Monday, April 21, 2014
Question 2
Where in Invisible Man does Ellison--who was trained as a musician--use language to musical effect? (For example, compare the description of the college campus on pages 34-37 to Trueblood's confession on 51-68, to the chapel scene on 110-135, and Tod Clifton's funeral on 450-461.) What different sorts of language does Ellison employ in these and other passages? How does the "music" of these sections--their rhythm, assonance, and alliteration--heighten their meaning or play against it?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
On page 35, he speaks of a silence that is broken with four trombones playing then an organ. He emphasizes the silence and shows loneliness in the world. The sound amongst silence can be seen as the loneliness Invisible Man feels as everyone around him manipulates or behaves secretly with him. He uses allusions ("Christmas carol" and "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God") to add a religious background to perhaps create irony: there is guidance in front of his face and he can't see it.
ReplyDeleteThe sound or music itself alludes to certain times in History which draw attention to the contrast between the present and the alluded time period.
ReplyDelete....... My explanations aren't up to 10 sentences.