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1、Invisible Man,Ralph Ellison,Background information,Invisible Man,Text analysis,Structure of the article,background information,Guide to Reading African-American Literature,Black literature was once a neglected area of American literary scholarship.Blacks have made significant contribution to all asp
2、ects of American life.Besides,with the Civil Right Movements development in 1960s,more and more black writers put their concern to their identity,how to survive and keep their national characteristics in society which white people dominated.Black literature constitute a major force changing the earl
3、ier American literary world of the white middle class.It has become an indispensable part of American literature now.,Representative Works of African American Literature,a.Richard Wright:Native Son 土生子 b.Ralph Ellison:Invisible Man 隐形人c.James Baldwin:Go Tell It on the Mountain 向苍天呼吁d.Toni Morrison:T
4、he Bluest Eye,Sula,Song Of Solomon,Belovede.Alice Walker:The Color Purple,艾里森和看不见的人,艾里森：看不见的人（Invisible Man，1952）。着重探讨的是“寻找自我”这样一个具有普遍意义的命题。“我一直在寻找自我，曾有过许多只有我自己才能够回答的问题。我不问自己，却老是去问别人。只是在经过漫长的时间，体验过种种期望遭到毁灭的痛苦以后，我才获得别人与生俱有的认识：我就是我自己。”,About the Author,Ralph Ellison,1914-1994,Ralph Ellison,Born March
5、1,1914 in Oklahoma CityFather died in 1917 and resulted in economic struggleMother active in socialist politicsAttended college at the Tuskegee Institute in AlabamaMoved to New York CityTook seven years to write Invisible ManDied April 16,1994Major Works：Invisible Man Shadow and Act Going to the Ter
6、ritory,Analysis of the Invisible Man,In Invisible Man,Ellison depicts a black individual searching for his identity or place in society.For example,when the young black men are in the Battle Royal,they are forced to watch a nude white woman dance.The white observers abuse these young black men for n
7、ot watching and also abuse them for watching.These black fellows do not know how they are expected to behave;therefore,they do not know their place in society.,Battle Royal,Battle royal:(in the dictionary)1)n.pl.battles royal;A battle involving many combatants.混战(许多斗士、参赛者参与),2）A fight to the finish.
8、决斗战，殊死战3）here it means a battle involving many black boys,fighting in disorder,until only one is left.Battle royals were usually fought among black fighters.These events often took place before formal fights started.The winner would collect a few coins tossed to him by the spectators at the conclusi
9、on of the fight.,Battle Royal,Battle Royal,Battle royals became commonplace attractions with the resurging of boxing in 19th century America.,In the American South,the battle royal was a ritual and used to be benignly fought among Negro kids themselves.But when the racial thing entered,and when the
10、notion of white superiority was introduced,the battle royal was twisted into something else.,Battle Royal,Take the Battle Royal passage in my novel,where the boys are blindfolded and forced to fight each other for the amusement of the white observers.This is a vital part of behavior pattern in the S
11、outh,which both Negroes and whites thoughtlessly acceptThe patterns were already there in society,so that all I had to do was present them in a broader context of meaning.-Ralph Ellison,Text organization,Part 1:(para 1)the opening Part 2:(para 2)historical background of the story Part 3:(para 3)the
12、tremendous effect of the grandfathers words upon the narrator Part 4:(paras 4-90)the main body of the battle royal incident Part 5:(paras 91-94)the ending,Text organization,Part 4:(paras 4-90)the main body of the battle royal incident setting;people(4-5)the naked white girls dance(6-9)5 the fight it
13、self(10-28)subsections the grabbing for the prize money(29-46)the narrators speech(47-90),Text analysis,What is the function of paragraph 1?1.By saying“It goes a long way back,some twenty years,”the author tells us that the story took place in the past.This is a common way of telling a story:The nar
14、rator has reached a certain stage of his/her life when he/she deems it necessary to look back at a past event that was meaning to him/her.,Text analysis,paragraph 1Words like“I was looking for myself”and“I am nobody but myself”point out the central theme of the novel-searching for self-identity.,It
15、took me a long time and much painful boomeranging.but myself.,boomeranging:a boomerang is a curved stick from Australia that files in a circle and comes back to you when you throw it.Here it is used metaphorically,implying that the narrator moved in a circle and came back to where he had started.Thi
16、s idea of circling is also expressed in the Prologue where the narrator says“the end is in the beginning”.,The meaning of the sentence:It took me a long time to get rid of illusions and realize the simple and apparent truth that I am nobody but myself.It was a painful process.I started with high exp
17、ectations only to be deeply disappointed and thoroughly disillusioned.我花了很长时间，兜了许多痛苦的圈子，才明白别人生来就明白的一个道理：我就是我自己。但首先我得发现我是一个隐形人。,But first I had to discover that I am an invisible man.,Invisible Man is the title of the novel,and invisibility is one of the central motifs of this work.The word“invisible
