Invisible Man, 261-317

Chapter Thirteen

Why is the IM attracted to the yams? What is the significance of his:

-          claim that it is good just from looking at it, and the man’s advice to try it first

-          choice to eat it while walking down the street (264)

-          thoughts about shame and public actions (265)

-          accusations about Bledsoe’s chitterling habit

-          return to get more yams and claim that they are his “‘birthmark’” (266)

-          why he doesn’t think that he will be able to enjoy the hot fried pies?

What does he find when he walks away after finishing his yams? How does it make him feel? (267-75)

What drives the IM to act? (270-75)

What are the points of the IM’s speech? Is it totally contradictory? Does he actually instigate the protest? (275-281)

Why does he keep repeating “‘we’re a law abiding people’” while people are trying to break the law? Does the phrase take on different meanings throughout his speech, particularly once people start to act (straight vs. sarcastic, etc)? See 275, 276, 277, 279, 281.

Why is he so surprised when the police show up (bottom of 282-284)?

Who do you think the people calling him “brother” are?  See 282: When he asks them who they are, they answer  “‘friends of allthe common people’” who “‘believe in brotherhood.’” Can you answer the IM’s own question – “Where had I heard of them?” 

Did he mean to “‘mov[e] them to action,’” as the white woman claims on 284? See his reflections on 286.

What does he notice about the man who remarks on his speech? See 288-89.

What does the man mean about old people – both individuals and “‘types of men’” (291)? If old people are so bad, what does he mean when he tells the IM that he has become “‘capable of rising to the necessity of the historical situation’” because “‘History has been born in [his] brain’” (291).

Why does the man get frustrated by the IM’s comments on race (292)? Why does he claim that the IM cannot be “‘such an individualist as [he] pretend[s]”?

Chapter Fourteen

What causes the IM to rethink his rejection of the man’s offer? (296-98)

What is the meaning and relevance of the word Chthonian? (299)

Where is the IM? Who are the people he is with?

If the Founder is not Booker T. Washington, who is he? (305-7) He “‘lies outside history’” while Washington “‘is still a living force’” (306). Is there a right and a wrong way to engage history? Brother Jack suggests that in “‘times of indecision when all the old answers are proven false, the people look back upon the dead to give them a clue.’” Do you think that this is the right approach, given his earlier disdain for old attitudes? There is “‘little the dead can do’” but they are not “‘absolutely powerless.’”

Why will Mary not do as a landlady (308-9)? Why is the IM given a new identity (309)?

What is the IM’s private attitude towards Booker T. Washington (311)?

What happens during the singing incident on 312-314? Why does the IM’s reaction dispel the tension – rendering them “‘an importance service which I couldn’t understand’” (314)?

What does dancing with Emma fulfill for the IM? Is he comfortable? Is this freedom? (314-15).

What does he admit that he dislikes about “people like Mary on 316-17?

The Ignorance of Refusing to See (Invisible Man 261-317)

            In the novel Invisible Man, author Ralph Ellison takes readers on adventure into invisibility. By invisible he is not meaning physically unseen, but he means the type of invisibility that takes place when society overlooks a person’s character and skills and sees them only as a physical being. Throughout the first half of the book, a man known only has the “Invisible Man,” finds himself graduating in the top of the class, to studying for 3 years at presumably the Tuskegee institute, and eventually being expelled from school and living in Harlem, New York. The placement of Invisible Man in Harlem, New York during this time period is extremely interesting. Invisible Man finds himself in Harlem in the 1930’s, which was coincidentally the Harlem Renaissance, a time of Black enlightenment in art, music, and poetry. Invisible Man understands that the Harlem Renaissance is an important part of Black expression, but he himself has found it awfully hard to express himself without the fear of being rejected by whites and stereotyped by society.

