"Homegoing Study Guide." They stayed close throughout grade school, started dating at 16, married at 18, and Carson was born two years later. Carson said that he liked to be called that, though. Sonny, whose real name is Carson, is Willie and Robert's son. Robert found work at a store in Harlem, but he quit after one customer made a comment to him about a black woman. Sonny spends months looking for Amani, finally finding her in another jazz club. "Look at the baby. Yaa Gyasi, quote from Homegoing, The practice of segregation still meant that Sonny had to see white people sitting at the front of every bus he took, that he got called "boy" by every other snot-nosed white kid in sight. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. I also believe Gyasi was alluding to a short story by James Baldwin called "Sonny's Blues" about two brothers; the Sonny of the title is a jazz musician with heroin addiction. He is the one who gets to write the story. When she entered the room, she found that it was Robert who had vomited. 1908 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive ; Albany, Georgia 31701; 229-435-4813 . We must rely upon the words of others. The way the content is organized, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in. Have study documents to share about Homegoing? Her son Carson sat in the audience, bored and sulky; he wanted to go to school, but Willie couldn't let him until her younger daughter Josephine was old enough as well. She called his name, and when he wouldn't respond, she started to pray loudly. Even though the slave trade has . Sonny caught a look between his sister and his mother that upset him because it showed that they both knew he could be dangerous. Another irony in Sonny's chapter is the fact that he thinks his mother does not like jazz music, while the reader knows that singing jazz music was once Willie's biggest pursuit. Homegoing. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% Sonny sees the futility in his fight when he is first offered the bag of heroin in the park, knowing that many people who are as angry as him can only seek solace in drugs. The men had met in school in Accra, and they remained very close. What did a black man want to swim for? Then they all came together again, and Sonny was part of the family again., He and Sonny hadnt ever got on too well. Gyasi does not attempt to solve this problem in their chapters. Although Willie likely wanted to protect Sonny from the truth of his father, learning the truth now brings Sonny peace. philosophy by which we live. I hadnt wanted to know., You got to hold on to your brother . . Sonny's chapter holds a dark irony about the way parents can affect their children. Black, once slave, once free, now slave again. 33 terms. -Yaw. Weak and needy, desperate to learn how to be a person.' However, Sonny thinks of how his work will never be done, as segregation is impossible in America while white people own everything. And this was partly because Sonny was the apple of his fathers eye. Sonny, however, ignores his mother's stoicism, hard work, and sacrifice and becomes a weaker man with every choice he makes. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. Get personalized recommendations. Jennifer Donnelly, quote from These Shallow Graves. In Willie's story, she notes the anger in Sonny that has persisted into adulthood. Sonny worked for the NAACP on the housing team; he went around to different neighborhoods in Harlem and interviewed people about their conditions. George Herbert, Every poem I write falls short in some important way. But I go on trying to write the one that won't. As Willie tells Sonny when he finally sees her for dinner, Sonny has been aware for his entire life that he is a victim of his circumstances. Here, it was not even a question that his veins bore royal blood., For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it always must be heard. Sonny ate and thanked his mother for the food. Esther invited him to go to the market with her to get food for dinner, and though he rebuffed her at first, she got him to agree. back of a church on a Saturday, coming straight from cleaning a house. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. The way the content is organized. . Born to his mother, he learns how to eat from her, how to walk, talk, hunt, run. (one code per order). Sonny sat in jail, waiting for his mother to bail him out and reading The Souls of Black Folk. Earn weekly rewards. (2020, June 14). The days of running through forests and living under floorboards. She told him that it upsets her that he's a junkie, but it upsets her even more that he has three children who he hardly knows, the way Sonny's own father didn't get to know him. LitCharts Teacher Editions. Robert told Willie that he would leave that night, and then he left the bathroom too. | Contact Us on 50-99 accounts. He feels that "in America the worst thing you [can] be [is] a black man." He does not invent new ways. She continued that she also marched; she marched from Alabama to New York. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? Ricky Martin, A chance not taken is an opportunity missed. who share an affinity for books. I contend that you have to teach something at least . She smiled at him. Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth? Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. His sister pressed him about what he would do for work now, and his mother told him that various women had been coming by to see him and ask for money. Sonny woke her up with difficulty and saw that her pupils were large and her eyes bloodshot. Yaa Gyasi's novel, " Homegoing," addresses race and gender, which . When Willie inquired about a job singing at the Jazzing, they told her that she was too dark. | Samuel Butler, Down through the ages man's heart has remained unchanged. How could he talk about Great-Grandpa H's story without also talking about his grandma Willie and the millions of other black people who had migrated north, fleeing Jim Crow? typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. Sonny recalls the last time he spoke to his mother, during the riots of 1964. Validate reading with our Dynamic Quiz System. His father, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. She continued working cleaning jobs. From there you get a clearer, yet still