I have started to notice a recurring theme in the novel: the dehumanization of black people. Through examples and thoughts, Ellison has proven that the protagonist has been losing his identity, along with everyone else. The subject is first introduced when Mr. Emerson's assistant claims "Identity! My God! Who has any identity anymore anyway?" (187) The reader then realizes he still does not know the protagonist's name, so what is his identity? Does he even have one? The reader undergoes these realizations just as the protagonist does too.
The protagonist has begun to realize that he has been forced to be that whom the whites want him to be, thinking it was what he wanted too. The first time that he is against those social rules, is when he thinks "So I wasn't supposed to think! To hell with him." (200) Although said to a black man, this revelation might be an answer to more than just this situation. The protagonist has decided that he will think his way through life, instead of just accepting the situations handed out to him.
For the whites, the world is a machine controlled by them, and them only. This comes up to the protagonist during his only day in the factory, in which Mr. Brockway tells him "we the machines inside the machine." (217) Programed by whites. blacks have the function of being useful for whites in any way they need them to be. Interesting too about the factory, the desired product is extremely white paint, as even the logo says "'If It's Optic White, It's the Right White.'" (217) This alludes to the idea that only those who are "George Washington white" deserve to be treated as humans.
The dehumanization and loss of identity of the blacks continues in certain ways that Ellison describes a specific scene. Instead of just saying things straight, Ellison chooses to make it ambiguous so that is can relate to a greater idea. This happens when the protagonist describes his actions as "moving toward him, shouting, more at a black blur that irritated my eyes than at a clearly defined human face." (225) When he sees a black person, he is just seeing the idea of a black person, or the social construct that defines the description of a black person. This is also how Ellison wants us to see the protagonist: not as a specific character but of the representation of the thoughts and actions of a black man in that setting.
Spectators are glad to find out that blacks truly are how the picture them in society, just like everyone feels reassured when they discover that a Latino dances well or that Gringo is lazy and has bad eating habits. This feeling is described by Ellison when someone says "They really do have rhythm, don't they? Get hot, boy" Get hot!" (237) In this way, the protagonist becomes the good-rhythm, hard-working, identity-less black that whites want him to be. Dehumanization complete.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Re-Discovering Himself in A Hospital
While his first work day in the factory, our lost narrator has an accident. This accident (maybe caused by his boss?) is so strong that it is enough to knock him out of his senses and even forget his identity and place in the world -- if he ever had one--. Just when he is about to totally lose his conscience, the protagonist describes how he was "shot forward with sudden acceleration into a wet blast of black emptiness that was somehow a bath of whiteness." (230) His final loss of conscience accounts for the loss of blackness in himself, as instead of seeing black, he is faced with a white vastness. This is kind of how he must've felt when he was being born. In this way, this moment is like a rebirth for him.
The protagonist, upon his awakening, discovers that he no longer believes the ideas that had so long ago been planted in his mind for him. He says "But we are all human, I thought, wondering what I meant." (239) No longer does the protagonist believe that they are all human, or at least he is starting to questions its truthfulness. The idea that they are all equal and that blacks and whites co-unite in this perfect world is not sounding as appealing as it did before.
When the protagonist can not remember who he was before the accident, he faces himself preferring to keep it like that. Understanding that he was never truly an individual before, he cares not to be someone specific anymore. He says "I lay fretting over my identity. I suspected that I was really playing a game with myself and that they were taking part... they knew as well as I, and I for some reason preferred not to face it." (242) Giving up on "the game" of life is what the protagonist decided to do once he found out he was only a piece in the game. There was no identity necessary if you are just a piece of someone else's game.
After this revelation, the protagonist decides that he wants to be free. He knew it could destroy him as a human, but in the way it could also destroy the whites' construction. Under this pretext, he says "I had no desire to destroy myself even if it destroyed the machine; I wanted freedom, not destruction." (243) He had no true idea of how he was going to accomplish this freedom without destroying the ties that united him to the white society, until he realized "when I discover who I am, I'll be free." (243) The protagonist thought he knew who he was before, but now that he has gone through a personal awakening, he realizes that he hasn't figured out who he is yet. It is only until that moment in which he deciphers his true identity that he will be able to free himself of the limitations he possesses. As he recovers his conscience, the protagonist begins to do these small actions that place him closer to the realization of his true self.