            Chapter thirteen finds Invisible Man walking along a New York street. Ironically he passes an advertisement for skin whitening ointments. The sign says “You too can be truly beautiful. Win greater happiness with whiter complexion. Be outstanding in your social set” (262). The significance of the sign deals with the everyday struggle some blacks face. In America, blacks are persecuted and ridiculed on the basis of their skin color. Some believe if they were white or if they act white enough, they can finally be “seen” by members of other races. This idea is similar to what Invisible Man is dealing with throughout the first half of the novel. He is so occupied with pleasing the white man that he loses sight of himself in the process. Invisible Man looked up to Dr. Bledsoe because he is what some would call an “Uncle Tom,” meaning he would say and do anything to appease the whites. In a sense this “Uncle Tom” title is what Invisible Man wanted; he wanted white people to “see” him as person rather than a savage animal.

            After Invisible Man sees the sign, he immediately sees a man selling hot candied yams. He buys Yams from the man, and is immediately overcome with a sense of relief.  Invisible Man says “ [He was overcome with an intense feeling of freedom—simply because I was eating while walking along the street. It was exhilarating. I no longer had to worry about who saw me or about what was proper” (264). Although Invisible Man indicated that he was raised in a household that enjoyed the delicacies of “southern food,” until this point he had felt uncomfortable about eating them in public. His embarrassment was due to his intense desire to be “seen” as a man rather than an animal. Invisible Man showed his embarrassment earlier in the novel when he becomes upset when a chef at a diner offers him the daily special which happened to be a pork chop. He felt the chef just wanted to see him engage in a “black” act by eating the pork chop. Though he is very naïve, Invisible Man is not all to blame for his embarrassment. Society has stereotyped every race with specific foods and items. For instance, according to stereotypes, blacks are somehow tied exclusively to watermelon, fried chicken and kool-aid. How those three things became a symbol of being “black” is still questioned, but they do show how blacks are still “invisible.” Ellison wrote the novel several years ago thinking he was only speaking to his times, but his story of the Invisible Man seems to still be relevant today. There are some who continue to refuse to “see” blacks, and see them only as the stereotypes they fit.

•  Questions

1. What is your view on stereotypes? Are they a result of “invisibility”? or are they simply social facts of society? 
2.   Although the boys at the Men’s House are all black just like invisible man, why do look at him with disgust?
3. Do you think Invisible Man is starting to realize he is “invisible”? or Do you think he was a little while longer to live in his naïve state?

Invisible Man, 172-260

For Quiz #4, answer five (5) of the following questions.

Four (4) of your questions must come from EACH ONE of the chapters (answer 1 question from Nine, 1 from Ten, 1 from Eleven, and 1 from Twelve). One (1) question can come from any chapter. Answer this question wherever it fits (based on chapter order).

Reminder: IM = Invisible Man

Chapter Nine

How does IM interact with the blueprint cart-pusher? What is noticeably missing from the IM's side of their interaction? What does it mean to “deny” someone (173)? And why does the cart-pusher remind the IM of “the vet from the Golden Day” (174)?

What does IM say that leads the cart-pusher decide that he is “‘kinda young’” on 175?

Why is IM so resistant to people recognizing that he is southern, especially the counterman who offers him the pork chops and grits (178)?

What’s the deal with Mr. Emerson’s son? The Club Calamus?

Why did Bledsoe write those letters? (190) And why did IM think it was a good idea to ask for them again? (148-9)

What is the significance of the “Poor Robin” song? Who does what to whom in the song? Who is responsible, and for what? (193-4) How do these lyrics reflect IM’s outlook on his life and new job as expressed on 195?

Chapter Ten

What is the first tension that the IM encounters at Liberty Paints? What is the “new racket” at the plant? (197) What does it mean to be a “scab?”

What goes wrong with Kimbro? Whose fault is it? (199-206)

What responsibilities does Lucius Brockway have at Liberty Paints? Where do they start and end? (207-218, 224-230)?

Who are the men in the locker room? Why do some of them call the IM “'brother'” and why are others so suspicious of him? What is a “'fink?'” (219-223).

