Ralph Ellison’s

 Ellison wrote Invisible Man over the course of five years—from the late 1940s to the early ’50s. The Harlem Renaissance heavily influenced Ellison.  It’s considered one of the most significant novels of the 20 th century

 The novel deals with the ever-present monster of race in America  Ellison was a black man who tried to make a significant point in this book: no matter what a black man achieves in America, he will not be seen as an individual; rather, he will be seen as a member of a monolith.

 Essentially, though society claims to be free, it remains a prison for many.  According to Ellison, race is a mechanism of power. This is not limited to whites.  Central question: How can one person make a difference when all avenues to power are occupied by the duplicitous?

 Ellison’s writing teems with sound devices (the musicality of the Harlem Renaissance is one reason):  Alliteration and anaphora highlight some of his most poignant points.  Impressive diction, but not formal.  Uses frenzied tone (driven by syntax) to highlight alienation.

By the end of this novel, you should be able to:  discuss the significance of the title as it relates to the main theme of the novel  analyze the use of rhetorical devices—especially sound devices—on the tone and meaning of the novel  examine the author’s use of metaphor  trace the growth of the narrator in the following areas: release of emotion, acceptance of heritage, awareness of self  explore the author’s use of blindness and light as symbols  analyze the author’s attempts at satire  identify social, economic, and racial character types represented by some of the characters  offer a close reading of Invisible Man and support all assertions and interpretations with ASR and authoritative critical knowledge of the novel’s context