Even having decided to find who he is, the protagonist has trouble processing the ideas that will help him find his place within -- or outside -- society. Living with Mary, the woman who offered her house after his shaky release from the hospital (notice the biblical name), the protagonist is faced with her conversations that push him to be a better person. She always reminded him what was expected of him, and tried to form him into a leader of the race who could change their position in the world. However, the narrator "found living with her pleasant except for her constant talk about leadership and responsibility." (258) Even in his apparent search, the protagonist knows he is supposed to become someone who matters for his race, but his fear and his idleness prevent him from becoming that man. This may be a message from Ellison, showing us that men like the protagonist, who have all the capacity to do something yet choose not to do so, are what keep the race in the position they were in.
The protagonist, upon his awakening, discovers that he no longer believes the ideas that had so long ago been planted in his mind for him. He says "But we are all human, I thought, wondering what I meant." (239) No longer does the protagonist believe that they are all human, or at least he is starting to questions its truthfulness. The idea that they are all equal and that blacks and whites co-unite in this perfect world is not sounding as appealing as it did before.
When the protagonist can not remember who he was before the accident, he faces himself preferring to keep it like that. Understanding that he was never truly an individual before, he cares not to be someone specific anymore. He says "I lay fretting over my identity. I suspected that I was really playing a game with myself and that they were taking part... they knew as well as I, and I for some reason preferred not to face it." (242) Giving up on "the game" of life is what the protagonist decided to do once he found out he was only a piece in the game. There was no identity necessary if you are just a piece of someone else's game.
After this revelation, the protagonist decides that he wants to be free. He knew it could destroy him as a human, but in the way it could also destroy the whites' construction. Under this pretext, he says "I had no desire to destroy myself even if it destroyed the machine; I wanted freedom, not destruction." (243) He had no true idea of how he was going to accomplish this freedom without destroying the ties that united him to the white society, until he realized "when I discover who I am, I'll be free." (243) The protagonist thought he knew who he was before, but now that he has gone through a personal awakening, he realizes that he hasn't figured out who he is yet. It is only until that moment in which he deciphers his true identity that he will be able to free himself of the limitations he possesses. As he recovers his conscience, the protagonist begins to do these small actions that place him closer to the realization of his true self.
Even having decided to find who he is, the protagonist has trouble processing the ideas that will help him find his place within -- or outside -- society. Living with Mary, the woman who offered her house after his shaky release from the hospital (notice the biblical name), the protagonist is faced with her conversations that push him to be a better person. She always reminded him what was expected of him, and tried to form him into a leader of the race who could change their position in the world. However, the narrator "found living with her pleasant except for her constant talk about leadership and responsibility." (258) Even in his apparent search, the protagonist knows he is supposed to become someone who matters for his race, but his fear and his idleness prevent him from becoming that man. This may be a message from Ellison, showing us that men like the protagonist, who have all the capacity to do something yet choose not to do so, are what keep the race in the position they were in.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Saturday, April 21, 2012
From Fear to Blending In
When the narrator first goes to college, his feelings towards whites are that of fear and inferiority. He feels he is not good enough for whites, and that he basically has to act the part of the slave. However, as he sees the example of other blacks and he moves to the "melting pot" city, his opinions start changing, and he begins to see that other option.
For instance, it is an important event in his day when he realized he "too had touched a white man and [he] felt that it had been disastrous." (114) Not even physical contact with a white was within his limits. For the narrator, Dr. Bledsoe was like a hero, as he was the only man he knew who could touch a white man with "impunity." The irony with which the reader is forced to read this highlights Ellison's opinion about the social constructs relating to blacks and whites. Ellison disagrees with the force that prohibits the narrator from touching a white man.
Even words that include the word "black" are considered a contradiction, as the narrator proposes when the orator talks about "a white blacksmith." (122) Talking about the underground escape of the race during slavery, the orator highlights how "their own have always helped their own." (123) Whites are represented as antagonists who don't even help the race, yet the white founders are to be treated as godlike. The inconsistencies that occur throughout the book with regards to black's opinion of whites confuse the reader as to what Ellison really wants us to think.
However, when the reader finally thinks all blacks are submissive to the power of whites, Ellison brings up Dr. Bledsoe, who says he "had to act the nigger." (143) To become the powerful man we know him to be, Dr. Bledsoe had to know and understand that he would be seen as a nigger, and as derogatory as the term would portray him, he had to live with it. By faking that he was no danger for powerful whites, Dr. Bledsoe was able to get where he is now.
