copyright 1999, Sirpa Grierson
Novel Information
Novel Resources, Annotated Biblography:
“Ralph Ellison’s Trueblooded Bildungsroman.” Burke, Kenneth. Modern Critical Interpretations: Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York, NY: Chelsea House, 1999: 93-104.
Main ideas: Invisible Man as a Bildungsroman, or the story of a youth’s coming of age. The young man’s growth in a society of racism and prejudice.“American Nightmare.” Guttmann, Allen. Modern Critical Views: Ralph Ellison. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York, NY: Chelsea House, 1986: 29-35.
Main ideas: The “American Dream” portrayed as a nightmare for minority groups in America. Literary symbolism and allusion in Invisible Man.“Underground to Manhood: Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man.” Lane, James B. Negro American Literature Forum 7, No. 2. (Summer, 1973), 64-72.
Main ideas: The coming of age of the main character. The coming of age of the black American society as a whole depicted in the novel.“Invisible Man.” Moss, Joyce and George Wilson. Literature and Its Times 4 (1996): 209-08.
Main ideas: A discussion of American history during the time that Ellison wrote the novel. The history of the events and people that may have effected Ellison’s writing.“Invisible Man: Ellison’s Black Odyssey.” Stark, John. Negro American Literature Forum 7, No. 2. (1973), 60-63.
Main ideas: The events in the life of the narrator depicted as the traditional Greek Odyssey. The narrator as a spokesman for all of us on our personal Odysseys.
Classic Notes: Ralph Ellison. 27 Feb. 2002 http://www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Authors/about_ralph_ellison.html
Includes chapter summaries, analyses, essays, and biography.Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. Filreis, Al. 27 Feb.2002
http://www.english. upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/ellison-main.html
Includes critical essay and analysis of Invisible Man.Monkey Notes-Invisible Man by Ralph Waldo Ellison. Greene, Chris. 27 Feb. 2002 http://pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkeynotes/pmInvisible02.asp
Includes chapter summaries, notes, literary elements, and literary/historical information.Invisible Man Web Page. Hamm, Karen, Chris Malarky, Maiko Price, and Matt Wood. 27 Feb. 2002 http://www.wshs.fcps.k12.va.us/projects/im98/im985 /INDEX.HTM
Includes essays written by high school students.Information Page. 27 Feb. 2002
http://www.centerx.gseis.ucla.edu/weblio /preface.html
Includes a biography of Ellison and many different links to other websites dedicated to his books.
Reading Activities compiled by Tawny Horschman
|During Reading | After Reading |Before Reading Strategies
1. America in the 1930s. 6 Sept. 2004. American Studies at the University of Virginia. 17 Sept. 2005 <http://xroads.virginia.edu/~1930s/front.html>.This site contains a large number of multimedia resources from the 1930s such as pictures, radio shows, news broadcasts, popular music, and short clips of notable films. A timeline reveals what went on in politics, technology, arts, and the world at that time. A clear picture of how African Americans fit into society may be obtained through examining this site. This is key to understanding the main character in Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man.
2. American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936-1940. 19 Oct. 1998. The Library of Congress. 17 Sept. 2005
<http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wpaintro/wpahome.html>.The Library of Commerce offers public access to Works Progress Administration documents on this website. The special presentation of “Voices from the Thirties: An Introduction to the WPA Life Histories Collection” is especially informative. It contains a description of the federal writers and what they did, including excerpts of interviews both written and audio taped. Ralph Ellison was employed by the WPA for four years. Some of his work is featured on this website.
3. Bildungsroman Summary Study Guide. 2005. Book Rags. 25 Sept. 2005 <http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-bildungsroman/>.
This website lists everything there is to know about Bildungsroman, a term that refers to novels in which the central character goes through emotional, physical, or educational development. The information presented is the most detailed on the internet. Unfortunately, to obtain all the accessible information, it would cost about $8.00. As the genre of Invisible Man has been classified as Bildungsroman, this is a term particularly helpful for readers to understand.
4. The Booker T. Washington Papers. 2000. University of Illinois Press. 17 Sept. 2005 <http://www.historycooperative.org/btw/>.
