in the story? Does it resonate beyond those motifs ? By: Teja Smith, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

QUESTION #8: What is the cup of trembling? How does it work to resolve the motifs of religious faith and music presented in the story? Does it resonate beyond those motifs?

By: Teja Smith, Keyonna Jackson, Lauryn Watts, Qadira Miner

What is the cup of trembling?

• The “cup of trembling” is a biblical

allusion that comes from the book of Isaiah that describes the suffering and fear that have plagued the people.

• Sonny’s drinking from the cup of

trembling is a symbol to describe all of the pain and suffering Sonny has endured throughout his life.

• The cup of trembling also serves as a

way for redemption from Sonny to his

• brother. It also serves as peace for
• Sonny. Sonny transforms all his

suffering into beautiful music.

How does the cup of trembling work to resolve the musical motif presented the story?

The cup of trembling acts as a direct connection between Sonny and the singing sister who was mentioned earlier in the story. Sonny said in the story “It struck me all of a sudden how much suffering she must have had to go through—to sing like that,” and later, he takes a sip from a cup representing his

• wn suffering that he must reminisce on

before he plays the incredible music that he does. This religious connection resolved the musical motif by directly linking two seemingly insignificant details to create and emphasize a larger underlying idea that great music cannot exist without pain.

How does the cup of trembling work to resolve the motif of religious faith presented throughout the story?

The cup of trembling was the only thing that connected Sonny to the sister religiously, and even then it wasn’t the character’s choice that made this connection, but rather James Baldwin’s. Religion delivered the sister from her suffering, although she still seemed to reflect, and even depend on it to sing. Sonny’s music acts as deliverance from his suffering, but Baldwin’s allusion to a religious object implies that there must have been something other than music—maybe some divine interference—in his life that led him back to the right path.

Does it resonate beyond the motifs?

Rejection of a Cautionary Tale: Sonny’s Redemption

The cup of trembling resonates far beyond the motifs of this story, deep into its very purpose. The existence of the cup in the story distinguished the story as a rejection of the all too familiar cautionary tale that it could have been. Baldwin had a chance to make Sonny’s story an example of why not to get involved with drugs and the surroundings of poor neighborhoods, but he does not follow that path. Instead, Baldwin decides to redeem Sonny, emphasizing that he ‘put down’ the cup of trembling so as not to let his suffering get the better of him, and ‘put down’ the scotch and milk so as not to show him lusting after any form of escape he can get his hands on.

Thank you for listening