. �Record any here.� Acids often end with ate (Ex: benzoate). Below is a list of common items that have been organized in order of decreasing hydrogen ion concentration and increasing pH.
[H+] pH Substance
1.0 x 10-1 1.0 battery acid
1.0 x 10-2 2.0 lemon juice
6.3 x 10-3 2.2 vinegar
1.0 x 10-3 3.0 apples
3.2 x 10-4 3.5 soft drink
1.0 x 10-4 4.0 wine
3.2 x 10-5 4.5 tomatoes
2.5 x 10-6 5.6 unpolluted rainwater
2.5 x 10-7 6.6 milk
1.0 x 10-7 7.0 pure water
4.0 x 10-8 7.4 human blood
5.0 x 10-9 8.3 baking soda solution
4.0 x 10-9 8.4 sea water
3.2 x 10-11 10.5 milk of magnesia
1.0 x 10-11 11.0 household ammonia
4.0 x 10-13 12.4 lime
1.0 x 10-13 13.0 lye
LAB REPORT:1. �Include a picture of your standards with you in the picture.2. Make a table including the material tested, the extract color, the corresponding observed pH, and the expected pH (may have to look up).� Three of the items will also have results from the pH paper.� Include both household items and canned food.� Comment on the results.� 3. Submit to the dropbox.
Material Extract color pH
. Sugar . Purple . 7
. Salt . Purple .67777
. Milk of magnesia . Green . 10.5
. Antacid Tablets . Blue . 9
. Asprin. Pink . 4
. Milk . Violet . 6
Toothpaste Green 10
Household Ammonia Yellow 12
Pure water Purple 7
Tomato Juice Pink 4
Lemon Juice Red 2
Canned beets Pink 5
Canned Corn Pink 6