Find concrete details, images and definable moments that have symbolic meaning in chapter one, “The Battle Royal.” Be prepared to make specific reference to the text and explain your interpretation of the symbolism:1) 15-17 “...our whole community.”2) 17-18 “…the little shines!”3) 18-20 “…with his boxing gloves.”4) 20-21 “…the battle royal to begin.”5) 21-23 “…thuds of blows.”6) 23-24 “…sonofabitch.”7) 24-26 “...deliver my speech.”8) 26-27 “…hard American cash!”9) 27-29 “…beaten with wires.”

Mr. Norton:

42-43

Mr. Norton and Mr. Trueblood:

68-69

The Old Vet and Mr. Norton:

93-95

What lessons is (or should) the Invisible Man be learning from and about his elders?

Examination of Themes in Chapters 2 and 3

Create, and be prepared to explain, a poster that presents:

• A visual summary of the scene. (Note any symbols)• Three focused interpretive questions about the scene.• A developed interpretive response to one of those questions.

1) 34-46 “…breeze filled the car.”2) 46-69 (End of chapter.)3) 70-84 “…where you mouth is.”4) 84-96 (End of chapter.)

Good, Old-fashioned Reading Assessment

(Two to four sentences per question.)

1) Who is Lucious Brockway?

2) What is the significance of, “If It’s Optic White, It’s the Right White”?

3) What happens when the IM goes into the locker room where the union is meeting?

4) What happens when the IM goes back to his post with Mr. Brockway?

Interpretive questions:

Why does Mr. Norton give Trueblood the $100?What is the significance of the parallels between Norton’s and Trueblood’s “incestuous” feelings and actions?Why does Ellison give such a lengthy portion of the novel to Trueblood’s story?What level of understanding does the narrator have of his experience with Norton and Trueblood?

The social causes of alienation:

Pick on aspect of the reality you live in that is alienating. Create a symbolic representation of it, label which of the six forms of alienation it causes, and the degree to which it correlates with instrumental forms of production and/or relationship.

After viewing some of the examples, we will discuss the existential question:

What can the individual do about the forces of alienation?

Examination of Themes in Chapters 3 and 4

• Review the chapter and scene and clarify any factual questions.

• Develop three focused interpretive questions about the scene.

• Decide as a group to focus on one of the three questions.

• Be prepared to share your question and a passage especially useful to discussing the question.

1) 71-75 (bottom of page)2) 76-79 (bottom of page)3) 80-84 (bottom of page)4) 85- End of chapter5) 98-103 (bottom of page)6)104-End of chapter

Review the plot of your chapter.Discuss how it deals with the theme of invisibility.Note and interpret any elements of symbolism.Any surrealistic qualities?Anything else that we should note?

1. Decide which group member is going to be responsible for which of the four chapters 7-10.

2. Each group member should find a passage in his/her designated chapter.

3. After you have found a passage, free write in your notes about the significance of that passage, in relation to one of the essay topics.

4. I will tell the whole class when to stop writing. 5. At that point, go through the four passages/chapters in order,

with the person who selected the passage facilitating a five minute discussion of it. (You will thus spend about twenty minutes discussing the four passages/chapters in order.)

6. After you have finished all four chapters, we will prepare to share our passages and discussions with the class as a whole on Thursday, after the reading assessment.

Delving Deeper into Chapters 7-10

What “plot” elements of Ellison’s biography are paralleled in the novel?

What thematic elements of Ellison’s life are paralleled in the novel?

How does his biography inform your understanding of the novel?

1914-19941952

Factual Reading Assessment through Ch. 9

Three or four accurate, detailed sentences on each topic should suffice.

1) Describe the conversation that the Old Vet has with the IM and Crenshaw on the bus north.

2) Describe the conversation the IM has with Mr. Emerson’s son.

Individually:

• Review chapter 11 to refresh your memory of the plot.• Select key details that reinforce the surrealistic quality of the chapter.• Write for five minutes about the chapter, in an open-ended free write, focusing

on at least one specific passage.

In your group:

• Share the passages you focused on and your written responses to them.• Discuss surrealistic details you noted and their purpose in the chapter.• Discuss the relationship of this chapter to the themes of the novel so far,

especially those from the essay assignment.• Discuss the reasons why Ellison might be using surrealism as an aspect of his style in this chapter, the Battle Royal, and other parts of the novel.

A Journey Through Icons of Culture, Race and African-American History

Review the passages below. Be sure you have a clear factual understanding. Then discuss the IM’s experience of/views toward/unconscious connection to these aspects of his cultural background:

262-267 (Skin Whiteners and Yams)272-273 (A family’s possessions on the curb)312-313 (They can all sing and dance)319/327-331 (Cultural tchotckes)

How are we affected by the images associated with our culture?Should we escape the images associated with our culture?Can we?

Chapter 16 (The invisible celebrity.) Start on page 345 (“Look at me….”)

-Justin, standing at the front of the room, reads the Invisible Man’s speech. (Just the IM’s quoted dialogue)-Margo reads the rest of the prose– the IM’s thoughts, descriptions, etc. EXCEPT:The class reads the quoted lines that come from members of the crowd.-Colin reads Brother Jack-Amanda reads the man with the pipe.Stop on 350 at “…scientists answer that.”

Write in your notes:What is it about this scene that helps us understand how a celebrity is invisible– or made invisible? What does (or should) this scene add to the IM’s understanding of invisibility and blindness?

