Epilogue post

Epilogue:

Oratory: There were no instances of oratory in the epilogue.

Power: “But my world has become one of infinite possibilities...I am invisible, not blind” (576).  Although it took the narrator quite a journey to come to this conclusion, he finally realized that being invisible presents him with endless opportunities. He can use it to his advantage in many ways, whether that be manipulating the Brotherhood to destroy them or manipulating a power company’s wires so that he can get free electricity. The IM not only recognizes that invisibility brings power, but also recognizes that because everyone else is blind to the fact, he is made all the more powerful.

Blog Mural Project

Blog Mural Project

Question: What is the purpose of the motifs power and oratory in “Invisible Man” in relation to Ellison’s depiction of racial stereotypes and tensions in the 1950s?

Thesis: Throughout the novel, the power and oratory motifs combine to both give and take power from African American characters, showing that any power that comes from words is only as strong as the audience's reaction, and reactions differ based on whether the orator has good or bad intentions regarding racial equality.

Synthesis: Chapters 16-25

As with our two earlier synthesis posts, the relationship between power and oratory has remained strong; the individual with the long instances of oratory are generally those with the most power in that moment. IM has realized that he can use his words to hold power over his audience and shift their way of thinking in a way that will benefit him, or at least not hurt him. For example, in chapter 16 during his speech at the Brotherhood rally, the IM was able to move the audience through speaking his mind about being blind and dispossessed.This is a contrast from chapter 1 at the Battle Royal when he accidentally spoke his mind saying “social equality” and incited anger amongst the crowd. The fact that the IM was able to deeply move the audience, despite the fact that he came up with it on the spot, shows how he has grown as an orator and become more comfortable with expressing his ideas to others. However, we have also noticed that speeches are not always the most effective way to get one’s point across- action is sometimes necessary and even more effective, yet also possibly dangerous. IM has been pushing for the people of Harlem to actually do something about the injustice following his speeches, rather than simply listen. This relates back to the advice the grandfather gives the IM. At last, by chapter 23, the Invisible Man is taking the action necessary to “agree em to death in destruction” by “launching his attack” on the Brotherhood.

Chapters 23,24,&25

Chapter 23:

Power was a very important motif in chapter 23, also a major turning point for IM. Immediately we become aware of the powerful influence that Rinehart has on the community- each of his identities. By IM taking on the identification of Rinehart he is embodying Rinehart’s power in himself. On page 501, IM attempts to discuss how he should help his district with Hambro, though the conversation doesn’t seem to go anywhere. In their conversation, Hambro explains that his “members will have to be sacrificed” and that “there’s nothing to be done about it that wouldn’t upset the larger plan”. He says this in an attempt to justify the Brotherhood’s new methods, but his words end up revealing just how little concern the Brotherhood actually has for its community. This triggers a new insight for IM reflecting his Grandfather’s advice: to yes the whites to death. This lets IM have power over the whites, especially in the Brotherhood, with the power of manipulation. His new motto is basically ‘keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer’, which we predict will work in his favor.

Chapter 24:

Oratory: There were no instances of oratory in this chapter.

Power: There were no instances of power in this chapter.

Chapter 25:

Oratory: The oratory in chapter 25 occurs mainly when Ras confronts the IM atop his horse in the streets. “Betrayer!” Ras proclaims on page 557, moving on to advocate that the IM be lynched for his association with the Brotherhood and their aims. In his defense, the IM states “They want this to happen...they planned it” (558). Here he is speaking to the black community as a whole, as he attempts to explain the setup they’re facing. They have been manipulated to turn against themselves, clearly illustrated by Ras’s plea for the IM’s death, which will keep the entire black community powerless and essentially trapped.

Power: “... then when you git ‘em out start splashing coal oil. Then when you git it splashed I’m going to holler, and when I holler three times I want you to light the matches and git” (546).

In this chapter, Dupre and Scofield are the characters holding a lot of power. They have set in place an entire plan to burn a building where lots of people are living. They instill fear in all of the residents and scoff at their requests to hold back from burning their house down. They have the ability to determine what these people’s lives will look like from here on out and this is one of the greatest powers you can have over someone, as being unable to determine how your own life will play out is an incredibly frightening thing.

Chapters 20-22

Chapter 20:

Oratory: There were no instances of oratory in this chapter.

Power: “As for the loss of membership and influence, it was a result of a new program which had called for the shelving of our old techniques of agitation” (428).