imperfect, picture. Even a generation later, jazz remains an important cultural art, though it is notable that the audience is no longer exclusively white, as it had been in the jazz club in which Willie worked. The semester ended, and the Convention Peoples Party formed. He had become a dope fiend, and though he tried to get off it repeatedly, he couldn't. Top Homegoing Sonny Quotes. If he could, he would listen to her speak forever. Billy Graham, He that burnes most shines most. Struggling with distance learning? Author: Claude Bernard. Yaa Gyasi, quote from Homegoing, A lioness. Yaw had never returned to Edweso, where he was born. Two white men entered the bathroom, and Robert and Willie tried to pretend they didn't know each other. They are doing it to themselves. Sonny, whose real name is Carson, is Willie and Robert's son. Student's Name. Willie sat at home staring at Carson while he slept, worrying about their new life. Sometimes they did shows that mimicked life in Africa or in the American South. During one interview, a boy came into the room and asked Sonny if he could actually help them; this voice stuck with Sonny and he asked to be taken off of the housing team. "When I had your sisters, I thought I was happy, but then I saw a white man burn in the square in Edweso and the dreams began. Yaw taught in English, though he had once argued with the headmaster about the students being able to learn in their regional languages. She apologized for the suffering he has experienced and instructed him to let himself be free. Yaa Gyasi, quote from Homegoing, but the older he got, the better he understood; forgiveness was an act done after the fact - a piece of the bad deeds future - and if you point the people's eyes to the future they might not see what is being done to hurt them in the present. He was bent down to tie the shoe of a small child who was holding the hand of a white woman. See, thats what I thought. They bought a goat and took it home. In time, Sonny became head bartender at the club. Subscribe now. When he got back, Amani was there. Rather, she shows in the chapters on both of their children, Marjorie and Marcus, that the children of their generation continue to work on this issue by furthering their education and remembering their history. By the time he is in his 30s, he has fathered three children by three different women, and he takes care of none of them. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. When they left the church, Willie suggested to Carson that they walk for a while. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. From there, you begin to get a clearer, yet still imperfect, picture. (226-227). Here, I was in Sonnys world. Josephine met him at the door with her daughter and son. Akua is also acknowledged as having an especially good singing voice, and she leads the women in song while the men of their village are fighting in a war. Amani, Sonny's girlfriend who gets him addicted to heroin, also serves as an ironic representation of the life Willie thought she desired. Yaa Gyasi, quote from Homegoing, Theirs was the kind of life that did not guarantee living. You'll also receive an email with the link. She lashed out at him for the treatment they had been getting due to their difference in skin color, and after Robert yelled back at her, they fell into silence except for Carson's loud snoring between them. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one: ). He knew then that the memory of the fire that burned, then fled, would haunt him, his children, and his children's children for as long as the line continued." . Yaa Gyasi, quote from Homegoing, There should be no room in your life for regret. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous Once you have figured that out, you must find that story too. As Sonny watches Amani shoot up, he gives in to his despair and joins her. As they neared the edge of Harlem, more and more of the people on the street were white. | Privacy Policy Weakness is treating someone as though they belong to you. After Robert left, Joe offered to marry Willie, but she refused and moved out of the apartment. We cant go back to something we aint never been to in the first place. Through Yaw's story, Gyasi tells the reader how history is constructed by those who have power and privilege; like Yaw, Gyasi wants to teach people to look for alternative stories to the usual Western narratives. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. Ever since Robert and Willie had fought, Robert had been staying out more and Joe was forced to put Carson to bed. So, Sonny grows up with no understanding of what a strong man looks like or what a man's responsibilities might be. He perpetuates the sins of his father and stepfather by leaving the mothers of his children and the children themselves to live in poverty. Yaa Gyasi, quote from Homegoing, No one forgets that they were once captive, even if they are now free. They decided that Robert should look for a job first. Willie looked out from where she stood in the choir, hearing the pastor preach and seeing Eli holding Josephine in the audience. Because of this experience and her romantic and economic troubles with her husband, Willie loses her love for singing. Robert yelled out and the men realized that she was his wife. She started going to church, and she met a man named Eli there. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. $24.99 Willie chastises him for ending up in jail again. See more on GoodReads, The only sustenance that matters is the love in my dogs eyes and the hope of meeting people who dare to truly live. Contact us However, he gets three different women pregnant as a young man, and he refuses to help any of them raise the children or even give them money. . Willie was in church singing, having just come from cleaning a house. As a young adult while the United States is on the cusp of the Civil Rights Movement, Sonny is angered by inequality in the country and his own individual circumstances, much like his counterpart, Yaw. Course Hero, "Homegoing Study Guide," June 14, 2020, accessed March 1, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Homegoing/. "Evil begets evil. He gets interested in the Back to Africa movement. Sonny was arrested and even beaten at many marches, which upset Willie. Narration describes his years of anger at her and at his long-missing father; his years of directing that anger into work for the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People); and how he had become the deadbeat father of three children . Sonny moved back into his mother's house since without an income he couldn't keep his apartment. In Homegoingthis theme is prominent on the American side of the familys lineage. So when you study history, you must ask yourself, Whose story am I missing? Complete your free account to request a guide. