Julie's Post

Sonny's Blues was a very inspiring story. When Sonny played music, he became a totally different person. He became someone so innocent and forgetful of his problems. Being a different person gave him a chance to prove himself to the people that he had betrayed all his life. Sonny expressed himself through his wonderful music and this made him so much stronger.

Caroline's Post

The story Sonny’s Blues was more of an inspiring story to me. There are many people like Sonny in the world, and all they want is to be accepted. Sonny has gone through so much, and when your family is not behind you, it can be hard. Even though he was looked down upon, Sonny made it through and stayed strong and that is why I think it is more of an inspiring story.

Wendell's Post

The story "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin is pessimistic to me. The reason that this story is pessimistic is that James Baldwin describes Sonny as a heroin user which basically means that he really doesn't life is all that great. He also peddles, which is illegal, so he pretty much threw his life away by doing these two illegal actions.

Hannah's Post!!

  The short story "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin is truly inspiring to me. It inspires me because you are reading about some one who has gone through so much and yet comes out strong and on top of it. I really admire Sonny and his commitment to himself and his family to get better and start a new chapter. 

Sarah's Post=]

To choose from the words inspiring and pessimistic, I would say that "Sonny's Blues" was very inspiring. It made me realize that listening or playing music can help when I'm down, and it also could inspire other people who may think their lives are over. It could help people realize that they could always "start all over", as said by Miley Cyrus, and that they can change no matter what they've been through. 

Kates Post!

My cure for the blues is baking. I may not be the best baker, but I love making banana bread. When I make banana bread I can only think about eating it, and how good it is going to taste when it is out of the oven. What also makes me a little bit happier on a sad rainy day, is when the house still smells like banana bread.

Zack

As other people have said I don't often find myself feeling "blue", but I am often frustrated. When this happens I have to drop everything and find some sort of pointless activity that is either strenuous or requires a lot of concentration. Most often I find myself bushwhacking in the woods around my house; the effort of scaling and endless line of small ridges combined with the fact that almost my total consciousness has to go into not getting lost, this is a perfect way to get myself together. There being almost complete silence around me also helps because there's no one for me to yell "Shut up!" at. After a while I will find some sort of place to sit and I can stay there for ten minutes just staring straight ahead, trying to loose myself in my surroundings. This does also work when I am feeling "blue", but the method is used most often in the former case. For me atleast the key to coping is being able to remove myself as much as possible until I want to join the living again.

Kimo Expresses the Expression of Sadness

There has never, for as long as I can remember, been a time where I wasn't blue. I'm not saying that I constantly feel depressed, but there has always been something clawing away a me, taking away my happiness as swiftly as it comes. These thoughts that fleet through my mind involve my own personal sadness, and the sadness of the world. With these things ever present in my mind, I know I will never be able to be truly happy.

The Blues- Anna

I am lucky enough to be able to look back on my fourteen years of life and say that I have never truly experienced the blues. Like Scarlet, I hear about some of the tragedies my friends have been through and can not even imagine the feelings they must have dealt with. I think that when I am faced with something that would cause me to feel the blues, my immediate response would be to go to my friends. I believe that any pain coursing within my world would at least be muted by a companion, simply sitting by my side.

lydias post

Though I dont get blue very often, I am usually good at dealing with it. If I can get my mind off it temporarily, it doesnt seem like such a big deal later on. I usually listen to music, read, or watch tv. If i can get myself involved in that, it takes my mind off of whatever had made me upset and it is easier to cope with.

Julie's Post

I've never really experienced the "blues". Every time something bad happens, I make the best out of it but I never really feel down. The only time I have ever felt the blues was when my grandfather passed away. I tried making the best out of this unfortunate situation and then my sadness went away. On those rare times when I feel down , I agree with Scarlet: A nice piece of chocolate cake makes everything so much better!

Timmy's Post

When I'm feeling blue, I usually go to bed and sleep. When I wake up, I feel refreshed and ready for anything (hypothetically speaking of course). After that I tend to listen to mellow music to calm my nerves a bit more, but after that I'm basically cured.

Ceilie's Post

I don't get the blue's  very often, but when I do it is usually about big things. To cope with my sadness, I, like many other people, listen to music. I don't listen to happy, upbeat music to cheer me up though. Instead, I listen to mellow, soft music with soulful lyrics because the emotions I'm feeling right then shouldn't be pushed aside and disguised with a smile. They should be embraced and released because I don't think you can automatically forget about something that made you sad by laughing or letting it go. I think it takes the strength to power through and cry instead of keeping it all inside. 

Parker's Post

I'm not usually, "blue", I get frustrated a lot though. Usually, when I get frustrated, it's about the little things, like when I can't find something. But I do have some days where I just feel bad, and to cope with those days I either listen or play music. For example, I just play the drums and that usually gets me happier, and sometimes I invite my band over to practice. On the other hand, the very best medicine for, "the blues", is laughing, so I just watch a funny show, or I hang out with my friends, who make me laugh all the time.