Find three passages from our reading of IM so far that illustrates the IM’s experience alienation, one for each of three of the forms of alienation from the lecture notes we read: powerlessness, normlessness, meaninglessness, cultural estrangement, self-estrangement, social isolation.

You can pick any three that you like, but consider which of the six seem most central to the IM’s experience and the themes of invisibility and blindess– as well as the other themes of the novel.

Create a visual symbolic representation of his alienation that represents the three forms he is experiencing. (I will give you paper and pens.)

Be prepared to read your three selected passages. The class will interpret your symbolic representation of his alienation.

Ras the Exhorter, Clifton, and the plunge outside of history

Page 368-377: From “My Brothers, the time has come for action...” to the break on 377.

Page 430-438: From “Hello, there,” I began…” to the break on 438.

What does it mean to “plunge outside of history?”Which, if any, characters have done it?Is it possible? (According to Ellison’s presentation of it.)How does this idea relate to the larger themes of the novel?

Find a passage in which one of the symbols is presented (through the leg chain in chapter 18). Re-read the passage and discuss how the symbol functions as a part of the story.

How is it presented descriptively?What role does it play in the plot?How do characters interact with it?

What is your interpretation of the symbol? Consider not only the object itself, but its description, its role in the plot and how characters interact with it.

Be prepared to present your ideas visually as well as verbally.

Examples: The stripper, the brief case, the white paint, the yams, the toy bank, the leg chain– plenty more you might think of.

Individually:

Write a thesis statement on your chosen theme.

In your group:

Share your thesis statements and revise them into one that you think is good. Put this on your group’s sheet.

Find three specific examples from the text related to your chosen theme. Put the page number and the first lines on the sheet. Find ones we have not yet discussed.

Revise your thesis statement, based on your reading of those examples. Write this on your sheet.

Be prepared to share and discuss.

Examine your assigned scene and find connections to the themes we have been discussing. Using specific examples from the text, be prepared to explain at least one specific passage and your interpretive ideas about it. Consider Ellison’s overt and subtle symbolism in your analysis.

1) The conversation with Brother Tarp and Brother Wrestrum’s reaction to Tarp’s leg iron 384-393

2) The IM’s assignment to the women question and his night with the white woman 409-418

3) Clifton and the Sambo doll 431-438

4) Clifton’s funeral march and the IM’s speech 450-461

Elements of Narrative Writing in Ralph Ellisons’s Invisible Man

Character development and use of dialogue

Setting development

Plot

Point of view/Tone

Prose style (diction and syntax, figurative language)

Reading AssessmentInvisible Man by Ralph Ellison

Be specific in your responses to demonstrate careful reading. (Three to four sentences.)1) Describe what the old vet says to Mr. Norton and the narrator.2) Describe what Dr. Bledsoe says to the narrator (IM) when he hears of Mr. Norton’s experience on his drive with the narrator.3) Describe the story that Reverend Barbee tells the audience at chapel.

Demonstrate careful and thoughtful reading by selecting a passage from your most recent reading and writing a response to it. Note the page and first line of the passage.

Discuss the situation and characters in the story that provide the context for the passage.

Explain the thematic significance of the passage, in its immediate context.

Explain the thematic significance of the passage as it relates to the novel as a whole, particularly key scenes in other parts of the novel that relate to the same theme.

Discuss the significance of the characters, events and themes as they relate to the “real world.”

(Two to four sentences per question.)

1)What happens when Clifton and the IM confront Ras?

2)How did Brother Tarp get the leg chain on his desk?

3)What does Brother Wrestrum accuse the IM of doing to undermine the Brotherhood?

4)How does the Brotherhood resolve the “trial” Wrestrum’s charges lead to?

(White) Women in Invisible Man

• The Woman at the Battle Royal (19-21)• Emma at the Chthonian (300-315)• Woman after lecture (410-419)• Sybil from the Chthonian (515-532)

Examine the scenes above and be prepared to discuss the symbolic and political meaning of Ellison’s representation of White women and the narrator’s “interaction” with them. You can discuss Mary as a contrast, too.

Violence in Invisible Man

• The narrator’s “mugging” of the man in the street (Prologue)• The Battle Royal (Chapter 1)• The riot at the Golden Day (Chapter 3)• The narrator’s fight with Lucious Brockway and the explosion at

the paint factory. (Chapter 10)• Todd Clifton is beaten and shot by the police. (Chapter 20)• The riot in Harlem in response to Clifton’s death. (Chapter 25)

Examine the scenes above and be prepared to discuss the symbolic and political meaning of Ellison’s use of violence as an aspect of the narrator’s life and world. You can discuss other related scenes, too.

Two to Four Sentences per Question

1)What happens when Sybil visits the IM at his apartment?

2)What do the men do with the Kerosene they take from the hardware store?

3)What happens in the last confrontation between the IM and Ras?

4)What symbolic process does the IM go through when he first wakes up in the dark in his “hole”?

Feedback on interpretive and analytical essays on Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man

Write out at least one clear, specific, concrete suggestion for the author:

1) What is the author’s central interpretive argument? How could the author state that argument more clearly, especially in the introduction?

2) What are the author’s key supporting points? How could the author more effectively state those points and tie them to the central argument?

3) What could the author do to more effectively use quoted examples to support the supporting points and central argument?

4) What could the author do to develop the commentary that explains how the examples support the central argument?

5) What could the author do to make transitions and the organization clearer and more supportive of the central argument?