"sonny's blues" begins in medias res. what does james baldwin achieve by beginning the story as he does? how does the order in which events are related later in the story affect your experience of reading it and interpreting its meaning?

1.       A good way to consider why authors begin their texts the way they do is to compare and contrast the ending. Let us remember that this excellent story opens with the discovery of the narrator concerning his brother’s arrest for drugs and selling heroin. Nevertheless, is the way that this encounter makes the narrator feel trapped and bounded by darkness. The rest of the story tells us, in a non-chronological order, the gradual journey of the narrator and his brother towards wholeness and unity once again. The reason why the story begins as it does to show the growth in understanding of the narrator and how he comes to appreciate and learn from his brother and the music that is so important to him.

2.       Balwin intends for the reader to experience Sonny’s troubles, the narrator’s struggles to understand his brother and the moment in which the two brothers come together. The attached link on writing style suggests that the end of the story provide a catharsis in which Sonny is relieved from the pressure of his life by playing his music. The story moves around in time, and sometimes readers might feel lost in the time shifts. This is symbolic of the trouble that has plagued Sonny’s life and of the difficulty that the narrator had trying to understand the choices that his brother has made in life. But these events come together in the end when the narrator understands how music has saved and shaped his brother’s life.

the answer is d.index

clearcutting reproduces a new even-aged stand by completely removing the mature stand.

clearcutting as a silvicultural treatment has several characteristics:

it causes a sudden environmental change

it removes the seed source from the regeneration area

the configuration of the clearcut may affect seed dispersal

it begins a new rotation

it will eliminate some pests that require forest cover

overall, it temporarily removes the forest cover, transforming the forest community and environment.

clearcutting followed by artificial (seeded or planted) regeneration has several advantages:

we can avoid delay in restocking the site

we can introduce a selected species, seed source, and genotype

we can control arrangement and spacing

we can achieve uniformity in the new stand

we can overcome the problems associated with securing sufficient natural regeneration.

the shelterwood method involves the removal of most of the mature stand at the end of the rotation, but a portion of the mature stand is left standing.   the shelterwood method serves three basic purposes:

to prepare the stand for production of abundant seed

to modify the environment in a way that promotes germination and survival of the selected species

to build up the amount and size of advance regeneration to ensure the prompt restocking of the new stand following overstory removal.

the shelterwood method involves a sequence of 3 cuttings:

preparatory cuttings: make the seed trees more vigorous and set the stage for regeneration. see our thinning page for more information.

establishment/seed cuttings: open up enough vacant growing space to allow establishment of the new regeneration.

removal cuttings: uncover the new crop to allow it to fill the growing space.

the residual trees in the shelterwood must:

be sturdy and windfirm

be able to survive exposure

flower and reproduce seed

be the best trees of the mature stand

keep in mind that the shelter trees must not occupy the entire site.   a void must be created in order to make room for the new regeneration. the amount of shelter to leave will depend on the following factors:

species characteristics (seeding and shelter requirements)

the number of cuttings in the cutting sequence (1, 2, or 3)

landowner objectives

the size of the area to be regenerated

the final removal harvest level required to be profitable

the shelter must be removed before it impedes the growth of the new stand or threatens its survival.