Read the Introduction, Prologue (if you have not already read them), and Chapters One-Fifteen of Ellison's Invisible Man, writing three talking points for each chapter to prepare for various class discussions when we return January 9.
You may wish to include some (or all) of the literary terms noted below in your points, especially if you find instances in the text of Ellison's writing that illustrate the use of those terms.
As you read, begin to examine a motif that will be used for your final essay on the novel. Some possible motifs are (but not limited to):
Light vs. Dark
Visibility vs. Invisibility
Dream Sleep vs. Wakefulness
Identity vs. Non-Identity
You may observe another motif that can be traced throughout the novel; if so, please e-mail your instructor to discuss that motif before it is used in the final essay.
This is a novel of contradictions so the motif should highlight those contradictions and in anticipation of writing the assignment, mark page numbers and selected text on your paper to help in the construction of your analysis, synthesis and evaluation that will work collectively to contribute to your argument in the final essay for the novel.
(if you use these literary terms, please boldface them as you write the talking points)
abstract, analogy, analysis, anecdote, argument, audience, cliche, coherence, colloquial expression, conclusion, concrete, connotation, denotation, diction, dialect, slang, types of sentences: periodic, loose, interrupted, and balanced; repetition, euphemism, fallacy, figures of speech: simile, metaphor, personification, understatement, hyperbole, paradox; flashback, imagery, inference, irony, jargon, narration, parallelism, paraphrase, point of view
If there are questions or concerns, e-mail me at jcarmicl@lausd.net and I will reply.
