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.