Megan Rupe

Warner

English 112B

9 May 2011

The Creation of Identity – Universalizing Invisible Man

Why I Chose this Centerpiece:

Adolescence is a time to establish identity. Teenagers stand on the brink of adulthood, beginning to establish an identity away from their parents and family and receive more influence from their peers. And though this offers more freedom, there is no real escape from the influence of others, complicating the way in which young persons �find themselves.� Ralph Ellison�s Invisible Man echoes this inner quest for identity in the physical and highly symbolic journey of his unnamed narrator. Invisible Man has shown up on the AP English test more than any other novel and is thus widely taught in AP English classes. I find this novel to be highly relevant to young adults but quite possibly beyond the comprehension of the average student. The themes of identity, journey, race, and invisibility are universal. My goal is to create a lesson plan that helps decode the complexities of Ralph Ellison�s writing style and explicates the universal themes of the novel to make it more relevant and accessible to a typical high school student.

One of the problems with teaching Invisible Man is that, like its enigmatic narrator, it almost defies definition. To pick up the novel off a book shelf, there is no �plot blurb� to compel a potential reader to pick it up and buy it. To put it simply, it is about a young, African-American man and his involvement with the early Civil Rights movement. The narrator encounters characters embodying the ideas of early activists ranging from Booker T. Washington to Marcus Garvey. But beneath the surface, the novel �tells unparalleled truths about the nature of bigotry and its effects on the minds of both victims and perpetrators [�] usher[ing] readers into a parallel universe that throws our own in harsh and even hilarious relief� (Ellison). What both these definitions fail to take into account is the universality of the story as Ellison�s narrator concludes, �Who knows but that, on the lower frequencies, I speak for you?� (Ellison 581). Considering all these definitions, Invisible Man could be considered historical fiction, a dystopian novel, African-American literature, or realistic fiction. It is in fact all these things, which is why I feel compelled to incorporate all these genres into my unit of study.

Launching the Unit:

Before reading Invisible Man with students, consider completing one or more of the following activities with your students:

1. Ask your students to journal about invisibility: What is invisibility? Are there multiple ways to define it? Write about a time you felt invisible. Is it a negative thing or can it be advantageous?

2. Have your students read the following poems:

�Theme for English B� – Langston Hughes

The instructor said,

Go home and write
a page tonight.
And let that page come out of you---
Then, it will be true.

I wonder if it's that simple?
I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem.
I went to school there, then Durham, then here
to this college on the hill above Harlem.
I am the only colored student in my class.
The steps from the hill lead down into Harlem
through a park, then I cross St. Nicholas,
Eighth Avenue, Seventh, and I come to the Y,
the Harlem Branch Y, where I take the elevator
up to my room, sit down, and write this page:

It's not easy to know what is true for you or me
at twenty-two, my age. But I guess I'm what
I feel and see and hear, Harlem, I hear you:
hear you, hear me---we two---you, me, talk on this page.
(I hear New York too.) Me---who?
Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love.
I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.
I like a pipe for a Christmas present,
or records---Bessie, bop, or Bach.
I guess being colored doesn't make me NOT like
the same things other folks like who are other races.
So will my page be colored that I write?
Being me, it will not be white.
But it will be
a part of you, instructor.
You are white---
yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.
That's American.
Sometimes perhaps you don't want to be a part of me.
Nor do I often want to be a part of you.
But we are, that's true!
As I learn from you,
I guess you learn from me---
although you're older---and white---
and somewhat more free.

This is my page for English B.

�I, too, Sing America� – Langston Hughes

I, too, sing America.
 
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
 
Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.
 
Besides, 
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed--
 
I, too, am America.
a. Have your students discuss and compare these poems - What do they say about identity? What do they say about the African-American experience? What do they say about America and the American identity? What is the relationship between the speaker and the dominant white society? Is there an element of invisibility in these poems?

3. Show a clip of the song �Trapped� by Jamaican reggae artist Jimmy Cliff (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRge7lXu56E) and the cover version by American rocker Bruce Springsteen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2eE9H7Nzww). Also provide a copy of the lyrics to both songs (lyrics provided at end of packet). Have students discuss and compare the two versions.

a. What is the song about? Is the song about identity? Race? Is it a protest song? Is it anti-government? What images and emotions do the lyrics evoke? How does Springsteen change the lyrics? Do these changes alter the meaning of the song?

b. How does the music affect the tone of the song? Compare the tone in Cliff and Springsteen�s version? Does the tone affect the overall meaning?

c. Jimmy Cliff is a black Jamaican. Bruce Springsteen is a white American. Does this affect your interpretation of the song? Is the song still relevant when performed by Springsteen? Is there a suggestion of interconnectedness between the races?

Extending the Unit:

1. To help students comprehend the more historical aspects of Invisible Man, include historical resources. I include these resources both for their historical significance and because they relate to the themes of oration and rhetoric in Invisible Man. Possible historical resources include:

a. excerpts from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, written by Himself : Douglass recounts his own journey from a slave to a free man. Critical moments that could be excerpted include Douglass� master explaining to his wife why slaves should not be taught to read and Douglass� subsequent realization that reading is the key to freedom. The episode when Douglass confronts the slave breaker and gains control from him also deals with identity and freedom.

b. �Atlanta Exposition Address (1893)� by Booker T. Washington: In this speech, Washington explains the need for African-Americans to learn trades and grow themselves economically before asking for equal rights. Ralph Ellison�s narrator initially holds this rather controversial view and can be a source of debate for students.

c. �Speech on Race: A More Perfect Union� by Barack Obama: In this speech, Obama discusses the ways in which race divides America and the ways it makes the country unique and the union stronger.

