1. Invisible Man Ralph Ellison FOLK 195 March 4, 2003 Jean Ferguson

2. Invisible Man O What does it mean to be unseen? O “I am an invisible man…”

3. Invisible Man: Overview

4. Invisible Man: Ralph Ellison O Born March 1, 1914 in Oklahoma City, OK (named after Ralph Waldo Emerson) O Father died in 1917 resulted in economic struggle O Mother active in socialist politics O Attended college at the Tuskegee Institute to study Music O Moved to Harlem in New York City to study sculpture and photography O Took seven years to write Invisible Man (1952) O Taught at Bard College, Rutgers and NYU O Published other novels O Died April 16, 1994

5. Invisible Man: Characters O Narrator O Grandfather O Dr. Bledsoe O Mr. Norton O Mary O Brother Jack O Tod Clifton O Ras, the Destroyer

6. Invisible Man: Structure O Framed Narrative O Retreat O Battle Royal O College O New York O Harlem O The Brotherhood O Retreat

7. Invisible Man: Major Themes O Invisibility/Blindness O We choose not to see the ugly truths around us O Society ignores the oppressed O How we change perceptions of the self in society O Identity/Black Identity O Defining who you are through your relationships with others O Who is my authentic self? (Self versus who we WANT to be) O Is this a universal search or is it specific to an African-American man in a predominately Caucasian society? O Does failure lead us to truth? O Dualism O Being two seemingly contradictory things at once. O Being black in a white society O Are we what is projected onto us? O Existential Search for Self O Realizing that you are responsible for your actions/reactions in a chaotic world O Oppression O Society’s role in oppressing us all O The oppression of African-Americans

8. Invisible Man: Motifs O Dreams O Sex O Violence O Paper O Vision (Physical seeing, Delusions, Illusions, Reveries) O Oratory (The Power of Speaking) O Music O Family O Power

9. Invisible Man O “What Did I Do to Be So Black and Blue” Louis Armstrong O Cold empty bed...springs hurt my head Feels like ole ned...wished i was dead What did i do...to be so black and blue Even the mouse...ran from my house They laugh at you...and all that you do What did i do...to be so black and blue I'm white...inside...but, that don't help my case That's life...can't hide...what is in my face How would it end...ain't got a friend My only sin...is in my skin What did i do...to be so black and blue (instrumental break) How would it end...i ain't got a friend My only sin...is in my skin What did i do...to be so black and blue