This same idea is expressed by the vet when the narrator meets him again in his trip to New York. He very wisely says "play the game, but don't believe in it -- that much you owe yourself."(153) The relationship between blacks and whites is therefore represented as a game in which whites decide the rules and the winner, and some blacks follow along stupidly while others understand it and play along. They might even win the game, like Dr. Bledsoe did, if they learn to use it in their favor.
After having such strong opinions about the white's and the black's place in the world, the narrator can't help but be surprised when he sees how different everything is "up north." "At the street intersection I had the shock of seeing a black policeman directing traffic--and there were white drivers who obeyed his signals as though it was the most natural thing in the world." (159) Seeing as this was probably normal already when Invisible Man was published, maybe Ellison did it this way so that the reader can't relate to the narrator's feelings.
For instance, it is an important event in his day when he realized he "too had touched a white man and [he] felt that it had been disastrous." (114) Not even physical contact with a white was within his limits. For the narrator, Dr. Bledsoe was like a hero, as he was the only man he knew who could touch a white man with "impunity." The irony with which the reader is forced to read this highlights Ellison's opinion about the social constructs relating to blacks and whites. Ellison disagrees with the force that prohibits the narrator from touching a white man.
Even words that include the word "black" are considered a contradiction, as the narrator proposes when the orator talks about "a white blacksmith." (122) Talking about the underground escape of the race during slavery, the orator highlights how "their own have always helped their own." (123) Whites are represented as antagonists who don't even help the race, yet the white founders are to be treated as godlike. The inconsistencies that occur throughout the book with regards to black's opinion of whites confuse the reader as to what Ellison really wants us to think.
However, when the reader finally thinks all blacks are submissive to the power of whites, Ellison brings up Dr. Bledsoe, who says he "had to act the nigger." (143) To become the powerful man we know him to be, Dr. Bledsoe had to know and understand that he would be seen as a nigger, and as derogatory as the term would portray him, he had to live with it. By faking that he was no danger for powerful whites, Dr. Bledsoe was able to get where he is now.
This same idea is expressed by the vet when the narrator meets him again in his trip to New York. He very wisely says "play the game, but don't believe in it -- that much you owe yourself."(153) The relationship between blacks and whites is therefore represented as a game in which whites decide the rules and the winner, and some blacks follow along stupidly while others understand it and play along. They might even win the game, like Dr. Bledsoe did, if they learn to use it in their favor.
After having such strong opinions about the white's and the black's place in the world, the narrator can't help but be surprised when he sees how different everything is "up north." "At the street intersection I had the shock of seeing a black policeman directing traffic--and there were white drivers who obeyed his signals as though it was the most natural thing in the world." (159) Seeing as this was probably normal already when Invisible Man was published, maybe Ellison did it this way so that the reader can't relate to the narrator's feelings.
Keep Your Eyes Open
As we had already noticed that Ralph Ellison was using black and white as adjectives for almost everything, the reader is prone to noticing these colors and how they are used. Therefore, when the orator talks of the "White House," it is impossible for the reader to ignore the fact that the president's house is called white. The irony of this fact that is now given no second thought stands out, bringing about a feeling of unfairness towards the government of the country.
The colors are also used in other instances that remind the reader about the social constructs behind each race. When the orator continues talking about the Founder, he says "your parents followed this remarkable man across the black sea of prejudice, safely out of the land of ignorance, through the storms of fear and anger." (120) That the sea of prejudice, which could have been any color, is depicted as black stands out just the same, as it makes the reader see prejudice as something of black people. The blacks, who were prejudiced, ignorant, and living in fear and anger, were helped by the Founder to find a better road to follow.
A sentence that I found really interesting was when the narrator said he was "stumbling along, holding on desperately to one of my eyes in order to keep from bursting out my brain against some familiar object swerved into my path by my distorted vision." (147) This is not the normal way to say "I felt bad". This could mean that the narrator is trying to hold on to his points of view, but his ideas and his thoughts are in danger of bursting out his brain. At the same time, he knows that the obstacle in his path is "familiar," probably consisting on another human being or on his own obstacles. However, the sentence clarifies that his "distorted vision" is what causes the obstacles to get in his path, so he realizes his vision is distorted, and it's causing him all the troubles he has had. His distorted vision is how he sees whites in a weird way, considering himself inferior to their power. The narrator clearly has a path, and a dream he wants to accomplish in life, but he secretly realizes that his own way of seeing things is what denies him of great opportunities.