What are the racial tensions at the plant suggested by this meeting? Why are the men so suspicious of Brockway? Does it have anything to do with his race? 

What goes wrong with Brockway? Whose fault is it this time? (224-30) Why is Brockway so concerned about the union (228)?

Does IM make significant progress with Brockway through and after their fight? Do you think that Brockway really laughs as he scrambles for the stairs on 229? Do you think that the IM has really "lost irrevocably an important victory" (229)? 

Chapter Eleven

Where does the IM wake up? What procedure is being tried on him? (232)

What does the doctor suggest that he has done on 236? What effects on IM’s personality should follow? Wasn’t his body injured and not his mind?

What happens when the IM tries to be angry on 237?

Why does the doctor show him the cards asking “WHO WAS BUCKEYE THE RABBIT” and “BOY, WHO WAS BRER RABBIT?” How does the IM react to these questions (241-242)?

How does the IM feel about the changes in his personality (249)?

Chapter Twelve

Who is Mary Rambo (252)? What does she want for the IM? (255)

Why does the IM feel totally out of place at the Men’s House (256)? What does he do to the man who resembles Bledsoe on 257? Why?

Looking back on his experiences, how does the IM feel? His plans have all changed and he swore that the point of life was sticking to one's plan when he first arrived (259).

Invisible Man, 98-171, Blog Posting In-Class Assignment

Harlem

You will be assigned to a group. Divide up the questions among yourselves and answer one or two of the questions from the chapter assigned to your group in an INDIVIDUAL blog comment.


In order to be a qualifying comment, your comment MUST BE 150+ words - you can include quotes. 

It is okay if more than one person answers the same question, but try to make sure that all questions have at least one answer. 

Then regroup and discuss your answer(s) and chapter(s) before reporting back to the class.

Not only does this earn you the first of six required blog comments (and more if you get into a discussion on the blog after class), but it gives you a solid background for Quiz #4 (Tuesday 3/27) and potentially a starting point for Close Reading #2, due on Sunday 4/8.

NOTE: Group 1's questions carry over from Tuesday's reading, 98-135.

Invisible Man - Group 1 - Chapters Four & Five (98-135)

1. What is so attractive about Bledsoe and the founder for IM? What does the IM want out of life at this point?

2. Why is IM surprised by Bledsoe’s attitude toward Norton? See 102-3 and 105-6. What does he expect?

3. How does Mr. Norton feel about IM after all is said and done? Why do his eyes keep narrowing on 108? 

4. Is the school really a product of combined southern black agency and northern white generosity or a more complicated relationship between races and regions? Are blacks really given everything by the whites as IM originally figures (112) or does something much more complicated underlie Barbee’s speech? Recall Norton’s admission that he “know[s his] life rather well” (38) but admits he is unsure whether the vision for the school was only the founder’s or also his own (39)?

5. Do you think that the IM is to blame for his actions or do you think that he is just incredibly naive and sometimes thinks too late (if at all)? Recall the vet's observation about the IM on 94 -- "'He registers with his senses but short-circuits his brain. Nothing has meaning. He takes it in but he doesn't digest it. Already he is -- well, bless my soul! Behold! a walking zombie!...The mechanical man!'"

6. Why do you think the IM so attached to the school? As you know, he keeps thinking about it and wanting to go back no matter where life leads him.

Invisible Man - Group 2 - Chapter Six (136-150)

1. Is IM in trouble because he listened to Norton? What does Bledsoe suggest that he should have done instead? (138-9). Pay attention to Bledsoe's responses to the IM's excuses on 139.

2. What is the importance of appropriate lying according to Bledsoe? See 138-9.

3. Do you think the IM believes the vet’s story (140)? What does Bledsoe think of the vet's claim that the IM thinks “white is right”? If Bledsoe finds it true, why does he say that the vet “‘should be under lock and key’” (140)? Do you think Bledsoe would say that IM's grandfather should also be under lock and key if he had openly stated his dying words earlier in his life?

