Thursday, March 23, 2017
BIAS/ASSUMPTIONS: Invisible Man and Brent Staples
In a discussion post, respond to at least one of the questions belong, then comment on another student's post who answered a DIFFERENT question than you.
1. Both Staples and the narrator in Invisible Man experience a similar situation while walking down the street. Do they respond to this situation similarly or differently and how so? What does the narrator's approach suggest about his mental state at that point in the reading? How is your response reinforced in the rest of the Epilogue?
2. When the narrator of Invisible Man says the blonde man was "almost killed by a phantom," is he being literal or figurative? Explain what he means by this.
3. What does the narrator mean by the term "sleepwalkers"? How is the blonde man a sleepwalker and why might awakening them be dangerous? Are there any "sleepwalkers" in Staples' text? Explain.
4. What is ironic about where the narrator lives?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4) What's ironic about where the main character lives is that he lives in a place full of light, but he's invisible as a person.
ReplyDeleteThat is a very good point considering that he himself believes he is full of darkness and invisibility but finds himself so connected, concerned, and drawn to the light. This ironically draws his shadow or transparence to a light which is aka knowledge which he can't bring about to his society.
Delete2. I believe that it's more figurative than literal. I think that when he believed himself to be a phantom because he's in the middle of existing, where people view him and see him, but at the very same time choose not too and remain willfully iggnorant towards him. I think, though, his phantom state is true to a certain extent though, him being a phantom is him being stuck between living in dead, and in a lot of ways he seems to be living a half life. Not fully living, not fully apart of society, but at the very same time, still there with solid blood and flesh. No, he's stuck in the grey areas, the in betweens, and because of that he is a phantom.
ReplyDelete2. When the narrator of Invisible Man says the blonde man was "almost killed by a phantom," is he being literal or figurative? Explain what he means by this
ReplyDeleteHe's being literal in the sense that the man might have not seen him since it was very dark, but mostly figurative in the sense that he feels he is a phantom, or invisible. He's elaborating on the idea that he feels as though he doesn't have significance or appreciation in society. A phantom, or a ghost, is there but can't be seen. So for the man, not only could he quite possibly not have literally seen him and taken completely by suprise, but he also didn't consider the "invisible man" as powerful, so it also took him by surprise.
by significance I mean how he feels as though he isn't fully living, or fully part of society. Like Clara said
Delete4. The narrator lives in a place full of light which is ironic because he himself is invisible. Light normally means visibility, and knowledge, but he is invisible which could be connected to darkness.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteMonica, I agree with your points. Also, since he lives in a place with a lot of light, one might infer that some of that light is yellow, which corresponds to our analysis of the Book Thief and colors.
DeleteI believe that him mentioning the man who he assaulted physically, due to the man assaulting the invisible man verbally, blond plays a crucial role in us understanding his claim. It seems that being blind is something that doesn't go unnoticed, it stands out and essentially is what makes for the "ideal" look. The invisible man, not having attributes like this blond man causes him to become invisible or not the rave of other begins going unnoticed and begins to feel he himself is completely transparent and has no identity compared to this man. Compared to this Blond man he feels like a phantom and beats the blond man senseless until close to death. He doesn't want to leave this man dead and add to his other "phantoms" stereotypes.
ReplyDelete4. It is ironic that the "invisible man" lives in a hole-that is usually dark- that is light. He considers himself invisible, which represents dark. Him living in a hole of light, while being invisible, is ironic, and the light gives him a sense of awarness.
ReplyDelete2.) The narrator is being figurative. Although the narrator believes that he is invisible to his environment and he people around him, there is no possible way that the "invisible man" should have been able to beat up the blond man if he was a phantom because his body would go right through the blond man if he was a phantom. The narrator sees himself as a phantom or a ghost because the society around him chooses not to see him. Therefore, his society causes him to groupthink, and believe that he is not real, or that he is a phantom, because that is what everyone else thinks.
ReplyDelete3. The narrator refers to the term "sleepwalkers" as people who are awake and up and about yet don't pay attention to their surroundings. The blonde man might be a sleepwalker because he simply did not see the narrator, and by awakening them they are jolted with reality and knowledge. The sleepwalkers in Staples' text could possibly refer to anyone who treated him with a closed mindset and ignorance, ignoring the possibility of his success.
ReplyDelete1.) The difference in reactions between Staples and the narrator in InvisibleMan are that Staples' feelings are hurt when he is avoided on the street, whereas the narrator in the Invisible Man has mostly accepted his "invisibility".
ReplyDelete1. Both Staples and the narrator in Invisible Man feel negative feelings of alienation and anger. However, the narrator in Invisble Man chooses to act on his anger, whereas Staples remains polite, knowing that reacting will only make the situation worse. While taking out his anger, the narrator might be under the influence of drugs. In multiple situations of the Epilogue, the narrator retaliates upon someone.
ReplyDelete1. Both narrators respond differently. Staples tries to make the situation less scary and violent by walking away or keeping to himself. The invisible man (IM)however starts to beat up the person he got in a confrontation with. Staples doesn't get made about what happens when he walks home, because he understands the reason he is being treated the way is because he looks scary and frightening. The IM however hates being treated like he isn't real so he, in a way, forces or makes people realize he is real
ReplyDeleteAlthough staples and the narrator both walk down a street, their placement in the situation is different. Staples and the women are hyper aware of each other. The women has already grouped Staples into the danger category and Staples knows that the women has done that and responds by trying to be less of a perceived danger. Staples wanted to be invisible in this situation. The Invisible Man (TIM) on the other hand, is walked into by a drunkard and in response, reacts violently. He isnt seen. TIM is tired of being invisible and unseen. He has gone over the cookoo clock.
ReplyDelete2. When the narrator of Invisible Man says the blonde man was "almost killed by a phantom," is he being literal or figurative? Explain what he means by this.
ReplyDeleteWhen the narrator of the Invisible Man says that the blonde man was "almost killed by a phantom," he is being figuratively as he is referring to himself. Throughout the text, he refers to himself as invisible until, of course, he has a direct, physical encounter with another person; he doesn't become visible or seen by anyone until this encounter occurs. In this situation he, once again, implicitly refers to himself as invisible by calling himself a ghost, a force that usually is unseen. The comparison is figurative, but he does not literally mean that he is a ghost, or dead.
I agree the term "invisible is figurative. Society ignores him as in not respecting and giving him the worth a person should have.
Delete2. He is being figurative because one cannot become invisible just cause. He physically beats up the guy. He is "invisible" to the public not because he is but because society chooses to ignore him. In the prologue he literally states he has a body with flesh and bones and fiber and liquids.
ReplyDelete2. He is being both literal and figurative. He is figurative in saying this because he may feel that in his own being, he represents a phantom, meaning that he is ignored by society and serves little function other than to make people uncomfortable and possibly sad. He is being literal because since nobody knows him or has much regard for him, he is dehumanized so much that he is almost nonexistent.
ReplyDelete4. The narrator's home is ironic because he lives in a hole, somewhere that is usually a dark place. However, he has covered the ceiling and some of the walls with lightbulbs making his hole filled with light. Furthermore, his dark underground hole is where he can invent and be inspired, two things connected with light and open spaces, not dark holes.
ReplyDeletePretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I'll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon. Big thanks for the useful info.
ReplyDeletebox file