Assignment task: Compose a thesis-driven three-page (double spaced) essay in response to the following question. Your response should include quotes from both Baldwin and Horkheimer and Adorno.
What is the role of music in James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues"? What is its significance? What is its power?
Contrast and/or compare Baldwin's commentary on music with Horkheimer and Adorno's commentary on 20th-century music under the culture industry. Is there a way in which Baldwin is refuting what Horkheimer and Adorno believe about 20th-century music? Is he confirming what they believe?