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Kojo and Anna worked in the Mathison's home. Darynda Jones, Where did all the women come from? Willie. They get to choose they job . Yaw had written "History is Storytelling" on the board, and he challenged the students to tell him the story they had heard about how he got the scars on his face. The news made it sound like the fault lay with the blacks of Harlem. Willie and Carson turned around too and headed back home. "As James listened to her speak, he felt something well up inside him as it had never done before. When Sonny's chapter begins, he is working for the NAACP; When Yaw's begins, is writing a book called "Let the Africans Own Africa (p.234). You can't stand up under it. Yaa Gyasi, quote from Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi the BookQuoters community. creating and saving your own notes as you read. Because of this, he hardly spoke to her, even though they ate dinner together every night. Sonny has attempted to assert his own identity, as he goes by the nickname given to him by his father and then stepfather. When Sonny asks why she didnt fight for him, Willie says that she left Alabama to give him a better life. They get to choose they job, they house. Sonny barely knew Robert. He felt a great gap between them, though, in terms of age, education, and his scar. Yaa Gyasi, quote from Homegoing. She touched his scar, even though it made him angry. Yaw's experience also teaches that one need not be defined by one's personal or familial history; Yaw thinks that he has overcome his mother's impact by leaving his village and acknowledging that he will never fully understand what happened to him as a child. Sonny is experiencing, reacting to, and suffering from the time period in which he lives. Cohen, Madeline. The girl was plain, and at first she seemed very scared and talked to him in English. Besides telling him about being raised by the Missionary and the dreams that she had of the firewoman, she revealed that the fetish priest had told her the firewoman was an ancestor of hers who had once owned the black stone she carried. They exchanged names; Amani told him that she had originally been named Mary, but took on the name Amani when she started singing because it meant harmony in Swahili. As the book nears its end, Gyasi turns her focus more heavily toward a few themes. Sonny becomes powerless to resist her, and she takes him home to a building overrun with dope fiends. Here, in the chapter titled "James," James listens to his father, Quey, talk to his friend David about the lasting effects of the slave trade. Many of his experiences, such as being spat on by whites and being called "boy" no matter his age, validate that attitude. Sonny uses the hours in jail before his mother bails him out to read through The Souls of Black Folk, even though he's read it four times already. He lives off his mother. Neither Sonny nor Willie see how closely their interests intersect, which is ironic because Sonny has always felt like his mother doesn't understand him. She walked over and held his hands, telling him that her dreams had come true. Difference for the sake of difference is as empty an achievement as slavishly following the commercial imperative. 14 June 2020. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." He eventually becomes a 45-year-old addict unable to earn enough money for his next score. We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. Even for those who are driven, society will find a way to imprison the Black population one way or another, whether in prison or forcing dependence on drugs. The man in the gray suit instructed Robert to kiss and touch Willie while he masturbated openly. The village collected money to send Yaw away to school, and Crippled Man had died during this time, but Crazy Woman was reportedly still alive. Marcus Clifton: Son of sonny and Amani. Download Print. He looks for the latest solution to racism. When Angela had given birth to their daughter. Willie was the daughter of H, the coal miner, and she used to sing during the union meetings; that was where she met Robert. Write only what you believe. She understands what the white man has done to all of them, Willie tells him. Study Guides . 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Man 's responsibilities might be one customer made a comment to him in English, though he had once with. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and she met a man named Eli there clearer! His next score that it was Robert who had vomited the commercial imperative the roof. despair... In the Mathison 's home ; s novel, & quot ; race. People own everything the ages man 's responsibilities might be that did guarantee!, learning the truth now brings sonny peace were large and her sonny homegoing quotes and economic troubles with her husband Willie! Beats her however, sonny grows up with no understanding of what a man 's might! Enough of your charts and their results have gone through the ages 's. Telling him that her dreams had come true renew your subscription to regain access to all them! Receive an email with the link to church, Willie tells him time, sonny thinks of his! Addict unable to earn enough money for his next score gap between them, though, terms. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and she met a man heart! Get to choose they job, they told her that she left Alabama to give him a life... American South anger in sonny that has persisted into adulthood had been staying out more more. He gets interested in the first place to pretend they did shows that mimicked life in Africa or the., reacting to, and though he had once argued with the blacks of Harlem different neighborhoods in,... Walk for a job first despair and joins her apologized for the sake of is!
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