One of the main themes in chapter 20 is the idea of the Brotherhood losing power in Harlem. Upon the IM’s return, he learns that the Brotherhood has switched from emphasizing local issues to focusing more on national and international concerns. As a result, many people in Harlem lost jobs the Brotherhood had provided them with and feel as though the organization has betrayed the community. As the Brotherhood loses influence, Ras and his crew are becoming increasingly active and gaining power in Harlem.

Chapter 21:

Oratory:

Pg. 456 “So he died; and we who loved him are gathered here to mourn him.”

The main instance of oratory in this chapter was IM’s speech at Brother Tod Clifton’s funeral. There came a point where no one was speaking and the crowd was looking at him expectantly and so he reluctantly launched into a fairly long speech about Clifton. He made it clear that Clifton had been shot because he was black, and that this racially charged police brutality was not a new phenomenon. He talked about how Clifton’s blood was just like anyone else’s blood, and made a lot of references to the fact that “trigger” rhymed with the n-word.

Power:

Pg.448 “For they had the power to use a paper doll, first to destroy his integrity and then as an excuse for killing him.”

The power that was focused on the most in chapter twenty-one was that that the white police officer held over Tod Clifton. It is very evident that the policeman abused his power and jumped to use violence against Clifton, simply because of the color of his skin. The white police officers have this ultimate power over the black community, as they are supposed to be helping to enforce the law and instead use that power from their positions to their advantage and exercise it unnecessarily over the African-American community for purely racial reasons.

Chapter 22:

Oratory: There were no instances of oratory in this chapter.

Power:

Chapter 22 is a significant chapter in Invisible Man for the motif power. As we begin the chapter, the IM is put into his place by Brother Jack and the rest of the committee in a meeting following his speech at Tod Clifton’s funeral. Brother Jack is angry that IM’s speech was of his own thoughts and not of the committee’s idea’s. When IM explains that they “went ahead on [his] personal responsibility” (463), Jack and the others in the room ridicule him implying that IM should not have assumed any responsibility since he has no power in their eyes. Even though IM says “today was the first time that they’re listened to our appeals in weeks” (471), Brother Jack shoots him down letting him know that “[he was] not hired to think” (469) taking us back to Mr. Kimbro from the paint factory. Although it’s clear that in Harlem IM has a strong influence over the people, the Brotherhood refuses to acknowledge his power and continues to reinforce their own, which seems to be recurring throughout the novel.

Chapters 16-19

Chapter 16:

Oratory:

“But I’ve been sitting here listening and looking and trying to understand what’s so common about us” (342).

The main instance of oratory in chapter sixteen is at a rally for the Brotherhood. The brothers ask IM to speak at the end of the rally, once the crowd is already fired up. IM forgets what he wants to say once he gets up on stage, but improvises on the spot and comes up with a speech about how they are dispossessed and blind. The crowd absolutely loves the speech and receive him warmly, but members of the Brotherhood are not so impressed, as IM learns after he has finished.

Power:

"'Did I do something wrong?' I said.

      'The worst you could’ve done,' he said coldly" (349).

Brother Jack held some power in chapter sixteen in regards to the speech given by IM. IM was aiming to impress Brother Jack with the words of his speech, so he had power in this sense, but he also had power when IM was finished with his speech. IM left the stage believing he had done a fairly good job, as the crowd was enthusiastically cheering him on, but Brother Jack disagreed - and made his view quite clear. The quote above is part of this conversation; Brother Jack tells IM that he does not believe the speech was actually well done, and encourages other brothers to do the same. In doing this, Brother Jack has the power to control IM’s feelings of himself and his accomplishments, which may ultimately contribute to his feeling of invisibility.

Chapter 17:

Oratory:

“You my brother, mahn. Brothers are the same color; how the hell you call these white men brother?” (370)

Ras the Exhorter says this in the middle of a physical fight with Brother Tod Clifton, and continues to give a speech about what it means to be black and what duties come along with being black. His word choice is meant to instill a sense of responsibility in Clifton and IM, and convince them to leave the white individuals that they have agreed to work with. In addition, he tries to convince them that a group of African-Americans will do a lot more for the black community than a group of both blacks and whites through appealing to a sense of community. He also tries to make Clifton and IM feel guilty about teaming up with white men by making it seem as though the only reason that they would do this is because the white men would “provide” them with “their” women.

