Invisible Man: Chapter 2 Reading Questions

Chapter 2

1. How does the statue of the founder fit into the sight imagery begun in the Prologue? M

The statue is similar to the imagery in the prologue because it talks about slavery, when he is trying to decide if the veil is being lower or lifted. I found in a relation with the background history of his father in the prologue, where he talks about how they were told that they were going to be free but they couldn’t decide if they were actually being free.

2. Look at the “Maxims of Emerson” handout. Are Norton’s comments ironic? Why or why not?

    Handout?? Didn’t receive any handout relating to this.

3. Notice that Norton smokes a cigar. Does this connect him to other men of power? Who?

The cigar does connect him to the other men in power that were in chapter 1 at the Smoker. Cigars were expensive back then and you would mostly see rich men with them, men who had power.

4. Do you sense anything unnatural about Norton’s relationship with his daughter? On p. 51.

Yes, he sounds obsessed about her beauty because he exalts it when he speaks about her. When he talks about her he says, “I could never believe her to be my own flesh and blood. “ This is where I started to realize that this man was looking at his daughter with more than a father should.

5. Norton seems amazed that Trueblood has “looked upon chaos and [is] not destroyed.” What do you make of this comment? I believe he is amazed at the fact that he could get away with such thing and that people eventually accepted him. He is amazed that the man could live with himself after getting both his wife and daughter pregnant.  
6. How might the clock in Trueblood’s dream symbolize the modern mechanized world?

The clock in Trueblood’s dream could symbolize the modern mechanized world by representing the control and organization that whites tend to have with time. Everything they do has to be on time, in a certain time.

7. Do you find any symbolism in Trueblood’s name?

I have some thought that his name could have symbolism but I’m not sure how exactly. Could it be that it could relate to the incest in the novel. How true blood could actually mean blood as in family.

8. Did you find the incest story disturbing? Why does Ellison include it?

I do find the story disturbing and strange. I believe he includes this story to pick back up on the desire of people’s incest/ forbidding pleasure or desire. Ellison first brings up incest in the scene where Mr. Norton talks about his daughter in a detailed and exalting manner. Mr. Norton has a great desire to hear Trueblood’s story, which reveals his incestuous desires with his daughter. He also keeps emphasizing on her purity, her sexuality.

9. Read the final paragraph on p. 67 that begins “Things got to happenin’ right off.” What do you make of the White community’s willingness to help Trueblood? How does this relate to the grandfather’s deathbed speech?

The white community helps Trueblood because unlike other Blacks he is an example of black inferiority and is why Whites praise him and find him amusing. However, to the Blacks he is a disgrace that is bringing them down instead of helping them.

Invisible Man: Chapter 1 Reading Questions

Chapter 1

1.     How does the Battle Royal illuminate to the narrator the differences between Blacks and Whites?  The Battle Royal illuminates the social struggle. The white men were described as animals. The differences between Blacks and Whites were the ability to see, the narrator was blindfolded, which was a disadvantage for him but also a reality. The Blacks were treated badly like animals and the whites are not treated bad at all. 

2.     What shocking surprises does the narrator have that night?

-The Blonde that was dancing and the amazement on the faces of the men.

-The royal battle: He was blind folded

-His speech: the rejection he saw when he said “social inequality”

3.     How does the Battle Royal symbolize the narrator’s struggle for identity? The battle royal symbolizes as the social and power of those superior (whites) struggle. It specifically targets that the life of Blacks is a struggle and that they have to work really hard to obtain it.

4.     How does it symbolize the plight of Blacks in that time period in general?

It symbolizes the plight of Blacks in that time period by showing how back then Blacks were tread horrendously, they were made fun of, and they were kept down from their dreams. In the time of racial segregation in schools, students of “color” were given the worst education and material, even if these students wanted to learn they couldn’t. Just like today, Blacks in that time period believed that education can take you far in life, however in IM, we see that it doesn’t matter how much Blacks try, they will never get what they desire, they will always be put down by those in power.

5.     The narrator gives a number of speeches throughout the novel. This is the first. Study it carefully and write a brief summary. What is the topic and why is that topic ironic?

Summary: In the speech, the narrator tells them it about social equality but the white man get very upset and he tells them that he meant to say “social responsibility”, he talks about people of all different colors working together to make life easier and he quotes Booker T. Washington. His speech is ironic because his audience is white people. People who are racist and don’t care about a word that he has to say, the same people that have just beaten him before his speech.

6.     In what ways are the Blacks at the smoker humiliated? Why do the White men take such pleasure in that humiliation? Blacks are humiliated in many ways, they were made fun of, insulted, they were forced to watch the naked women, fight, and in the rug scene they were tricked and told that they would receive money.