4. Do you think that the IM really ruined (or almost ruined) the institution or his future (140-41)?  Would you kick him out of school? Why or why not?

5. Where does Bledsoe’s power come from and how far does it extend? Does he give an accurate assessment of his own power and the men he has in his power or does he overstate it? (142-4) Why does he suggest that pride and dignity are “foolish and expensive and a lot of dead weight” (145)?

6. Is the IM’s unwillingness to accept responsibility for what he has done willful at this point or is it just a sign of his immaturity (see 146-7)? Either way, why does he realize that he must choose between the life of the Bledsoes of the world and his grandfather? Is this really even a choice?

7. Why does the IM (bless his heart) think it is a good idea to ask Bledsoe for letters of recommendation (148-9)? 

Invisible Man - Group 3 - Chapters Seven and Eight (151-171)

1. What is the difference between the vet, the IM and Crenshaw? What are each of them willing (or unwilling) to recognize about themselves and their lives or fates (152-6)

2. What is the vet’s advice to IM? (153-6) What does it mean to “Be your own father?” (156) Does his advice resonate with Bledsoe’s or IM’s grandfather’s or is it an alternative to both? How so?

3. What does IM think of Harlem at first? (157-61) Why is he so afraid of riots?

4. What are the IM’s aspirations for his time in New York? (163-64) What do they all center around?

5. Why is IM so interested/worried/intrigued by the idea of being watched (165)

6. Do you think that the IM is making the most of his opportunity/freedom in the North?

Tuskegee's Past -- Invisible Man's Nostalgia

Invisible Man, 3-135

The statue of Booker T. Washington at Tuskegee Institute (now University)


"Then in my mind's eye I see the bronze statue of the Founder, the cold Father symbol, his hands outstretched in the breathtaking gesture of lifting a veil that flutters in hard, metallic folds above the face of a kneeling slave; and I stand puzzled, unable to decide whether the veil is really being lifted, or lowered more firmly in place; whether I am witnessing a revelation or a more efficient blinding" (36)

A few things to consider and discussion questions for Tuesday's reading (3-135)

Prologue


1. How is the Invisible Man (IM) invisible? How does his invisibility function? Does he desire to be seen?

2. In particular, how does his invisibility function  in the scene of violence (the "mugging") with the tall blonde man on 4-5?

3. Is invisibility more dangerous than sleepwalking, or vice versa?

4. Where is the IM when we meet him? What is significant about his location and "hibernation" (6)?

5. Why does he desire light so much? Is there a hidden meaning lurking in the name "Monopolated Light & Power?" (7, 13).

6. What the heck happens after he smokes that reefer and listens to Armstrong's "What Did I Do to Be So Black and Blue"? (8-12)

7. What does invisibility have to do with (ir)responsibility? Who is responsible for making the IM invisible? Did he choose to become invisible? Why, why not, or in which ways?

8. Whose/what interests are the "higher interests of society"? Is it better (or safer) to be awake or dreaming?

Chapter One


1. In the prologue, the IM suggests that the world operates through contradiction. You think things will go in one direction, but they end up flying right back at your head: “Not like an arrow, but a boomerang. (Beware of those who speak of the spiral of history; they are preparing a boomerang. Keep a steel helmet handy.) I know; I have been boomeranged across my head so much that I now can see the darkness of lightness” (6).

So what is the meaning of boomeranging or being boomeranged?

Consider the first lines of chapter one: In his search for himself, he accepts the answers that others give him, “though they were often in contradiction and even self-contradictory. I was naïve. I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer. It took me a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with: That I am nobody but myself. But first I had to discover that I am an invisible man!” (15).

2. Before Spring Break, I dropped a few suggestions about shame. What role does it play in his (changing) attitude on slavery and his ancestors' (namely his grandparents') past? (15)

3. You should have noticed some echoes of an earlier reading assignment throughout this chapter. Which assignment? What is the significance of it here? 