Kyle's Post

I wouldn't say that I get blue so much as I get stressed. I'm usually a very happy person, and when stress finds it's way into my life I try not to act sad because I despise having people feel sorry for me. I like to cheer people up and I'm usually good at it. I don't want to have to burden people with my problems because people have enough of their own. A main way that I cope with my stress is by listening to music. Music expresses so many emotions and has a way to bait the positive ones out of you. Whenever I'm stressed at school, with family, friends I decide to listen to my track of "Happy Songs" on my ipod and I'm in a better mood to deal with the source of my stress.

Eleanor's Post

One time when I was feeling "blue" was when I was told we were moving to America. I was upset more then I should have been which caused all the excitement of going somewhere new to disappear. Instead of this I should have listened to some music or perhaps read an interesting book to take my mind off things. 

Once in a Blue Tristan

When I have the blues, I generally feel way down.  As most may know, I'm a generally happy person, so not only do I feel out of place when I am blue, but I am also really unhappy.  On the rare occasion when I am feeling down, I do something involving nature, like a picnic, or a hike.  When on these hikes or picnics, I like to reflect on others' misfortune to put mine in perspective, and this generally helps.  Even after these, it still takes some time to get happy again, but I eventually do.

Scarlet's Post

When I have the blues I usually like to bake myself a Betty Crocker's Devil's Food Chocolate Cake. In my opinion that is the best kind of therapy there is, along with the company of good friends. After going through my classmates posts, I realize that when I am blue it is over something that is really not that bad. Hannah on the other hand had to go through her parents divorce and Sarah had two of her close family members pass away within a month of each other, that must have been even harder to deal with compared to what I get blue about. I realized that maybe I don't help other people when they are blue as much as I should, so next time anyone I know is down I'm gonna bake them a delicious chocolate cake and let them talk about their problems instead of feeling blue about my minor incidents.

Carolines post

I know many people in our class have heard this before, but one of the times when I was feeling “blue” was last summer at a camp where my roommate convinced everyone to not talk to me. My roommate decided she didn’t like me so she told everyone else to not like me also. This was the first time I was truly homesick, and like everyone else, I listened to some music that reminded me of my friends and that really helped me through the last two weeks.

OLIVIA'S POST!!!<3...When I'm BLUE...

Well I've been blue many times in my life, and some of them were stupid but I'm that way always getting upset about things that don't even matter. I also have this problem when I go in and out of being hyper and depressed, but I think that helps me in a way because it makes me realize things more clearly you could say. mmmmmm how do I cope??? I usually listen to really depressing music or if I'm blue and I'm mad I listen to scremo and emo music, but I usually listen to that anyway. I also write poetry or songs, to express how I feel.
~Olivia<3

When Im Blue...

I usually surf the web and listen to music. My computer and my iPhone are basically my life and when Im blue i usually use the both of them. Maybe I will watch a funny video on YouTube or send a text message to a friend. All of these things help me get through my bad times. 

Hannah's Post <3

When I have the blues, one way I feel better is when I open up to someone. For example, when my parent's were going though a divorce, there was a lot going on and at times I would get confused and upset. When I was feeling bad I would talk to friends or family and then I would feel better. In my opinion, if something is bugging you or makes you sad you should communicate. Communication is key in relationships and I'm very glad to know that my friends and family are there for me through the good and the bad.

When I'm Blue

Whenever I'm mad or sad I usually listen to music and read a book. I'll turn on my Ipod, lay down with one of my favorite books and just listen to one of my playlists or all of my music. The music helps me relax and wind down after getting in a fight with someone or finding out something unpleasant and the book distracts me from what has happened. Its like they take the anger right out of my mind and replace it with happiness. It is such a relief after listening music and reading a book that I usually forget about being mad at that particular person.

Sarahs Post =]

Last year I experienced 2 family deaths and had no way of coping with either. My sister taught me that listening and singing music is an excellent way of letting out your feelings. In those several months I added new bands such as Dashboard Confessional and the Jonas Brothers, that have lyrics that are very relatable and catchy tunes. Coping with the blue's can be sad for some, but if you look on the brighter sides of situations, you can make the best of them.

Gabe's Post

When ever I was depressed or sorrowful, the way I would cope with it was by listening to music. Throughout my life, music has always been there with thrashing lyrics and riffs that would put my mind into perspective. For example, when my grandma died in 7th grade, I listened to the album "By the Way" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers to help straighten my mind out while coping and understanding what had just happened. Overall, throughout my life, music has always been my escape from sadness.

Gabe's Post

My interpretation of the Rilke quote is that is you should never push to get the answers, but let the answers come to you. Instead of always needing to know, you must wait and be patient for soon enough you will get the answers you longed for. For example, when making a graphic organizer you can't be impatient and throw together anything that comes to mind you must fully take a few minuets to piece together ideas in your mind.

Eleanor's Post

I agree with Ceilie when she says, "wanting the answer immediately is only asking for a shorter more boring life." You shouldn't waste your time searching for answers that won't come to you. You should however, live life one day at a time, and every question you find, remember. Then, when the time is right the answers will eventually reveal themselves.