The whites took pleasure in this humiliation because they believe that that’s what the blacks deserved.

7.     The narrator clings to the White man’s chair and thinks of tossing the man on the electrified rug. How does this scene symbolize the consequences of Black rebellion in a White world?

The scene symbolizes the consequence of a Black rebellion by showing them (Blacks) that they are weak and that the Whites are stronger since he didn’t succeed in putting him down. So in society, they are set for failure.

8.     List all reference to the image of blindness.
     a) The blindfold 
     b)"Had the price of looking been blindness..." 
      c) "..but now I felt a sudden fit of blind terror" 

9.     What is the significance of the narrator’s dream at the end of the chapter?

The narrator’s dream is significant because it symbolizes the idea of the “American Dream”, that people can obtain their own dreams and desires by working hard enough. However, at the end of his dream in a letter he finds in a briefcase, he reads “keep this boy running…” this quote is a reference to slave history when Africans were forced to run for their lives. This quote is also symbolic because it could also mean that to actually “keep this boy running” or to not give him anything no matter how hard he/they try they will never achieve what they want.

Anticipation Questions: Invisible Man

1. Viewing Response: In the photograph by Jeff Wall, the photo is an image of his imagination and mostly based off of Ralph Ellison's book, Invisible man. In the photo I see an African-American man sitting on a chair with his back turned. I believe this was done in purpose since the title of the book is named “Invisible man” which is why maybe as viewers we can’t get a glimpse of his face.In the photograph, something you can not miss is the great number of light bulbs on the ceiling which is unusual because you really don’t go into anyone’s house and see hundreds of light bulbs on the ceiling. I’m curious about why this man has so many light bulbs. Perhaps they mean something to him? Or maybe he collects them? The small room seems to be the man’s home which we could imply that he is not rich and therefore lives in this crowded place. He has a kitchen on the left and in the left corner there appears to be a phonograph which could indicate that the man is a fan of old things such as the record player or just simply that he lived in the 1900’s. I personally find the photograph highly interesting but I’m not sure if I like it. When I look at this photo it makes me feel sort of sad because of the conditions the man lives in but at the same time it’s surprising to me that he has accommodated to these living conditions. It reminds me of the financial struggles of many people around the world.

2.  Listening Response: The song Black and Blue by Louis Armstrong has a gloomy tone. Armstrong sings about rejection and his feelings. In the song, Armstrong sings about race, specifically about being Black. He talks about the mistreatments that being black has caused him and he questions himself about why he had “to be so black and blue”. He tells himself that he wishes he was dead. It’s sad to hear someone say that they wish they were dead because of their skin color and refer it as a “sin”. The song reminds me of our history in the period of racial segregation. About the feelings that African Americans must have felt when they were treated badly just because they were black. Armstrong sends a strong message of the emotional reaction of African Americans towards the hate and rejection of Caucasians for not being just like them. I don’t think that back then the thought of suicide was rare. The song brings up many memories of racial inequality that although people don’t admit it but it still exist till this day. For example, the idea of white privilege. I believe that the song does sort of relate to the photograph by Jeff Wall because the photo could represent the feelings inside of an African American being “white” or bright and warm like the light bulbs. The man in the photo is alone just like in the song where Armstrong sings that he has no friends.

3. Reading Response:  The passage does not resonant to me but I understand the meaning behind the passage. It conveys the message of how people try so hard to be noticed and fit in. This is sad but true. A prime example of this could be seen in schools. Many teenagers want to be accepted to some clique because not many like to feel lonely and unwanted. People do the craziest things to fit in. Sometimes you find yourself doing and saying things you might not want just to be accepted. For example, in gangs, you had to kill someone to join. In today’s society many kids are peer pressured into doing drugs to be accepted or “respected” by others.This is a sad truth in our society we are always seeking for accepting missing the true happiness. I’ve seen the urge to be accepted in many of my friends but I strongly believe that you shouldn't have to try to be liked because you are only putting a facade in front of those you wish to please but it will only make you happy for a while. At the end of the day those that didn’t want to be your friends will not matter in your future. All of this is true however not for all, sometimes there are people who want to know that they are apart of something because they feel like nothing. They feel like any other person in this world in therefore try to seek for answers and acceptance because maybe all their lives they have felt “invisible”.

Hamlet Reading Questions: Act 5

Act V
1. At the opening of act five, one of the two Clowns (rustics, or men of lower class, not clowns as we understand the word) is puzzled that Ophelia will receive a proper burial. Why? How does the Second Clown explain this treatment (5.1.22)? (Also, note the Priest’s reluctance in the proceedings)
They are puzzled because in the time of Shakespeare’s time, people who committed suicide were not giving a Christian burial. The second clown explains the treatment by saying that although they say that she didn’t commit suicide and therefore it’s ok to give her a Christian burial, the real reason why she is receiving a Christian burial is because she is rich and if she wasn’t rich she wouldn’t of have gotten a burial.