Power:

“Why you go over to the enslaver?” (371)

This motif in chapter seventeen was more about a struggle for power and a discussion about who ought to have power, mainly between Ras, Clifton, and IM. Ras, a black nationalist, was furious that Clifton and IM, two black men, would work with whites, and saw it as a sort of sign of betrayal to their race. He could not understand how the two men believed that the white men had their best interest in mind, and how they thought that working with them would actually help further their cause, and Clifton and Ras actually get into a physical fight over this disagreement.

Chapter 18:

Oratory:

“This business of being a brother is a full time job. You have to be pure in heart and you have to be disciplined in body and mind" (394).

This quote comes from Brother Wrestrum as he gives the IM his spiel on what it means to be a true Brother. The leg iron is what evokes this speech, as Brother Wrestrum insists that it “dramatizes [their] differences”, and deteriorates from the Brotherhood’s cause of unity and trust in eachother. Coming from Brother Wrestrum, however, this quote is very ironic. Near the end of the chapter, Brother Wrestrum shows traits of hypocrisy as turns his back on the IM, charging him with using the Brotherhood to advance his own self interests. He uses the magazine interview as evidence against them IM, even though he knows the truth behind the interview since he was there when the IM received the call. Through this, Brother Wrestrum ironically went against the moral standards of Brotherhood he spoke so highly of earlier in the chapter.

Power:

“He’s trying to train them so they won’t listen to no one but him...He wants to be a dictator!” (401)

This quote comes from the meeting at the end of the chapter, where Brother Wrestrum is accusing the Invisible Man of being power crazed. The charges Brother Wrestrum brings were perhaps out of spite and jealousy, considering a few weeks ago the IM held power over Brother Wrestrum when he dismissed him out of his office and neglected to show much interest in the suggestion of emblems. Brother Wrestrum continually states that, as leader, the IM only wants to advance his own self interests and that he aims to control the entire movement. This then brings about a sort of fight over power-the Invisible Man is the one with the power as leader, but Brother Wrestrum is envious of the power IM holds and tries to take it away from him by bringing about the charges.

Chapter 19:

There were no instances of oratory in this chapter.

Power:

The power in this chapter lies in the hands on a character distinctly different from most others in previous chapters- she is a young woman. The unnamed woman has power over IM by luring him into her apartment to “discuss the Brotherhood”, but her true intentions are clear. She manages to seduce IM enough to go against his instinct and morals and have sex with her, a married woman. The morning after he “looked up to see the man looking straight at [him]” (417) which we assume to be the husband. The woman obviously has control over her husband as well, since he did not even react to seeing his wife in bed with another unidentified man. By the end of the chapter, Brother Jack still holds over over IM as well, moving his assignment once again back to Harlem after the disappearance of Brother Tod Clifton. Brother Tod is suspected to have joined sides with Ras the Exhorter, who inevitably still holds some power, threatening the Brotherhood.

Synthesis: Chapters 8-15

The relationship between power and oratory in Invisible Man in our first synthesis post, from the prologue to Chapter Eight, has remained pretty much the same. Individuals giving the oratory are still usually the people holding the power in that moment. In the recent chapters, however, IM has grown much more comfortable with the power that he finds through his words. The best example of this is in chapter 13, when he is able to rally a black crowd against white police officers who are trying to evict a couple from their house. In this situation, he holds power not only over the community listening to him, but also over the white men.

Following the speech that IM gives in chapter 13, he is recruited by Brother Jack to be the spokesperson for an activist group, the Brotherhood. Brother Jack holds a lot of power over IM in this conversation; he references a famous African-American activist, Booker T. Washington, in order to instill a sense of responsibility in IM, as well as presents his argument so persuasively that he succeeds in convincing IM to reluctantly leave Miss Mary and her home.

In chapters 9-15, the Invisible Man himself seems to be more aware of the power of words than he was in chapters 1-8. On page 259, IM states “And the more resentful I became, the more my old urge to make speeches returned. While walking along the streets words would spill from my lips in a mumble over which I had little control. I became afraid of what I might do.” By saying that he is afraid of what his words might do, the IM is realizing the power that his speeches potentially possess. His words may cause him to get in trouble, they may cause a riot, or, as was the case, or they may cause a black crowd to take action against whites. The quote serves to foreshadow the upcoming events of chapter 13 where, as IM grew resentful, words did indeed “spill from his lips” and cause a powerful reaction. This introduces a contrast from the Battle Royal, where even though the IM was giving a speech, he had no power at all.

As an African American, IM steadily gains more power and influence over his community and others, and his words and speeches help him to do just this. The white men, including Brother Jack, feel threatened by his potential capabilities, just as Mr. Norton felt in the first section of the novel.