18、”is used figuratively,meaning not being recognized by society.To discover that I am an invisible man is the first step towards realizing who I am.The battle royal scene establishes invisibility as a major symbol of the novel.,Text analysis,What is Paragraph 2 about?This paragraph tells us a bit abou
19、t the historical background against which the story took place.It also introduces a new character-the narrators grandfather.On his deathbed,he said something that alarmed and puzzled the whole family.,And yet I am no freak of nature,nor of history.,freak:an abnormal person the implied meaning of the
20、 sentence:By“no freak of nature”the narrator means that he is perfectly normal physically.“Nor of history”means he is a natural product of history;his growth reflects history.,I was in the cards,other things having been equal(or unequal)eighty-five years ago.,be in the cards:(American English.):be o
21、n the cards(British English.)to seem likely to happen e.g.An early general election is certainly in the cards.,I was in the cards,other things having been equal(or unequal)eighty-five years ago.,the implied meaning of the sentence:When I was fated to be the man as described in the novel,other things
22、 had been equal(or unequal)eighty-five years ago.As the novel Invisible Man was published in 1952,85 years ago refer to the end of the Civil War.,.united with others of our country in everything.like the fingers of the hand.,pertaining to:having to do with the common good:the common interests of our
23、 two racesin everything social,separate like the fingers of the hand:A simile comparing the relationship between black and white to fingers of the hand,implying that in social life the blacks and the whites are separated,though they are united in all things essential to the common interests.在社会生活的各个
24、方面，（黑人和白人）可以像一只手上的手指那样分开。,I have been a traitor.ever since I give up my gun back in the Reconstruction.,I have been a traitor and a spy in the white-rule society ever since I surrender in the Reconstruction.,Reconstruction Act:,In 1867,Congress enacted the Reconstruction Act,and the Southern states
25、were readmitted to the Union.The 15th Amendment guaranteed the Negros right to vote.The new governments in the South,led by radical whites and freedmen,attempted to deal constructively with the problems left by the Civil War and the abolition of slavery.They began to rebuild the Southern economy and
26、 society.Agricultural production was restored,roads rebuilt,a more equal tax system adopted and schooling extended to Negroes and poor whites.,Reconstruction Act:,The freedmens civil and political rights were guaranteed,and Negroes were able to participate in the political and economic life of the S
27、outh as full citizens for the first time.However,most Southern whites objected strongly to the Negros new role in society.Organizations such as the KKK arose.Their acts of violence kept Negroes and white republicans from voting,and gradually the radical Republican governments were overthrown.Reconst
28、ruction collapsed.White rule was restored,the Negro was once again deprived of many civil and political rights.,Live with your head in the lions mouth.or bust wide open.,live with your head in the lions mouth:Be always on your guard and try to survive in a dangerous environment/situation.虎口求生Beard t
29、he lion in his den;dare the greatest danger as pulling a tooth from the tigers mouth 虎口拔牙，比喻所做之事十分危险em-them yeses-submission,humility undermine-destroy grin-smile death and destruction(alliteration)bust-burst,break,Live with your head in the lions mouth.or bust wide open.,Translate?你要在虎口里求生，我要你对他们唯唯
30、诺诺、笑脸相迎，只有让他们丧失警惕，才能战胜他们。你要对他们百依百顺，叫他们彻底完蛋。让他们吞掉你们吧，直到撑得他们呕吐，肚子破裂。,it sputtered on the wick like the old mans breathing,a simile making the description more vivid than plain wordsTranslate？灯捻上的火苗发出扑扑的声音，犹如老人的呼吸声。,Text analysis,What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?This paragraph is about the tremendo
31、us effect of the grandfathers words upon the narrator.Those words became a constant puzzle to him.As the old man said these words ironically,the boy couldnt understand him.Although the grandfather did not appear in the battle royal scene or any other events in the rest of the book,his words haunted
32、the narrator at every important moment in his life.,But my folks were alarmed over his last words than over his dying.,The reason is explained in the following sentence.His words caused so much anxiety that the narrator was urged to forget what he said.All his life the old man had to pretend before
33、the white masters.Only on his deathbed did he dare to tell the truth about the black peoples position and role in society.His words were true but alarming.,It became a constant puzzle which lay unanswered in the back of my mind.,puzzle-a question,matter or person that is difficult to understand 这成了我