The vet also gives a kind of explanation of why and how the narrator is an invisible man. He says "they wouldn't see you because they don't expect you to know anything, since they believe they've taken care of that." (154) Here, it becomes apparent that the invisibility of black men is entirely their own fault, as they allow whites to believe that blacks don't know anything so are not worthy of their care. However, the vet says they have "taken care of that," which could mean that they don't want blacks to know anything, so that they never become a threat to their society. This also implies, though, that blacks can reverse their invisibility, if they only begin to know.
The colors are also used in other instances that remind the reader about the social constructs behind each race. When the orator continues talking about the Founder, he says "your parents followed this remarkable man across the black sea of prejudice, safely out of the land of ignorance, through the storms of fear and anger." (120) That the sea of prejudice, which could have been any color, is depicted as black stands out just the same, as it makes the reader see prejudice as something of black people. The blacks, who were prejudiced, ignorant, and living in fear and anger, were helped by the Founder to find a better road to follow.
A sentence that I found really interesting was when the narrator said he was "stumbling along, holding on desperately to one of my eyes in order to keep from bursting out my brain against some familiar object swerved into my path by my distorted vision." (147) This is not the normal way to say "I felt bad". This could mean that the narrator is trying to hold on to his points of view, but his ideas and his thoughts are in danger of bursting out his brain. At the same time, he knows that the obstacle in his path is "familiar," probably consisting on another human being or on his own obstacles. However, the sentence clarifies that his "distorted vision" is what causes the obstacles to get in his path, so he realizes his vision is distorted, and it's causing him all the troubles he has had. His distorted vision is how he sees whites in a weird way, considering himself inferior to their power. The narrator clearly has a path, and a dream he wants to accomplish in life, but he secretly realizes that his own way of seeing things is what denies him of great opportunities.
The vet also gives a kind of explanation of why and how the narrator is an invisible man. He says "they wouldn't see you because they don't expect you to know anything, since they believe they've taken care of that." (154) Here, it becomes apparent that the invisibility of black men is entirely their own fault, as they allow whites to believe that blacks don't know anything so are not worthy of their care. However, the vet says they have "taken care of that," which could mean that they don't want blacks to know anything, so that they never become a threat to their society. This also implies, though, that blacks can reverse their invisibility, if they only begin to know.
Monday, April 16, 2012
The Vet Sets Them Straight
Notice how in this scene, the vet and the narrator have no name (blacks) while Mr. Norton does (white). It is almost as if the two blacks were invisible. They are so trivial, that no name is necessary. This also shows how blacks were interchangeable. A black was a part of a larger group, while a white was an individual.
However, it is the vet who makes interesting comments about Mr. Norton, the narrator, and the school. The vet accuses the narrator of "registering with his senses but short-circuiting his brain." (94) Just like the title implies, blacks, represented by the nameless narrator, have been quieted into humans who live their lives as invisible men, not changing anything or having any effect in their worlds. Similarly, the vet accuses Mr. Norton of wanting a "mechanical man" as a "perfect achievement of your dreams," talking about whites. (94) According to him, blacks' attitude is the whites' fault, but blacks aren't doing anything to change it. Blacks have reached the point of repressing their humanity, ignoring their needs as people in order to please the needs of the "rich white folks."
When coming back from the Golden Day, the narrator is so scared that he can't stop thinking about his punishment while he drives. He "had a sense of losing control of the car and slammed on the brakes in the middle of the road, then apologized and drove on." (99) This road simulates the narrator's road of life. In college, he began to realize how his race was losing control of their own lives, yet he "apologizes"to the white, feels bad for his thoughts, and drives on. The narrator is almost brainwashed, knowing that he was losing all the identity he had ever known, but having no strength to claim it back.
Ralph Ellison uses a pun to amplify the distinction between the whites and the blacks. When the narrator recounts about Dr. Bledsoe's scolding for the fate of Mr. Norton, he describes him as having a "look of exasperation, as though I'd suddenly told him black was white." (102) This is a general way of claiming the impossibility of something being two opposites at a time. However, Ellison uses this in the sense of black people being equal to white people. The look of "exasperation" in Dr. Bledsoe's face represents the fear of even blacks of having to discuss the issue of equality. The invisible men accept their lower place in society, which is exactly what the vet had advised the narrator against doing.