Hannah's Post!!

I agree with Ceilie when she writes " The questions you ask are what makes you individual and define you." She definitly hit the nail on the head and I think that was, in a way, what Rilke was trying to get across. Rilke is saying that some of the most challenging questions that you may have or have to answer are the ones that get you farther in life.

I believe that the message this quote tries to get across is that we must live the present and not stress over the future. For in our lives, if all we care about are the answers that will seemingly define us, we will have nothing left to live for once those questions are answered. But if we devote our time to the other greatly important things in our lives, be in friends, family, soccer, then we will have lived to the fullest, and graciously, our questioned will be answered at the right time.

P.S. I'm so glad I'm not the last person to post.

Ty's post

I also agree with Tristan's "Dont worry about it" quote because it sums up what Rilke is trying to tell the young poet. Rilke is trying to say to just let all of the questions pass until you find the answer to them and to forget about those questions until the time comes. I think that Rilke is right about just allowing the questions that you feel need to be answered to just be one of the last things you think about until later in your life or until the time comes.

Caroline's post

I agree with Julie when she talked about getting older and experiences you go through along the way. If you jump into things that you are not ready for it can have a negitive effect. If you wait for the answers to come to you along the way, than the sensation of knowing will be worth more. Plus, once you know what you wanted know, whats next. If you wait while you grow, you will learn more and understand more that you would otherwise. We are young and do not need to know everything. We should "live our way into the answer"

Timmy's Post

In this quote, i think that Rilke is trying to tell us that when we are young, we shouldn't know everything. That we will learn things as our time comes to learn them. We should not seek, but wait for the wisdom to come to us, and then take it in with open arms, or "live our way into the answer". We should think of the question as a "book written in a very foreign language" and, instead of opening the book and trying to read it, we should continue with our lives, and try to learn that language. Then, in due time, we will be able to read the foreign book.

Ceilie's Post

One part of the quote that I really like is the line, "love the questions themselves." When you get an answer to a question, the answer is not what describes you as a person. The questions you ask are what make you individual and define you. Questions are what you spend every day asking, and answers are not something you should hope for, but just a sign that basically reads "Dead End." The unknown is what makes life interesting, so wanting the answer immediately  is only asking for a shorter, more boring life.  

Lydias post

I think Tristan is right in saying "don't worry about it." If you are trying to find the answer to something and keep coming up short, you need to forget about it and move on. Eventually, you will find the answer you were searching for. All you had to do was be patient and trust that time will sort things out for you.

Zack on Rilke Quote

There's a song by Creedence and Clearwater Revival called "Someday Never Comes" which says, "First thing I remember was askin' papa, why? For there were many things I didn't know. And daddy always smiled; took me by the hand, sayin', someday youll understand. Well, I'm here to tell you now each and every mothers son you better learn it fast; you better learn it young, cause, someday never comes." Both quotes seem to be saying that you will never in your life have an apiphany and suddenly know everything about our universe but you must instead work to learn the answers and let the questions, not the answers, guide you through life. Rilke says quite clearly that you cannot simply want the answers but must instead "live the questions now" and find as many questions as you can to answer. CCR is talking more about not waiting and waiting for things to become clear but to get out and start to "learn it young", but both times the authors seem to be saying that you may never know the answers, but it's more about asking the questions and trying as best you can to answer them.

Julie's Post

I think that in this quote, Rilke tries to say that if the questions were resolved in the blink of an eye, we would have nothing to experience. The unresolved questions are like an adventure in the woods; if we knew what was going to happen, what is the point of even going there? As we get older, we experience and learn more everyday and eventially, we "live our way into the answers". Our life is full of questions and mysteries and it is what makes life so wonderful. If we knew what our life was going to consist of, why would we be here in the first place?

Julie's

Response to Rilke Quote

This quote written by the famous Rilke is deep and compationate, but there was one part of the quote that meant a lot to me. "Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. " He is basically saying live life in the moment. Don't think ahead for the future and worry. Live in the present and appreciate life.

Written by Sarah Shourds
9/10/08

Wendells Post

There is one quote that sticks out to me the most and that is "try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language." It seems as though the author wants the reader to find their own answers to their questions instead of someone else telling them the answer. You need to unlock your own answers to the questions instead of searching for them.

parkers post

I agree with Tristan entirely, you just have to trust that in time you will, eventually, realize the answers, to the questions you have always had. In order to do that though, you have to keep those questions in your heart no matter how long it takes for those answers to come to you. You cannot be discouraged, you have to have trust in yourself, that in time, the questions will, in fact, be answered.

Tristans Post!!

I think that this quote is very interesting for several reasons. First of all, I think
that it really throws into light how hard young people search for answers they will
never find, and how experience and age are really the best ways to earn those answers. This quote also really shows how sometimes you must trust in the unknown, and have faith that they have answers. I do like this quote, and think it's great consolation, but i also think it could be summed up in four short words, "Don't worry about it." Good job to anyone who checked to see if that was actually four words....