Invisible Man

Just finished invisible man by Ralph Ellison--> seems related to gender and race discussion.

Anyway, Invisible man is one of the best books I have ever read. It is so packed with symbolism and emotion. I don't think there is any line in the book that just describes how something looks or an action. Everything has multiple meanings and endless significance. 

"The novel addresses many of the social and intellectual issues facing African-Americans in the early twentieth century, including black nationalism, the relationship between black identity and Marxism, and the reformist racial policies of Booker T. Washington, as well as issues of individuality and personal identity." 

The main character- Tim- as in The.Invisible.Man.  faces endless hardships throughout the book, including being used and spited by the system and his superiors. Tim begins by accepting his own marginalization through justifications about the black experience. In the beginning he dreams of being a black man with money, respect and intellectual prowess all while still being subservient to white people. He soon learns that this is not a realistic truth. The more he justifies the actions of others and stifles his identity and his own freedom, the closer he gets to losing it. Eventually Tim truley understands what it is to be invisible, to not be seen as a man or by your personality, but as black and as a tool to be used and sacrificed. He has a total identity shift and frees himself of his blinding illusions. 

For my english class on the book we had to write found poems- using mine and Ellison's words. Mine brings up feelings about the system Tim discovers and about what was really happening for Tim and black people at the time. Many of the themes are from the book so if you don't follow them, I encourage you to read it through and see what you think.

The Cycle

Found Poem inspired by Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man

If you’re white, you’re right,

As long as he’s satisfied the system continues,

Built and fed by the oppressed,

Masters’ harsh faces looming,

I’m your destiny, I made you

Because Ain’t a continental thing that happens down here that ain’t as iffen  I done put my black hands into it,

Americas backbone and it’s sacrificial lamb,

They want you guilty of your own murder, your own sacrafice,

So they can turn your death, sorrow and defeat into propaganda,

Optic white propaganda, you’re painted over and hidden,

If it’s optic white, it’s the right white,

The liquid was dead black, you stir it till it disappears,

They just mixes in the color, make it look pretty,

Down here is where the real paint is made,

And you and I are stuck down here,

Clubbed into the cellar before I caught the hint,

They wait to feed on us until the time is right,

Until we are used and empty, the power of jack,

And Deep down you come to suspect that you’re yourself to blame.

Read the book and comment away

- MAX