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)?
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ReplyDeleteAnswer to question 7 Group 2
ReplyDeleteIM, blinded by a sheet of naïveté, asks Dr. Bledsoe for a letter of recommendation because first of all, he doesn’t hold any feelings of bitterness towards him (or towards anything for that matter) for having expelled him. IM thinks it was the right thing to be done, that the “the school and what it stands for have to be protected”(147). IM believes that Dr. Bledsoe will genuinely aid him, and he places his full trust on letters that Dr. Bledsoe has strictly prohibited him to open. How could someone trust a man that was previously lecturing you about the importance of lying? IM apparently does. So yes, bless his heart a thousand times, and pray for his eyes to open! IM is indulged in a hope that causes the audience to feel pity for his innocence. IM hopes that after being ruthlessly expelled for something he, in my opinion, is not responsible for, he will actually get help, that Dr. Bledsoe will actually put his name on the line for an IM whose reputation has been shattered.
(Question #2) According to Bledsoe, lying is the only way to maintain any power over the white man. By lying, Bledsoe is able to cover up some of the less "attractive" parts of the South. The white founders don't come down to see slums and brothels, he believes. Bledsoe has given into the idea that, however degrading it may be, the only way to maintain a respectable reputation in the eyes of the whites is by convincing them that the projects they're funding are causing the south to become more resemblant of the "white" North they're visiting from. Bledsoe goes as far to assert that, by telling the truth, the IM was, "endangering the school." Essentially the reputation of Bledsoe and the college he runs is grounded in telling the founders not the truth of the circumstances, attitudes, and opinions of the students and community in and around the college, but a lie that looks like whatever the white founders expect it to.
ReplyDelete(Question #5)
Essentially, Bledsoe's power comes from appeasing the white man. He admits this when he says, "I say 'Yes, suh'' as loudly as any burrhead when it's convenient, but I'm still the king down here" (Ellison 142). His assessment of his power has a hint of truth in it, in that he's figured out how to manipulate the system to get what he wants out of it (power); however, he vastly overstates its' extent when he says, "When you buck against me, you're bucking against power, rich white folk's power, the nation's power---which means government power" (Ellison 142). He claims that pride and dignity are foolish & expensive because they ultimately rest in however the "white man" chooses to perceive the black people. Bledsoe says, although not directly, that by obtaining, "power, influence, contacts with powerful and influential people" one will have all he needs. Essentially, Bledsoe is willing to sacrifice dignity for power.
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ReplyDeleteGroup 2 #3:
ReplyDeleteIM feels as if most of what the vet was saying was simple hogwash, but is wary about the occasional glimmers of truth that surfaced in his ramblings. It's apparent that he is still smarting over, and quite obviously thinking hard on how he was told that he believed that white was right. After all, he brought it up to Bledsoe, when he could have easily omitted this part of the account. Bledsoe’s attitude regarding the “white is right” ideology has a more rebellious tone than IM, but instead of being blatant about his adversarial nature, he prefers to quietly take the reins from the shadows, then manipulate both black and white men in order to get what he wants. Being outwardly rebellious, or damaging the reputation of the black man in authority would subsequently harm the carefully laid out web that he has constructed. Bledsoe would probably say that IM’s grandfather should also be locked up since the grandfather represented the issue with a metaphor for a war, which has dangerous implications. Meanwhile, Bledsoe feels that it is not a war, but a long-running mummer’s farce, and he is quite determined to continue playing his role.
Answer to number 7.
ReplyDeleteI believe IM didn’t ruined or almost ruined the school because he was only following Mr. Norton’s orders. I feel the reputation of Bledsoe was more at stake than the ruins of the school or the black race. Although it was unprofessional for IM to take Norton to Trueblood, he was only trying to please the white man, which is what IM thought was the right thing to do. Bledsoe is only concerned with this image and the way he is being represented. Supporting this is the statement he made saying, “True they support it, but I control it. I’s big and black and I say ‘Yes,suh’ as loudly as any….but I’m still the king down here” (Ellison 142). His power and image was at stake, not the entire school or race, that is specifically why IM was kicked out, because it made Bledsoe look bad personally. I would not have kicked IM out. I feel the situation was something that could have had a consequence but not expulsion. He felt he was doing the right thing and so he did what was right to him. Maybe it is because he believes “white is right” so maybe that’s why he listened and obeyed Norton’s orders in the first place.
1. Invisible Man is in trouble because he mindlessly listened to Norton. When Invisible Man was driving, he realized he was on the road with old slave shacks, including Trueblood’s, but he made no excuse to get out of the situation until it was too late. Bledsoe tells IM that he should’ve lied to Mr. Norton. Dr. Bledsoe rants, “Why, the dumbest black bastard in the cotton patch knows that the only way to please a white man is to tell him a lie! What kind of education are you getting around here?” He tells IM that he could’ve made an excuse as to why they couldn’t stop, to show him only what Bledsoe wants Norton to see. Bledsoe says that IM should’ve shown him the beautiful roads and neighborhoods they had been tirelessly working on, to show the progress of the school and their race, not remind the white man of the poverty that obviously still remains. “Instead of uplifting the race, you’ve torn it down”, Dr. Bledsoe says. But, actually, the IM didn’t bring the race or the school down; IM only really tarnishes Bledsoe’s reputation, which has severe consequences.
ReplyDelete6. I think IM’s unwillingness to accept responsibility for what he has done is a sign of immaturity. He is so caught up in doing exactly what was expected of him or “playing by the rules” (the school and Bledsoe’s morals) that he can’t see what’s in front of him. He realizes that he must choose between Bledsoe’s world and his grandfather because he had to take responsibility for what happened. He does not actively choose, but chooses as he feels is expected.
ReplyDelete“Somehow, I convicted myself, I had violated the code and thus would have to submit to punishment. Dr. Bledsoe is right, I told myself, he’s right; the school and what it stands for have to be protected. There was no other way, and no matter how much I suffered I would pay my debt as quickly as possible and return to building my career…”
IM still seems naïve and doesn’t realize the school is made to please the white man and teaches its students fit into the white man’s society and expectations.