Please watch these videos to get a glimpse of
Invisible Man's key concerns:
Ralph Ellison: An American Story (video 1)
Ralph Ellison: An American Story (video 2)
The Invisible Man and its Impact on the American Lexicon
Please also read and take notes on
this PowerPoint (you may print it if that helps). Thanks!
The poem we will discuss in class tomorrow is below, fyi:
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I know I am
The Negro Problem
Being wined and dined,
Answering the usual questions
That come to white mind
Which seeks demurely
To Probe in polite way
The why and wherewithal
Of darkness U.S.A.--
Wondering how things got this way
In current democratic night,
Murmuring gently
Over fraises du bois,
"I'm so ashamed of being white."
The lobster is delicious,
The wine divine,
And center of attention
At the damask table, mine.
To be a Problem on
Park Avenue at eight
Is not so bad.
Solutions to the Problem,
Of course, wait.
Langston Hughes, 1965
- "demurely" means
modestly or in a reserved way
- "damask" refers
to a fine, rich table cloth
- "fraises du bois"
are tiny, wild strawberries, literally "strawberries of the
woods."
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