4. What does IM's grandfather communicate in his last words (16-17)? Why is his final lesson so unsettling for the IM and his family? 

5. What goes on the battle royal? Why is the naked white woman with the American flag tattoo present (19)? Why does IM continue to trust and respect these figures while they violently and indirectly exploit the woman, himself, and the other students? Why do the other students go along with it? Why is Tatlock unwilling to make a deal in the ring? (24-5). 

6. See question 3 -- what's the deal with IM's speech? At least the only part of it we are presented with?

7. Is his briefcase and scholarship fairly won? Is fairness even possible? What does it say about IM that he is able to forgive the men, accept the scholarship, and is not even upset by the fact that the “‘good hard American cash’” that he has struggled for is in fact “brass pocket tokens advertising a certain make of automobile” (32)?

8. What's the deal with the circus dream? 

Chapter Two

1. Is the college really like IM initially remembers it? Or is it dried out and spread with the contents of the cistern (as on 36)?

2. (See statue above). Is this a veiling or an unveiling? Would bird poop really make this statue more commanding?

3. Is IM’s anxiety the main reason that he messes up the drive with Norton? Consider his description of his “pride and anxiety” on 37 and his embarrassment and fear of punishment for the innocent act of honking the horn. Also consider his dread that Norton will notice his “treachery” on 40.

4. What is the significance of Norton’s daughter in spurring him to support the school? (42-3).

5. What is the history of Trueblood’s relationship with the school and likely that of others of the country people who are not interested in being “uplifted” or educated, but are happy where they are? (46-7). How does IM halfheartedly try to keep Norton away from the Truebloods? “‘They – they don’t seem very bright’” – “‘but they hate us up at the school. They never come there’” (48)? Why is Norton still drawn to them?

6. What is Norton’s initial reaction to IM’s description of the Truebloods’ situation? See 50 – “‘No, no, no!’ … ‘Not that! No…’” Why is he driven on to find out more? Why is his first reaction to Trueblood himself “‘You have survived…But is it true?...You did and are unharmed!...You have looked upon chaos and are not destroyed!’” (51). What might explain Norton’s reaction that IM describes as “something like envy and indignation” (51)?

7. How do the reactions of the local whites and blacks to Truebloods’ situation differ? How does Norton react to his vivid story (see 69)? How about the IM?

Chapter Three

1. Who are the vets? What were their occupations prior to their institutionalization? Why do you think they were institutionalized? What is the background of the vet that actually helps Norton and IM?

2. How does the helpful vet's speech on 93-5 align with the condition of the IM as suggested in the prologue? How about with the dying words of the IM’s grandfather and his circus dream? Is this vet really “‘insane as all the rest,’” as Norton pronounces him (95)?

Chapter Four


1. What is so attractive about Bledsoe and the founder for IM? What does the IM want out of life at this point?

2. How does Bledsoe treat the IM after hearing the first of the incident (101-2) – consider particularly his admonition: “‘Damn what he (Norton) wants…Haven’t you got the sense God gave a dog? We take these white folks where we want them to go, we show them what we want them to see. Don’t you know that? I thought you had some sense” (102).

Why is IM surprised by Bledsoe’s attitude toward Norton? “Dr. Bledsoe’s attitude toward Mr. Norton was the most confusing of all. I dared not repeat what he’d said, for fear that it would lessen my chances of remaining in school. It just wasn’t true, I had misunderstood. He couldn’t have said what I thought he [106] had said” (104-5) – IM remembers all of Bledsoe's usual condescension and humility and yet Bledsoe speaks to Norton with a “grandmotherly concern” and “croon[s]” to him on 103. 

3. What is the significance of the grass being green and the attitudes of the other students toward the founder and the school’s mythos (105, 107)?

4. How does Mr. Norton feel about IM? Why do his eyes keep narrowing on 108? Clearly, IM does not comprehend the full meaning and repercussions of his actions at this point.

