Scribe Post 10/20

In the beginning of class, we had a grammar lesson on parallelism (similar ideas or phrases joined together in the same sentence in a grammatically correct way). This is a good website to practice and learn parallelism: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/623/01/

During the Invisible Man discussion, we were asked to think about the key symbols we thought were the most significant and powerful in the book so far.

It was decided that Eyes signify a number of things:

1. The inner and true self. On page 102, the narrator says, "As we approached a mirror Dr. Bledsoe stopped and composed his angry face like a sculptor, making it a bland mask, leaving only the sparkle of his eyes to betray the emotion that I had seen only a moment before." In this quote, the narrator says that the only evidence of Bledsoe's real emotions is in his eyes.

2. How he is viewed within society and the larger world. Jordan took us to page 336 when the narrator says, "Perhaps simply to be known, to be looked upon by so many people, to be the focal point of so many concentrating eyes, perhaps this was enough to make one different; enough to transform one into something else." He describes how the way the world sees you can change the person you are.

3. Someone's point of view. Karan noted that on page 343 the narrator says in his speech, "Think about it, they've dispossessed us each of one eye from the day we're born. So now we can only see in straight white lines." The message is that they have developed a parochial view of equality. It goes back to how the Institute taught in one way. What's interesting is the use of "white" as an adjective before "lines," which could mean that whites are responsible for their blindness.

Colors of animals was another key symbol. David pointed out that a quote on page 337, "three white men and three black horses," signifies that whites come before blacks and thats how its always going to be.

Also, the juxtaposition of the colors black and white throughout the novel is a symbol of hierarchy of society. Mr. Neal pointed out that Ellison uses these colors at Tod Cliftons funeral because Harelem is rising up and shutting out the brotherhood who abandoned them. They're taking control from whites and gaining power but it's hard to keep it.

We also discussed the distortion in the color white (ex. the coal painted white).

Guilded - wood w/ thin layer of gold; "the perfect image that if you just scratch it shows the corruption underneath." - Mr. Neal

**Remember to continue the conversation on racial stereotypes in the next class.

The next scribe is Courtenay!