Learning to Listen in James Baldwins Sonnys Blues Essay -- Sonnys B

Learning to Listen in James Baldwins Sonnys Blues In James Baldwins Sonnys Blues, the verb, to listen, is employed many times in variable contexts. This theme is developed throughout the story as the narrator learns to listen more closely to the aural stimuli (or sounds) which enter his ears. In order to understand the narrators heightened spot of perception as it unfolds in Sonnys Blues, it is necessary to begin with a thorough discussion of hearing and listening in general, and then as they name to the story. First, one must understand the distinction between hearing and listening. Hearing is simply the reception of sound waves by the ears. This may happen unconsciously, as is unremarkably the case with soft background noise such as the whoosh of air through heating ducts or the distant murmur of an electric garment dryer. Sometimes hearing is done semi-consciously for instance, the roar of a piece of construction equipment might momentarily draw ones attention. Conscious hea ring, or listening, involves a nearly wide of the mark degree of mental concentration. A familiar i...