ASSIGNMENT FOR INVISIBLE MAN
Reading/Notes Assignment
First section: Prologue-Chapter 1 Due 8/24
Second section: Chapter 2-6 Due 8/26
Journal to be written in class about this reading
Third section: Chapter 7-15 Due 8/31
Journal to be written in class about this reading
Fourth section: Chapter 16-Epilogue Due 9/7
Journal to be written in class about this reading
As you read, explore the multiple, often ironic, implications of each of the following as they relate to the Invisible Man’s growing awareness of his situation and his search for identity by commenting (in note form) on each of the following:
Prologue Part I (Chapter 1)
Blindness Grandfather’s deathbed
Boomerang Battle Royal
Light Blindfolds
Hibernation The fight
Invisibility The white man’s chair
The woman
The electrified rug
The gold pieces
The speech
The scholarship
The briefcase
Part II (Chapters 2-6)
The college campus as a “flower-studded wasteland”
The statue
Trueblood’s story
Mr. Norton’s fainting spell
“You are my destiny”
The Golden Day
Supercargo
The inmates
The vet
The Founder (and his statue)
Dr. Bledsoe
Barbee’s sermon
Letters of recommendation
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Part III (Chapters 7-15)
Insane vet on the bus
The city
The subway
The Sambo bank
Wall Street
Attitudes of people
The movie
The old man
The coffee shop
Mr. Emerson, Jr.
The art objects
The poor Robin song
The factory
Liberty Paint
Lucius Brockway
Kimbro
The basement
The explosion
The image of a doll
The union meeting
Mary Rambo
The unidentified minister
Men’s House
The snow
Yams and the yam vendor
The evicted couple and their belongings
Brother Jack
The Brotherhood
The zoo
The woman at the party
Liberty vs. alienation
Part IV (Chapters 16-Epilogue)
Make your own list
Commentary
Write a commentary on a key scene of Invisible Man (excerpt must not be longer than one page). The commentary should establish the context of the passage as well as establish a thesis about its significance. BE SURE to discuss literary features and their effects. The paper should be 3-4 typed pages. Due 9/16/10
Motifs for Invisible Man
Trace your motif through the novel by noting its appearance and significance. How does Ellison’s use of it reinforce the themes of alienation/isolation and identity at particular points in the novel? You will be sharing your insights in class as well as writing about this during our study.
Chaos vs. order
White vs. black
Machines
Confusion
Music
Poverty vs. wealth
Religion
Hypocrisy
American values
Humility/conformity
Cyclical nature of life
Surprise
Reversal
Blindness vs. sight