Invisible Man: Chapters 16-19

Chapter 16 

1. List all the images of blindness in this chapter. What do you think the narrator means when he says he has become “more human?” Images of blindness in this chapter include the anecdote of the prizefighter losing his sight in the ring (p. 258), "then suddenly I was blinded [by the spotlight] and felt myself into the man ahead of me" (p. 262), and the narrator's speech in general (pp. ). The narrator saying that he feels "more human" while speaking means that by being able to speak to a crowd that includes both black and white people that he has been qualified as no longer "less than" because of his racial background.
2. How does the narrator use the image of blindness as the central theme of his speech? The narrator uses the image of blindness as the central theme of the speech 
3. Be prepared to discuss the speech as a further expression of the narrator’s developing identity. 
4. The rewritten quote from James Joyce is often discussed. Do you think that it is the duty of an individual to represent a particular race, gender or group? Do you believe it is more important to concentrate on developing one's individual identity? I do not believe that it is the duty of an unwilling individual to represent a minority group they are a part of. However, if they wish to represent a particular group, it is important that they cultivate an individual identity first as to not only separate themselves from their public image but also to have a positive outlook on the group they are representing as a whole (loving oneself).
5. What is The Brotherhood’s reaction to the speech? What is your personal reaction? What criticism of The Brotherhood is implied here? The Brotherhood does not approve of the narrator's speech because they believe it to be "backwards and reactionary" as well as not complying with their theme of scientific social experimentation. I personally thought the speech was great, especially in terms of uniting the followers of The Brotherhood beyond racial lines. The implied criticism of The Brotherhood here is that they would rather have a speech with limited efficacy that falls within their belief structure rather than a powerful speech that challenges its borders.

Chapter 17 

1. How much time has passed since the narrator’s speech? Four months.
2. Describe Brother Hambro. Brother Hambro is a tall, amicable figure that has risen to prominence in The Brotherhood because of his structured way of thinking that aligns with the ideology of the higher-ranking members of the organization. Because the narrator has not visited Harlem since his speech (meaning that Hambro is not there) and the man was recommended directly from the "board," it is also likely that Brother Hambro is white.
3. What is Ras’ political doctrine and why is it in conflict with that of The Brotherhood? Ras' political doctrine involves black nationalism and an aggressive platform for that, while The Brotherhood refuses to "countenance any aggressive violence" (p. 283) to further their efforts.
4. Who is Tod Clifton? Why do he and the narrator become friends? Note that “tod” means death in German. Why does Ras spare Clifton’s life? Brother Tod is the youth community leader for The Brotherhood and becomes friends with the narrator because not only are they both black, but they want to work together to support the community and The Brotherhood at the same time. Ras spares Clifton's life because he is black like Ras, even though he sides with white people.
5. Ras pleads with the narrator to become a part of black unity and leave The Brotherhood. His arguments are similar to those of Black Panthers and others who came to the political forefront in the 1960s. The Communist Party did, in effect, betray the Blacks who helped build the party in the 1930s. What side do you believe Ellison is supporting? I believe that Ellison is supporting the side of the Black Panthers, as the speech that Ras gives in favor of black unity is much longer (and similar to an author-avatar tract) than it would be if he was not supporting the Black Panthers here. 
6. What is significant about the portrait of Douglass that hangs in Brother Tarp’s office? How is Tarp like Douglass? Like the narrator’s grandfather? The portrait of Frederick Douglass in Tarp's office is significant because it shows that he believes in black progress alongside The Brotherhood's ideals. Douglass is like Brother Tarp in that they both worked for progress into old age and raised themselves up to do so, but Douglass is also like the narrator's grandfather because there was always a loyalty to themselves (identity-wise) and their own progress on top of working for others. Also, Douglass was a former slave like the narrator's grandfather. 

Chapter 18 

1. Consider the symbolism of the link of chain Tarp gives the narrator. In what ways does it link the narrator to Tarp? To his past? Is it significant that Westrum rejects that link? The link is a physical representation of the connection that black people of the time period have to each other and their history of bondage. It links the narrator to Tarp because they both left a situation where they were being punished for a transgression involving a white man, and it links the narrator to Tarp's past as he too has been truly looking for freedom while holding onto (what he can remember of) his past. Wrestrum's rejection of the link shows that he sees himself as above the history and culture of his people, assimilating into what The Brotherhood considers to be acceptable for black men.
2. What seems to cause the fight between Wrestrum and the narrator? What do you think is the REAL reason for this fight? The external cause of the fight is that Wrestrum believes that the narrator has ulterior self-serving motives for being part of The Brotherhood, but the real issue between Wrestrum and the narrator is that Wrestrum himself was not chosen to be interviewed by the magazine.
3. At the end of the chapter, the narrator is sent out of Harlem. Why would The Brotherhood remove a successful member of the party and send him off to lecture on a subject about which he knows so little either by training or personal experience? The Brotherhood wants to either distance the narrator from the organization like Bledsoe did with the university or test the narrator's loyalty to them by seeing how he fairs when he is not dealing with a group of people that will see him as a leader automatically.

Chapter 19 

Note that chapter 19 is a transitional chapter like chapters 7 and 12. This chapter details the narrator’s seduction by the nameless “woman in red.”

1. In what ways is Ellison playing with the idea that white women are drawn to Black men? It's pretty straightforward; the woman wants to have a sexual experience with the narrator (or a black man in general) because it's considered to be a taboo during the time period due to racial stereotypes and social inequality.
2. What reaction does the woman give when her husband comes home? The woman is indifferent to the awkwardness of the situation and still refers to her husband fondly.
3. What is the narrator’s action? The narrator panics, hurrying to get redressed and back down the stairs to go back to the headquarters of The Brotherhood and avoid the situation further.
4. Do you think this chapter is humorous, or is it serious social commentary? I think that the chapter is serious social commentary on the fetishization of the black race. Because black people had been made out to be either animalistic or "exotic" (because of not being white), they are still different from white people in that they are considered a commodity rather than a human being. Sexual stereotypes with black men in particular have been harmful historically, as the idea of black men being "savages" unable to control themselves has led to lynchings under the (primarily false) accusations that they raped a white woman.