2. Whose skull does Hamlet recognize in the graveyard?
Hamlet recognizes Yorick. He was a former court jester’s.

3. How long has the “grave-­‐maker” been working at his craft? What events coincided with his first day on the job?
The grave-maker begins to work at his craft the day King Hamlet defeated Fortinbras, which was the same day Hamlet was born.

4. Hamlet imagines that the dirt that the Clown is digging could actually be who? What happens to these great figures in Hamlet’s imagining?
Hamlet imagines that the dirt could be Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar. He says that it’s sad that these man die and then become dirt and then materials that are used to fix things without much importance like turning into clay to fix holes on the wall.

5. There are two surprising stage directions in 5.1: Laertes, then Hamlet, “leaps into the grave.” What are they fighting over?!
They are fighting over Ophelia who is dead but they fight for who loves her more and how would do more to show how sad they feel.

6. Hamlet did inherit something from his father that proves quite useful in his stratagem against Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. What is it?
He inherited his father's signet ring, which he used to seal a letter that he wrote to England that was saying to condemn the messengers to death, which are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

7. What causes Hamlet’s death (and is also the cause of death for the entire Danish court (including Hamlet I))?
Poison is the cause for their death. The elder King Hamlet is killed by poison and so it Hamlet but slightly different, he was stabbed by a poisoned sword and so was Laertes and Claudius killed the same way. Gertrude had drunk the wine that contained poison.

8. What is Laertes’s dying wish? Is it fulfilled?
His dying wish was for Hamlet to forgive him and set a peace between them. Hamlet says “Heaven make thee free from it” but he doesn’t necessarily forgive him.

9. Just before Hamlet dies, he offers his “dying voice” to Fortinbras. What does he mean by this? What is going to happen to Denmark after the play?
He means that he gives him the vote to be the Danish King. He wants him to be the king of Denmark. Denmark after the play will have a new king.

10. What orders does Fortinbras give at the end of the play? What is the significance, do you think, of this action?

He orders 4 captains to carry out Hamlet like solider onto the stage. He says that he would have been a great King if he had gotten the chance. He orders for Hamlet to have military music and military rites that will speak of his heroic actions. This is a significant action because it represents peace since that’s what Hamlet was asking for in the letter and this was Fortinbras way of showing the agreement of peace.   

Hamlet Reading Questions: Act 4

Act IV
1. What is the real reason, as revealed at the end of 4.3, Claudius has sent Hamlet away?

The real reason Hamlet was sent away was because Claudius wants him dead.

2. What has Hamlet done with the body of Polonius? What kind of a funeral did Polonius receive, according to the King (4.5)?

Hamlet put his body “upstairs into the main lobby”. Polonius received a secret funeral, no funeral rites or military display, no noble rites or formal ceremony. It wasn’t a proper burial.

3. On his way out of Denmark, Hamlet encounters a captain from the army of Fortinbras (4.4). Where are they headed? What are they fighting for?

They are headed to invade some part of Poland and they are fighting to win a little patch of ground that isn’t worth anything according to the Captain.

4. How is Ophelia described in the stage direction that marks her entrance to 4.5? What does she sing about in her songs? What does she hand out to the court?
She is described as insane. In her songs she sings about Hamlet and love. She also sings about her father and how he died but more about her love, hamlet. She hands out flowers to the court.

5. What news does the Messenger bring of Laertes in 4.5? Has he returned to Denmark alone? Compare his state to Hamlet’s report at 4.7.

That Laertes is leading the group of supporters that will rebel against Claudius for the death of Polonius.

6. Note how Laertes describes his motivation for revenge in 4.5. What is driving him?
He describes his motivation by saying that if he is his father’s son he must do something about his death but the only thing that is stopping him is his free will. Someone who also seems to push him on to getting revenge is Claudius.

7. What turn of events does Hamlet report to Horatio in his letter in 4.6?
In Hamlet’s letter he tells Horatio that he has been kidnapped and he wants him to come save him.

8. Claudius comes up with a very complicated plan for Laertes to execute his revenge in 4.7. What is it? Notice what Laertes wants to do (4.7)!

Plan A is to have both Hamlet and Laertes play a sword fight and then Laertes would kill/ stab Hamlet with a poisonous sword.

Plan B is that if that doesn’t work then Claudius will give him a drink that will have poison in it.

9. How do we learn of Ophelia’s death? What are its odd circumstances?

According to Gertrude, she drowned intentionally. She was singing songs like she wasn’t aware of the dangers and her clothes became heavy and she drowned.