2. To help the student�s understand the main themes of Invisible Man and the motifs that highlight them, keep a running list of motifs. Allow students to add to this list after every reading assignment.

3. In addition to Invisible Man, students will complete an enrichment reading book. The book should relate to Invisible Man and in particular, the theme or motif that most interests them. Students may find a book of their own choosing or one from the following list:

a. After the First Death by Robert Cormier: This novel is told from the perspective of three different young adults during the high jacking of a school bus. Miro�s perspective relates best to Invisible Man. He has been separated from his homeland and family. He gets involved in a terrorist plot but continues to struggle with his actions and his identity.

b. First Crossing: Stories about Teen Immigrants edited by Donald R. Gallo: This is a compilation of stories about teenage immigrants (or children of immigrants). Characters come from diverse backgrounds ranging from Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Stories demonstrate the struggles of immigration and the way immigration and race impact identity. Particularly strong stories include �My Favorite Chaperone� by Jean Davies Okimoto, �They Don�t Mean It� by Lensey Namioka, �Lines of Scrimmage� by Elsa Marston, and �The Rose of Sharon� by Marie G. Lee.

c. Necessary Roughness by Marie G. Lee: This novel (by the author of �The Rose of Sharon�) is about Korean siblings who move with their parents from their home in Los Angeles to an Asian-free community in Minnesota. The two teenagers face discrimination in their new school but Chan finds solace on the football team. This novel demonstrates the complex way identity can be defined and changed by new surroundings.

d. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie: In addition to text, this humorous and painful novel features illustrations and comics. Arnold Spirit is an emotional, intelligent, and creative young man who does not fit in at all on his Indian Reservation. To further his education, he transfers to an affluent all white high school where he struggles against racism. As Arnold begins to gain acceptance in the white community, he fears drifting away from his people and losing the �Indian� part of his identity.

e. Dreams from my Father by Barack Obama: This apolitical autobiography by President Barack Obama echoes the journey and struggle for identity portrayed in Invisible Man. As an African-American, Obama struggles to discover identity as he is raised by a white mother and white grandparents with little contact with African-American culture. Though technically not a young adult novel, Obama discusses his childhood in the United States and Indonesia, through his high school and college education, and finishes with his work as a community organizer in Chicago.

f. The Crazy Horse Electric Game by Chris Crutcher: Star baseball player Willie Weaver feels he has lost everything when he suffers a head injury and loses his athletic ability. Willie runs away from his home in Montana to inner city Oakland, California. Over the course of his journey, Willie regains his mental and physical ability and is ready to return home. This novel reflects the theme of journey and identity in Invisible Man.

g. The Giver by Lois Lowry: This dystopian novel is about a �perfect� community where the government makes all major decisions for its citizens. As young Jonas prepares for his future career as the �Receiver of Memories� he begins to unravel the startling truth behind his society. Though Invisible Man is not technically a dystopian novel, Ellison�s purpose is very similar to Lowry�s. Both criticize government control and conformity.

h. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros: Written in vignettes which each stand as a mini-story, this novella follows the life of Esperanza as she develops physically and emotionally. Esperanza�s development is strongly influenced by her family, friends, and neighborhood. Her perspective adds an important aspect to the discussion of identity.

Concluding the Unit

By the end of the unit, students should have a strong understanding of identity, the complications of race in defining identity. To demonstrate their understanding, unit should culminate in an essay where students trace one of Invisible Man�s themes throughout the novel and explore its evolution. They should tie in evidence from their enrichment reading book to help strengthen their argument.

Work Cited

Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little Brown & Co, 2007.

Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage, 1991.

Cliff, Jimmy. "Trapped: Lyrics". Thrill Hill Productions, Inc. Web. 10 May 2011. <http://www.brucespringsteen.net/songs/Trapped.html>.

Crutcher, Chris. The Crazy Horse Electric Game. New York: Greenwillow Books, 2003.

Cormier, Robert. After the First Death. New York : Laurel Leaf Library, 1979.

Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2003.

Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man. New York: Vintage International, 1980.

First Crossing: Stories about Teen Immigrants. Ed. Donald R. Gallo. Cambridge: Candlewick Press, 2007.

Hughes, Langston. Selected Poems of Langston Hughes. New York: Vintage Classics, 1987.

Lee, Marie G.. Necessary Roughness. New York: HarperTeen, 1998.

Lowry, Lois. The Giver. New York: Delacorte Books, 2003.

Obama, Barack. "Speech on Race: A More Perfect Union." American Political Thought. Ed. Kenneth M. Dolbeare and Michael S. Cummings. Washington D.C.: CQ Press, 2010.

Washington, Booker T.. "Atlanta Exposition Address (1893)." A Documentary History of the United States. Ed. Richard D. Hefner. New York: Signet, 2002.