Hello elite scholars of DHS,
Sadly, I am unable to be present for 6th period on Monday, April 2nd, but fear not - I have guidance for you.
On the Friday before break, we talked about the opening prologue of Ellison's Invisible Man. Ellison does something quite remarkable in this book: he both remains attached to the literary traditions of Western Literature (see bildungsroman notes) as well as takes a few notes from the Modernism Movement as he makes his writing style new and different (see jazz music notes). By now, you have reached chapter five and have hopefully noticed the novel is full of symbols - such as the lights in his underground room or the briefcase he received after the Battle Royale. Even the characters themselves symbolize different societal mindsets and outlooks of Americans (both white and black) of Ellison's time. Make no mistake about it - this novel is expansive as heck. If you're a bit overwhelmed, know that you are not alone. To deconstruct the beginning of Ellison's story, lets look at a few guiding questions.
With this in mind, I want you to turn to your Quad groups, take out Invisible Man and your notes, and discuss the following questions - make sure to take notes on these questions:
1) Discuss the significance of the narrator's grandfather (opening two pages of Chapter 1). What does the grandfather reveal on his deathbed? How does the narrator interpret these words?
2) How might the Battle Royale be considered a symbol for the experience of the marginalized (such as African-Americans in the case of the narrator) in American society? Consider the details of what happens to the narrator during the entire episode (make sure you understand the substance of the speech the narrator delivers to the drunk attendees - this will be important for tomorrow's lesson)
3) Chapters 2 and 3 recount the "chauffeur episode" of the narrator's story. How would you describe Mr. Norton as a character? What role does he play - and does he thinks he plays - in society? In what ways does he "see" or not "see" the narrator as a human being.
4) The narrator and Mr. Norton come across several people on their modified road trip (don't worry, we can talk about that messed-up Trueblood stuff later), but I'm most interested in the Vet from the Golden Day. What do both Mr. Norton and the narrator learn from the Vet during their conversation? How does the Vet comment on the narrator's "invisibility?" Does he have a point?
For the rest of class, you should either read chapter 5 of the book or study for the poetry in-class essay coming up on Wednesday. On Tuesday we'll talk about these discussion questions as well as "The Founder" in chapter 5 (spoiler-alert: it's an allusion to Booker T. Washington). We'll also do a mini-review of poetry. Wednesday will be the poetry in-class essay. On Friday I will hand back the research essays with next steps in the rewrite process. See you all on Tuesday!
-Mr. Achimore