34、脑子里始终得不到解答的难题。,Not that I believe this-how could II only believed it worked.,As I remembered my grandfathers words about overcoming the whites with submission and humility,it was impossible for me to believe any more that humility was the secret and essence of progress.I only believed that humility
35、worked,able to help you get what you wanted.,Text analysis,What is the function of paragraph 4?It tells us about the setting of the battle royal.The setting is a necessary element of a story.From this paragraph we learn that the narrator was to give his speech at a smoker in a leading hotel in the t
36、own.,smoker,it was on the occasion of a smoker the word smoker is an old-fashioned word used in American English,meaning an informal social gathering only for men.,Text analysis,What is paragraph 5 about?Besides giving more details about the place,this paragraph introduces the people involved in the
37、 incident-the towns big shots.,a portable boxing ring:可拆卸的简易拳击比赛场 The fourth side was clear,revealing a gleaming space of polished floor:剩下的一边没有拴绳索，这一侧的外面留出一片擦得光亮的地板。,In those pre-invisible days I visualized myself as a potential Booker T.Washington.,In those days before I realized I was an invisibl
38、e man,I imagined that I would become a successful man like Booker T.Washington.The implied meaning is that after I discovered who I was,I no longer held that illusion.,Our bare upper bodies touching and shining with anticipatory anticipatory sweat.(P6),Figure of speech?anticipatory sweat(transferred
39、 epithet)In grammar the adjective“anticipatory”modifies the word“sweat”,but in logic it can only modify“we”,for“we”were anticipating,not“sweat”.Translate?我们赤裸着的上身蹭在一起，由于期待而流出的汗珠在闪闪发光。,I was shocked to see some of the most important men of the town quite tipsy.(P6)The narrator was shocked because nor
40、mally these leading white men would behave differently,in a respectable and admirable way.Yet this time he saw the other side.,Why did he try to back away?(P7)They were not supposed to watch a white woman,or else they would be accused of sexual harassment in those days.,My teeth chattered,my skin tu
41、rned to goose flesh,my knees knocked.Translation:我的牙直打颤，浑身起鸡皮疙瘩，膝盖也在发抖。,I wanted at one and the same time.,to love her and murder her.(P7)On the one hand,he felt so embarrassed that he wanted to run away from the ballroom.On the other hand,he took pity on the girl and wanted to protect the naked gir
42、l from the eyes of men.He wanted to love her because she was an attractive girl,but at the same time he wanted to destroy her because after all she was the immediate cause of their embarrassment.,Chairs went crashing,drinks split,as they ran laughing and howling after her.(P9),他们疯狂地笑着，声嘶力竭地呼叫着，追逐那个跳
43、舞的姑娘，好多椅子撞翻了，酒也洒了一地。,What is the purpose of the descriptions of the naked white girls dancing?How is this episode related with the battle royal?1.Both were performances staged for the entertainment of the white men.The dancing girl was not regarded as a human being with dignity.In this sense,the dan
44、cing girl is invisible.2.The episode has a symbolic meaning.When forced to watch the white naked dancing girl,the black boys were scolded and threatened by the white men,whether they looked at the girl or not.This situation was typical of the dilemma and confusion in which black people often found t
45、hemselves trapped.,Text analysis,1.What are paragraphs 10 to 28 about?2.What does blindfold mean in para.10?3.What does ginger-colored mean?4.What does the word“anarchy”mean?,Paragraphs 10 to 28 describe the violent and brutal fight itself.,Pay attention to the use of specific words that make the na
46、rration realistic and vivid.,All ten of us climbed under the ropes.with broad bands of white cloth.(P10),blindfold:the word has 2 meanings.Literally it means to cover the eyes of someone with cloth or bandage.（用绷带等）蒙住眼睛 Figuratively it means to hinder the sight or understanding of someone.使看不见，使不理解
47、The author uses both meanings in this story.Note the color of the cloth bands is white.The author is hinting that it is the white people who cause the blindness of the blacks,blocking their vision and keeping them from knowing the truth.Blindfolding is an important symbol of the story,implying blind
48、ness and invisibility.,I want you to run across at the bellIm going to get you.铃声一响，你就给我跑过去，照准他的肚子狠狠揍。你不打他，我就打你。,Yet even then I had been going over my speech.as bright as flame.(P10),“as bright as flame”is a simile When blindfolded,the narrator was thrown into darkness,which is a symbol of ignoranc
49、e.Yet to him,the words of his speech were as bright as flame.Note the contrast between dark and light.As light is often a symbol of hope,what the narrator meant was the only hope for him to get out of darkness was his speech.He believed that if he could give the speech the white men would recognize
50、his value.,But now I felt a sudden fit of blind terror.(P11),fit:a very strong and uncontrollable emotion e.g.In a fit of temper he slammed the door and ran out.blind terror:transferred epithet.Logically the adjective“blind”modifies“I”,not“terror”.Translate?由于眼睛看不见了，我突然感到一阵恐惧。,I strained to pick up
