A Boy Named Sue by Kay Nguyen [FVHS]

SIFT 4 - Symbols

kmnguyen114 — 2015-02-21 03:45:09 UTC

Though there are many symbols expressed in this ballad, the one that stood out was the image of a father or man figure that this boy, Sue, kept repeating over and over again. In addition, "Sue" (the name) was an overall symbol of strength. Sue's dad claimed that giving his son this name gave him the power to stand up for himself and become a strong person.

SIFT 5 - Summarize

kmnguyen114 — 2015-02-21 03:49:43 UTC

"A Boy Named Sue" describes a man that was named Sue by his father who left him as a young child. Sue was bullied throughout his life and wants to find his dad to seek revenge. However, once he finds his dad, he teaches him about the strength that the name brought to his son, and Sue decides to stop fighting.

SIFT 1 - Structure

kmnguyen114 — 2015-02-23 01:55:46 UTC

The poem has 62 lines and 10 stanzas.

SIFT 2 - Sound Devices

kmnguyen114 — 2015-02-23 01:56:21 UTC

A sound device used is rhyme. The rhyme scheme of the poem is AABCCB (continues through each stanza).

The poet draws attention to specific sounds and words to add emphasis on the way the he feels and uses descriptive language to describe the events in the poem.

SIFT 3 - Speaker

kmnguyen114 — 2015-02-23 02:01:03 UTC

The specific speaker in this poem is the boy, Sue. The poem is

written in first person point of view, and he is speaking to a general audience.

SIFT 7 - Figurative Language

kmnguyen114 — 2015-02-23 04:59:58 UTC

The title of the song, "A Boy Named Sue," is an oxymoron; men are
not generally named "Sue" as it is more appropriate for a female to have that name.

"Sue," as explained by the father, is a symbol for strength. He deliberately gave the name to
his son with the knowledge that he will be made fun of throughout his life, so that may learn
to fend for himself even when his father was not around.

SIFT 9

kmnguyen114 — 2015-02-23 05:16:32 UTC

The theme of this song is that everything happens for a reason, or there are many perspectives to one story. This statement relates to the poem because at first, the narrator was angry that his father named him Sue, but when he talked to his father about it, he had a different perspective on it.

SIFT 10 - Title

kmnguyen114 — 2015-02-23 05:18:10 UTC

The title is significant to the poem because the song is about a boy who got named Sue by his father, and he is angry about it but soon comes to talk to his father and realizes his name is the only reason why he has built up so much strength.

SIFT 8 - Tone

kmnguyen114 — 2015-02-23 05:20:34 UTC

The poem bears similarities with "Masters of War" in regards to tone, as both authors appear to be vengeful and vindictive. Both poems contain people that the author loathes. However, the main difference between the two are the intentions of the author's adversaries. In this poem, the father of Sue gave him the name not as an insult to him, but as a means to help him deal with the rigors of the world. This ironic twist alone is the main difference between the two similar songs.

kmnguyen114 — 2015-02-23 05:27:51 UTC

kmnguyen114 — 2015-02-23 05:29:04 UTC

CURRENT SOCIETY

kmnguyen114 — 2015-02-23 05:30:09 UTC

In many ways, this poem can connect to our current society. For instance, the narrator of the song whom was named Sue, was often teased and embarrassed for his given name. This shows how easily someone can judge another on something that does not characterize the person for who he/she actually is, and that tends to happen everywhere now. In addition, when Sue confronted his dad at the bar, this illustrates the idea of how people think fighting is a way to solve personal issues. Many are quick to blame others and "solve" their issue by causing pain to the other.

kmnguyen114 — 2015-02-23 05:36:18 UTC

A BOY NAMED SUE

kmnguyen114 — 2015-02-23 05:37:07 UTC

My daddy left home when I was three
And he didn't leave much to ma and me
Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze.
Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid
But the meanest thing that he ever did
Was before he left, he went and named me "Sue."

Well, he must o' thought that is quite a joke
And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk,
It seems I had to fight my whole life through.
Some gal would giggle and I'd get red
And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head,
I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named "Sue."

Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean,
My fist got hard and my wits got keen,
I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame.
But I made a vow to the moon and stars
That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars
And kill that man who gave me that awful name.

Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
And I just hit town and my throat was dry,
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew.
At an old saloon on a street of mud,
There at a table, dealing stud,
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me "Sue."

Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had,
And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye.
He was big and bent and gray and old,
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold
And I said: "My name is 'Sue!' How do you do!
Now your gonna die!!"

Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
And he went down, but to my surprise,
He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear.
But I busted a chair right across his teeth
And we crashed through the wall and into the street
Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer.

I tell ya, I've fought tougher men
But I really can't remember when,
He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile.
I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss,
He went for his gun and I pulled mine first,
He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile.

And he said: "Son, this world is rough
And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough
And I knew I wouldn't be there to help ya along.
So I give ya that name and I said goodbye
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
And it's the name that helped to make you strong."

He said: "Now you just fought one hell of a fight
And I know you hate me, and you got the right
To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do.
But ya ought to thank me, before I die,
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you "Sue.'"

I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
And I called him my pa, and he called me his son,
And I came away with a different point of view.
And I think about him, now and then,
Every time I try and every time I win,
And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him
Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name!

HISTORICAL CONNECTION

kmnguyen114 — 2015-02-23 05:38:41 UTC

Written by Shel Silverstein, Johnny Cash popularized the song and performed it at the height of his career in 1969 at California's San Quentin State Prison. Cash also performed "A Boy Named Sue" in various other places including Madison Square Garden later in 1969. This became Cash's most popular song and remained in the Billboard Hot 100 as his only song ever in the top ten for two weeks. By August 1969, the famous song was certified as Gold.

SIFT 6 - Imagery

kmnguyen114 — 2015-02-23 06:26:07 UTC

Many examples of imagery used in the poem involved illustrating the scene of the fight between Sue and his father. To describe the violence, Sue said that "I hit him hard right between the eyes," "he come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear," "he kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile," "and we crashed through the wall and into the street," and many more. In order to describe his father's appearance when he found him, Sue said "I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye" and "he was big and bent and gray and old."