Chapter Five 

1. What is the significance of the songs performed for the visitors in light of our previous discussions of slave songs and spirituals (111)? Consider the fact that Trueblood used to perform for them as well (47). 

2. Is the school really a product of black agency and white generosity or a more complicated relationship between races and regions? Are blacks really given everything by the whites as IM originally figures (112) or is it something much more complicated that underlies Barbee’s speech? Recall Norton’s admission that he “know[s his] life rather well” (38) and that he is unsure if the vision for the school was the founder’s vision or his own (39)?

* Keep this question in mind for Chapter Six (for Thursday) -- Do you think that the Founder worked the millionaires in a similar way to the way that Bledsoe continues to?

3. Which aspects of Barbee’s speech cause the IM to “feel [his] guilt and accept it” (134). “For although I had not intended it, any act that endangered the continuity of the dream was an act of treason” (134)?

Langston Hughes (1902-1967)

Background:

Langston Hughes was born in Joplin Missouri, grew up in Kansas and Illinois, and went to high school in Cleveland, Ohio. He was descended from a distinguished family and both of his grandfather's were white men. He spent a year at Columbia University, but as he really went to see Harlem and not for the University, he was never comfortable there as a student.

Hughes was influenced in his poetry by Walt Whitman and Carl Sandburg, whom he called "my guiding star". He aspired to be Claude McKay because he was racially competent and cosmopolitan in his eyes. Hughes was set on writing about the lower classes in black culture and to experiment with jazz and blues music, even though it was not the part of his work that won praise. He received criticism for his collection Fine Clothes to the Jew (1927) from black magazines and newspapers that believed he has revealed too much about lower-class black culture and some parts of the collection were too erotic. It was called "trash" by one critic and no book of American poetry other than Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass had ever received such a array harsh criticism.

Hughes' career long outlived the Harlem Renaissance, which was a rarity for many poets and artists who had their beginnings in Harlem. He went on to write autobiographies, more collections of African American poetry, as well as shows and lyrics for the theater. He eventually purchased a house in Harlem where he lived out the rest of his life.

(Course Reader, pg. 1251-1254)

Poetry/Jazz:

Hughes seemed to be fixated on the point where music and poetry came together to create an almost entirely new art form. His writings all distinctly have a musical rhythm that is clear even to a reader who is sitting in silence. In his poem Motto, Hughes uses short words and phrasing to drive a point home that resembles the sharp peaks of saxophone music, especially on the words "jive, alive, dig" and "dug".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2VQ-3mOxrM

In The Weary Blues, there seems to be a melody that we as readers hear even as we picture they pianist playing. Hughes' use of phrases such as "he did a lazy sway" to slow doen the tempo of the piece so the language flows together rather than stands out as independent entities as in Motto. Hughes description of the musician paints a picture of an old man who has weathered the world and is worn down and tired by what he has experienced.

In a deep song voice with a melancholy tone

I heard that Negro sing, that old piano moan--

"Ain't got nobody in all this world,

Ain't got nobody but ma self.

The musician's voice is melancholy and he is putting the melodic sorrows of what he feels into the words because we cannot hear the music that Hughes wants us to hear. This particular poem is an excellent example of how the old spirituals influenced the jazz and blues music that inspired Hughes so much.

“The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain”

This piece of prose is begun with Hughes explaining that a poet who wants to just be a poet and not a "Negro poet" means that they want to write like a white poet, which means that they want to be a white poet, which in turn means they probably want to be white, which means failure. A successful poet is never afraid of being himself.

It is interesting to see how being white was (and is) the virtue in so many homes in America, even those that are not white. Children in many black homes grew up understanding that white was what they wanted and needed to be and that there was something inherently wrong with black culture and therefore with them for being black.

Hughes praises the other side of black culture, the church goers that sing and dance and those that do not care what others think, for they are his inspiration. Because of their individuality in a society with such a standard, Hughes believes they "furnish a wealth of colorful, distinctive material for any artist".

