Sonny blue’s and the language of snails | English | City University of New York Borough of Manhattan Community College

“Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin is a short story that tells of the redemption and communion between two once-estranged brothers. How does the symbol of a cup containing scotch and milk that are blended together by the force of Sonny’s piano-playing serve to represent the coming-together of these lost siblings? Where else does Baldwin use religions symbolism to represent family healing?

Marcia Douglas’ “The Language of Snails” is rooted in Jamaican folklore in which human beings can turn into animals via sorcery and magic. Most organized religions tell us that human are very different from animals, but Evolution tells us we are all one interrelated Tree of Life. How does Douglas explore the strange, blurry line between humans and non-human animals?