However, it is the vet who makes interesting comments about Mr. Norton, the narrator, and the school. The vet accuses the narrator of "registering with his senses but short-circuiting his brain." (94) Just like the title implies, blacks, represented by the nameless narrator, have been quieted into humans who live their lives as invisible men, not changing anything or having any effect in their worlds. Similarly, the vet accuses Mr. Norton of wanting a "mechanical man" as a "perfect achievement of your dreams," talking about whites. (94) According to him, blacks' attitude is the whites' fault, but blacks aren't doing anything to change it. Blacks have reached the point of repressing their humanity, ignoring their needs as people in order to please the needs of the "rich white folks."
When coming back from the Golden Day, the narrator is so scared that he can't stop thinking about his punishment while he drives. He "had a sense of losing control of the car and slammed on the brakes in the middle of the road, then apologized and drove on." (99) This road simulates the narrator's road of life. In college, he began to realize how his race was losing control of their own lives, yet he "apologizes"to the white, feels bad for his thoughts, and drives on. The narrator is almost brainwashed, knowing that he was losing all the identity he had ever known, but having no strength to claim it back.
Ralph Ellison uses a pun to amplify the distinction between the whites and the blacks. When the narrator recounts about Dr. Bledsoe's scolding for the fate of Mr. Norton, he describes him as having a "look of exasperation, as though I'd suddenly told him black was white." (102) This is a general way of claiming the impossibility of something being two opposites at a time. However, Ellison uses this in the sense of black people being equal to white people. The look of "exasperation" in Dr. Bledsoe's face represents the fear of even blacks of having to discuss the issue of equality. The invisible men accept their lower place in society, which is exactly what the vet had advised the narrator against doing.
College Life in Black and White
What I noticed the most in these past two chapters was Ralph Ellison's use of colors to describe almost everything. Except for birds, everything was either white, black, or brown. "White building, dark windows, white line..." The importance of the colors in descriptions lies on Ellison's use of them to show the reader what he wants them to get out of the book. Invisible Man is about the colors. The distinction that he makes between the colors of each thing proves that the color was of importance when describing people too. Ellison specifies the color of stuff, showing that if there is a difference between a white house and a black house, there is also a difference between a black man and a white man. Within the story, it is important for the reader to know who is black and who is white, because clearly they were not worth the same in the society.
The narrator, being a black, has strong feelings about his place in this society, and puts himself in a lower position than whites. He feels fear when he thinks he is falling behind the standards, and he is disgusted by those of his same race who treat whites as equal. When first meeting Mr. Norton, the narrator faked his knowledge of his position in the school, just to "flatter a rich white folk." (38) Knowing Mr. Norton could give him a tip or even a scholarship, the narrator was willing to get rid of his dignity and fake a praise.
I have also noticed the importance of dreams within the novel. In the first couple of chapters, two dreams have been of great importance. First, the narrator had a dream in which he was with his grandfather at a circus, and he refused to laugh at the clowns. He opened a letter from his grandfather that said "To Whom It May Concern, Keep This Nigger-Boy Running." (33) The second one is Jim Trueblood's dream that he had before sleeping with his wife and daughter. He had been looking for his friend on a hill, he walked through the door because no one answered, then was scared to find a white woman looking down at him. He tried to run out, frightened of what the woman might do. These dreams definitely are important for Ellison, and dreams will be an important part of the story.
Mr. Norton and the narrator have trouble when they try to look for alcohol and can only find the Golden Day. However, the day is everything but golden, as Mr. Norton nearly dies and Supercargo is kicked unconscious. The narrator is fearful of the consequences it can bring to his life in school, even though it was Mr. Norton the one who said he was a part of his destiny. People in Golden Day are crazy (literally), but they might as well represent the sane population, as some despise the white man, others fear him, and others praise him. The same happens with the blacks outside. It is only a matter of time before the blacks decide they want to be treated equally.
The narrator, being a black, has strong feelings about his place in this society, and puts himself in a lower position than whites. He feels fear when he thinks he is falling behind the standards, and he is disgusted by those of his same race who treat whites as equal. When first meeting Mr. Norton, the narrator faked his knowledge of his position in the school, just to "flatter a rich white folk." (38) Knowing Mr. Norton could give him a tip or even a scholarship, the narrator was willing to get rid of his dignity and fake a praise.
I have also noticed the importance of dreams within the novel. In the first couple of chapters, two dreams have been of great importance. First, the narrator had a dream in which he was with his grandfather at a circus, and he refused to laugh at the clowns. He opened a letter from his grandfather that said "To Whom It May Concern, Keep This Nigger-Boy Running." (33) The second one is Jim Trueblood's dream that he had before sleeping with his wife and daughter. He had been looking for his friend on a hill, he walked through the door because no one answered, then was scared to find a white woman looking down at him. He tried to run out, frightened of what the woman might do. These dreams definitely are important for Ellison, and dreams will be an important part of the story.