The concept of "racial individuality" is that part of a person that can be devoted to writing and creating art about the relationship between the races, and all of the nuances that shape that relationship. The background, experiences, and "heritage of rhythm and warmth" all contribute to the compilation that becomes "laughter mixed with tears" in the work of the Negro artist.

Questions:

What is the significance of race being grouped with occupation – namely in the phrase “Negro poet”?

Do you agree with his interpretation that not wanting to be a “Negro poet” is an obscured desire to be white?

Is it really a rejection of his “own racial world”?

What is the significance of jazz for Hughes? Do you feel that Hurston would agree?

Claude McKay

Claude McKay was an advocate for social change and a primary figure in the Harlem Renaissance movement. This movement took place in the 1920s and 30s and was a celebration of the Negro culture. The idea behind it was that intellect, mainly through the production of literature, art, and music, would challenge the racial stereotypes that had developed and allow "The New Negro" to become integrated into society. This movement was the impetus for the development of Jazz music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB_DmFz6Xoc&feature=related

McKay's poem "To the White Fiends" is a perfect embodiment of the ideals of the Harlem Renaissance Movement. The poem reads, "Be not deceived, for every deed you do I could match - out-match: am I not Afric's son" (lines 5-6). These lines are an assertion of the pride in the Negro heritage, which is characteristic of the movement. Rather than looking upon their heritage as a curse or a hardship, Negros are now learning to embrace it. The language McKay uses here is very assertive, and he reframes the plight of the Negro race as an opportunity saying, "Thy dusky face I set among the white for thee to prove thyself of higher worth" (11-12). In these lines, McKay depicts the inequality and social injustice that has fallen on the black race as a chance to improve themselves. The language that McKay uses in this work seems combative and threatening towards the whites. However, his purpose in using this type of diction is not to promote violence, but to show the determination and newly found power of the black race. The language used in this poem also reflects McKay's views on writing poetry as a social activist. He believed that black poets would often be too worried about offending white readers, and thus would not deliver the intended message. McKay, while remaining very eloquent, was not afraid to directly express his views of social injustice.

In his poem "Harlem Shadows," McKay presents Harlem as a dreary, lamentable place for black women. Because of the social injustices that existed at the hands of the white population, these women were forced into prostitution and "made to go prowling through the night from street to street" (line 6)! The language used in this poem is very downtrodden and overall tone is very sorrowful. The title of the poem, "Harlem Shadows," is very fitting in that it connotes darkness and gloom. Also, the "shadows" might be referring to the girls as their silhouettes can be seen wandering the dark Harlem streets. The image of a black, faceless shadow, conveys to the reader a sense that these girls have been defiled and have no identity other than the one forced upon them by the forces in white society.

In the third stanza, McKay describes the world as "stern" and "harsh" (13) and seems to sympathize with these women for the lifestyle that they are forced to live. Many of these women not only have little chance to escape poverty, but they are also forced to live lives of dishonor and disgrace because of they are forced into prostitution. The line, "Has pushed the timid little feet of clay" (15) depicts the women as completely powerless, being reduced and subjected to the "wretched"(13) system that exists in this society. McKay's use of the word 'clay' is yet another indication of this society's complete control over the condition of these women. Just as a pair of hands have the power to mold clay into a desired shape, the 'hands' of this cruel white society have the power to force these women into the most despicable and dishonorable positions.

Discussion Questions:

1.) Does McKay seem to take a more urgent, combative approach in calling for social justice, or does he see it as more of a gradual cooperative process like Washington does?

2.) Do you think that the Harlem Renaissance really created a new Negro identity separate from the whites, or was the movement more focused on mimicking whites to assimilate into their culture?

3.) How does McKay’s work fit into the concept of “The New Negro” as described by Alain Lock?

http://www.oup.com/us/pdf/americanlit/h_renaissance.pdf