All 14 volumes of Booker T. Washington’s autobiography are on this website, complete with pictures and illustrations from his work. It explains how he was born a slave and worked hard to end up as a well-known advocate of education. He is an important historical figure referred to often in Invisible Man.
5. Existentialism. 15 Sept. 2005. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 17 Sept. 2005 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existentialism>.
A working definition of existentialism, a philosophy centered on individual existence and personal responsibility, is available on this page. There are lists of theologians, psychologists, philosophers, novelists, playwrights, and film directors who have been associated with this movement, along with a link for further information on each. A number of recent existentialist films are also discussed on this page. Ralph Ellison is listed as one of the novelists, as Invisible Man was heavily influenced by existentialism.6. Harlem: A History in Pictures. 2005. New York Metro. 17 Sept. 2005 <http://www.newyorkmetro.com/metrotv/02/blackhistory_photos/index.html>.
This site shows photographs of and contains information about Harlem and the people who have made it the city it is today. The historical tour gives insight into why Harlem became the heart of African American culture in the early 1900s. Ralph Ellison lived in Harlem and made it the poignant setting of Invisible Man.
7. Jam & Associates. The Ralph Ellison Project at Jerry Jazz Musician. 2004. Jerry Jazz Musician. 17 Sept. 2005 <http://www.jerryjazzmusician.com/mainHTML.cfm?page=ellison.html>.
This page contains in-depth interviews that Jerry Jazz Musician, an online magazine, conducted with nine prominent authors, critics, and friends of Ralph Ellison. They discuss various perspectives of Ellison’s life, philosophies, music, and novel, Invisible Man. There are also pictures of those interviewed, some even taken with Ellison himself.
8. Music in the United States in the 1930s. 2005. Silver Burdett Making Music. 17 Sept. 2005 <http://www.sbgmusic.com/html/teacher/reference/historical/1930s.html>.
This website is filled with information regarding music from the 1930s. It gives a straightforward background of jazz music and of jazz musicians and singers. It also talks about musical instruments and composers. Ralph Ellison played the trumpet and was enthralled with jazz. He incorporated his love of music in the main character of Invisible Man.
9. The National Book Foundation. 6 Sept. 2005. The National Book Awards. 17 Sept. 2005 <http://www.nationalbook.org/nba.html>.
A description and history of the National Book Award is available on this website, as well as a complete list of recipients since 1950. Ralph Ellison won this literary prize for Invisible Man in 1953. His acceptance speech and an essay highlighting his achievement are also included on this website.
10. United States 1920s and 1930s. 16 Sept. 2005. Trinity College. 17 Sept. 2005 <http://www.trinity.wa.edu.au/plduffyrc/subjects/sose/history/us20.htm>.
This page consists of an extensive list of links to other sources which highlight the 1920s and 30s in the United States. Topics include but are not limited to: the Great Depression, the prohibition movement, the age of jazz, New York City, and the Ku Klux Klan. These are all important issues that arise in Invisible Man, which takes place during this time period.
During Reading Strategies
11. Cook, Janice. Vocabulary Classic Texts. 2005. Vocabulary University. 25 Sept. 2005 <http://www.vocabulary.com/VUctinvisible.html>.This website offers a very useful list of college preparation vocabulary words found throughout Invisible Man. The 157 vocabulary words are organized by chapter and in order of appearance. Unfortunately, the website does not offer the definitions along with the vocabulary words. It strongly encourages students to learn definition by context and looking up the words.
12. Haberman, Barbara. The Official Website of Malcom X. 24 Nov. 2003. CMG Worldwide. 2 Oct. 2005 <http://www.cmgww.com/historic/malcolm/index.htm>.
A biography and photo gallery of Malcom X can be found on this website. Also available are inspirational quotes from his speeches and the eulogy given at his funeral. Students may compare and contrast this historic figure to characters in Invisible Man, particularly the Brotherhood and Ras the Exhorter.
13. Invisible Man. 2005. MSN Encarta. 24 Sept. 2005 <http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/search.aspx?q=Invisible+Man&Submit2=Go>.