Mr. Norton and the narrator have trouble when they try to look for alcohol and can only find the Golden Day. However, the day is everything but golden, as Mr. Norton nearly dies and Supercargo is kicked unconscious. The narrator is fearful of the consequences it can bring to his life in school, even though it was Mr. Norton the one who said he was a part of his destiny. People in Golden Day are crazy (literally), but they might as well represent the sane population, as some despise the white man, others fear him, and others praise him. The same happens with the blacks outside. It is only a matter of time before the blacks decide they want to be treated equally.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Notice the Invisible Title? We began the reading of Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison. The story is about black people and their invisibility within society. The narrator, nameless for the time being, uses sarcasm and personal experiences to portray to the reader his opinion about how black people are treated. The narrator accepts his own invisibility, saying that he "remembers he is invisible and walks softly so as not to awaken the sleeping ones." (5) This silent acceptance gives the reader the impression of a superiority feeling coming from the narrator, as he sees himself as someone who is awake in a world where humans live asleep. Even though he is "walking softly," the narrator explains that he does it because he is in hibernation. This, he defines as being "a covert preparation for a more overt action." (13) This can be considered foreshadowing, warning the reader that the silent acceptance won't be happening for long. The narrator is gathering the information that he needs to be able to take action.
Ellison also uses paradox to describe the narrator's feelings about having to take action. Listening to a song by Louis Armstrong that inspires him to act for his race, the narrator says "it was a strangely satisfying experience for an invisible man to hear the silence of sound." (13) You can't hear silence, and and sound can't be silent. But this song spoke to the narrator, being a silence that he could relate to.
When later the narrator tells the story of the battle royal, Ellison uses strong imagery to describe the scenes taking place. Ellison says "his muscles twitching like the flesh of a horse stung by many flies." (27) Comparing the narrator's pain to that of a horse, Ellison shows how they are lowered to the status of animals by making them fight each other barbarically. The people sitting around them watching the show regard the blacks as a source of amusement, worth the same as any other animal.
While the narrator is giving his graduation speech in front of the inattentive audience, nothing interests them until he mistakenly mentions social equality. Faking that the audience saw him as a human, the truth came out when the narrator talked of his equality to them. He is forced to say that he "wasn't being smart." (31) The silence and almost fear that came from the white audience after the mention of a possible equality proves others' denial to accept the humanity of blacks.
Ellison's diction is interesting, as he chooses to include the dialect of the people to show how they talked down to blacks. "Leggo, nigger! Leggo!" (28) is how the white sitting in a chair responds to the narrator's plead of help when threatened with the electrifying rug during the battle royal. There is no compassion in his words, that give the feeling that the suffering black man is anything but visible to him. The man chose to ignore him, just like the "sleeping ones" choose to see blacks as invisible men.
Ellison also uses paradox to describe the narrator's feelings about having to take action. Listening to a song by Louis Armstrong that inspires him to act for his race, the narrator says "it was a strangely satisfying experience for an invisible man to hear the silence of sound." (13) You can't hear silence, and and sound can't be silent. But this song spoke to the narrator, being a silence that he could relate to.
When later the narrator tells the story of the battle royal, Ellison uses strong imagery to describe the scenes taking place. Ellison says "his muscles twitching like the flesh of a horse stung by many flies." (27) Comparing the narrator's pain to that of a horse, Ellison shows how they are lowered to the status of animals by making them fight each other barbarically. The people sitting around them watching the show regard the blacks as a source of amusement, worth the same as any other animal.
While the narrator is giving his graduation speech in front of the inattentive audience, nothing interests them until he mistakenly mentions social equality. Faking that the audience saw him as a human, the truth came out when the narrator talked of his equality to them. He is forced to say that he "wasn't being smart." (31) The silence and almost fear that came from the white audience after the mention of a possible equality proves others' denial to accept the humanity of blacks.
Ellison's diction is interesting, as he chooses to include the dialect of the people to show how they talked down to blacks. "Leggo, nigger! Leggo!" (28) is how the white sitting in a chair responds to the narrator's plead of help when threatened with the electrifying rug during the battle royal. There is no compassion in his words, that give the feeling that the suffering black man is anything but visible to him. The man chose to ignore him, just like the "sleeping ones" choose to see blacks as invisible men.
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