Two-hundred-and-fifty articles related to Invisible Man may be found by searching within this Microsoft encyclopedia. Many of them touch on the importance of the novel in American literature. Also available are quotations and a description of the literary world at the time Invisible Man was written. A book summary and other helpful links become available after subscribing to the website.
14. “Invisible Man: Life on the Strings.” 2005. 4 Free Essays. 25 Sept. 2005 <http://www.4freeessays.com/essays/1755.shtml>.
This essay goes into depth about the main character’s response to seeing dancing Sambo dolls being sold on the street in chapter 20 of Invisible Man. The essay explains that this is the point where the main character realizes he has always been a slave and puppet to others.
15. Jazz: A Film by Ken Burns. 2000. PBS. 2 Oct. 2005 <http://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_armstrong_louis.htm>.
Louis Armstrong was an artist featured in this film. This page is dedicated to his biography. Along with it are 12 audio files of songs he recorded, NPR radio projects, and comments from friends and other musicians. Armstrong and his music are mentioned early on in Invisible Man.
16. Kelly, Judith, Patricia Bradford, and Consentine Morgan. Black and Blue: Jazz in Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. 2005. PBS. 25 Sept. 2005 <http://www.pbs.org/jazz/classroom/blackandblue.htm#top>.
Through this lesson plan, students will study the impact of jazz on Invisible Man by making connections between jazz and the composition of the story. They will investigate the motifs of invisibility and jazz in the novel. It is a very extensive lesson plan, calling for thirteen 50-minute class sessions in addition to out-of-class time.
17. The New Deal Network. 2003. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute. 25 Sept. 2005 <http://newdeal.feri.org/index.html>.
This website is an excellent resource for the Depression. It contains a document library, photo gallery, and various lesson plans for teachers. Particularly helpful is a page under the more features option, called “The WPA Dolls of Milwaukee.” There are pictures of actual Sambo dolls available for viewing. The Sambo doll is an important symbol in Invisible Man. It suggests that stereotypes control a person’s every move, just like the doll is controlled entirely by children.
18. Peterson, Cameron. ClassicNote on Invisible Man. 2000. GradeSaver. 25 Sept. 2005 <http://www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/invisibleman/>.
Complete with two quizzes, several intriguing essays on Ralph Ellison and Invisible Man, related links and a forum, this website offers help for teachers and students alike. The summary and analysis should only be read along with or subsequent to reading the novel.
19. Sylvester, Melvin and Robert Delaney. A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. June 1998. Long Island University. 2 Oct. 2005 <http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/mlking.htm>.
This website has links to letters and speeches by MLK, and an impressive timeline of his life. For further research, it has a long list of his own works, works written about him, and links to related websites. Using this website or others like it, students may compare and contrast the main character in Invisible Man to MLK, who also attended a Booker T. Washington school.
20. Ward, Selena and Phillips, Brian. Invisible Man. 2005. Sparknotes. 25 Sept. 2005 <http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/invisibleman/>.
Sparknotes offers a great deal of information about Invisible Man, including context, overview, motifs, suggestions for further reading, and analysis of major characters. Important quotations are explained and study questions, essay topics, and a quiz are also available. The key facts are useful as a study guide for students.
After Reading Strategies
21. Andersson, Ann Willmott. American Masters Lesson 16. 2002. PBS. 25 Sept. 2005 <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/education/lesson16_overview.html>.Printable activity sheets can be found in this lesson plan, along with ideas for an essay and group project. After reading Invisible Man, students will relate their own experiences of invisibility and reflect on what other kinds of groups might be considered invisible within their community. The lesson plan also incorporates the struggle for racial and gender equality in the civil rights movement.
22. Brown-L’Bahy, Tara. Understanding Stereotypes. 2005. Discovery Education. 1 Oct. 2005 <http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/stereotypes/>.
This lesson plan contains enough activities to span three days. It proposes that students create a log of stereotypes found in the media, write about personal experiences, and put together historical timelines of events occurring within traditionally underrepresented groups. Additionally, there is a link to corresponding videos called A Question of Race and How Biased are You, designed for grades six through twelve. Such activities will undoubtedly assist students in understanding the underlying theme of Invisible Man.
23. Civil Rights Movement Veterans. 2005. CRMVET. 1 Oct. 2005 <http://www.crmvet.org/>.
This website is a wonderful source of information on the people involved in the civil rights movement. Put together by its veterans, the website has narratives, interviews, and memories of their own stories. Also available are photographs, timelines, essays, discussion transcripts, and poignant poetry written by the veterans. Students could compare these stories and experiences with that of the characters’ in Invisible Man in order to better grasp what it is to fight for equality.
24. Grobman, Gary M. Stereotypes and Prejudices. 1990. The Holocaust—A Guide for Teachers. 1 Oct. 2005 <http://www.remember.org/guide/History.root.stereotypes.html>.
This section of the website is filled with useful ideas. It shows working definitions of stereotyping, discrimination, racism, sexism, minority persecution, and scapegoating. Following these definitions are 23 vocabulary words related to this subject. There are nearly 20 ideas for activities, including further reading, group work, and discussion questions. Any of these teaching strategies would be a great complement to reading Invisible Man.
25. Haney, Elissa and Borgna Brunner. Civil Rights Timeline. 2005. Pearson Education. 1 Oct. 2005 <http://www.infoplease.com/spot/civilrightstimeline1.html>.
This timeline contains milestones in the modern civil rights movement. It begins in 1954 and continues up to present day. There are photographs for viewing and links to prominent figures, speeches, dates, and locations. Students will be able to see how times have changed since the setting of Invisible Man, including what African Americans have had to endure since then, and what has been done to make equality possible in America.
26. Millman, Sierra Prasada and Tanya Yasmin Chin. Daily Lesson Plan: Capturing the Moment. 29 Aug. 2005. The New York Times. 25 Sept. 2005 <http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20050829monday.html>.
This lesson plan has students create photograph timelines of the civil rights movement and write journal entries explaining how photographs capture history. The setting of Invisible Man is about 20 years before this time period, but the civil rights movement truly captures the overall theme and tone of the novel. The conflicts and issues involved in each are practically identical.
27. Racism. No Way. 21 Feb. 2005. Social Change Online. 2 Oct. 2005 <http://www.racismnoway.com.au/>.
Australian schools and their chief executive officers have put together this educational anti-racism website for teachers and students. There are lesson plans, reference materials, and outlines of established programs that have found success in combating racism. Students can do puzzles, take quizzes, and add messages to the online graffiti wall. The website even accepts anti-racism art entries for competitions. This would be an excellent resource for teaching students to avoid the societal mistakes made in Invisible Man.
28. Ralph Ellison: An American Journey. 2002. California Newsreel. 2 Oct. 2005 <http://www.newsreel.org/nav/title.asp?tc=CN0135>.
Information regarding this documentary can be found here. There is a detailed overview and numerous positive critical comments on the film. Also helpful are links to related videos, such as In Black and White – Six Profiles of African American Authors. The documentary may be purchased through this website, with a discount for high schools and public libraries. The film not only highlights the author of Invisible Man, but contains the only scenes from the novel ever to be recorded on film.
29. Seidlitz, Anne. American Masters: Ralph Ellison. 1999. PBS. 17 Sept. 2005 <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/ellison_r.html>.
In 2002, PBS aired a documentary entitled Ralph Ellison: An American Journey. This website includes an interview with the filmmaker of that documentary, additional footage of clips not incorporated into the film, and an interactive timeline of Ellison’s life and career, complete with photographs.
30. What’s Normal? Overcoming Obstacles and Stereotypes. 2005. PBS. 1 Oct. 2005 <http://www.pbs.org/inthemix/whatsnormal_index.html>.
Students can find out more about teenagers with physical and learning disabilities through this website. There are a number of video clips available for viewing, as well as comments and suggestions about stereotypes from teens around the world. Students may take a poll about stereotypes and compare their answers to what other teens have said. Most importantly, this website advocates tolerance, much like Ralph Ellison did by writing Invisible Man.
Ralph Ellison
Reading Resources and Unit Guide for this Novel