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    Invisible Man Rhetorical Analysis

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    Invisible Man Rhetorical Analysis

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    invisible man rhetorical analysis

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    624 views2 pages

    Invisible Man Rhetorical Analysis

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    Angel Gaona

    10/02/2013
    Period 3rd
    Invisible Man Rhetorical Analysis
    Author Ralph Ellison, in his impactful introduction for Invisible Man, presents the topic
    of being an invisible man. Ellisons purpose is to introduce the reader to the topic that surrounds
    his entire novel, which is realization of ones personal identity through racial differences, and
    explain how that affects him emotionally. He adopts a longing/yearning tone in order to bring his
    audience to realization of how these social dilemmas affect not only him, but everyone.
    Though this passage is short, Ellison incorporates quite a few techniques throughout his
    introduction to get his message to the audience. The most prominent technique is the fact that
    Ellison has the narrator talking in first person. This lets the reader really see what invisibility is
    in the eyes of the narrator and creates the tone of the section. The narrator using phrases like I
    am invisible, understand simply because people refuse to see me (pg.1) and They seeindeed,
    everything and anything but me (pg.1) shows that invisibility has a bad connotation towards the
    narrator and he desires to not be seen that way. Thus, this brings us back to the purpose. The
    narrator feels like a social outcast due to racial reasons and it has a negative effect on his
    emotion. He desires to be seen as himself, a person .He does not wish to be depicted the way he
    is since he is essentially being seen as in object instead of a person.
    Having the narrator talk in first person allows Ellison to use imagery. It gives the
    audience the full impact of what is an invisible person and how it feels. Ellison uses imagery to
    show a comparison of how he feels as an invisible man. He compares invisibility to bodiless
    heads you see sometimes in circus sideshows (pg.1) He further explains that invisibility makes
    him feel like he has been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. These descriptive
    comparisons give the reader visual images. Thus they can see what invisibility feels like to the
    Angel Gaona
    10/02/2013
    Period 3rd
    narrator. The images have negative undertones that make it clear that invisibility is in no way a
    positive thing to the narrator. Therefore it affects him emotionally.
    Invisibility is a concept that Ellison explains as a representation of how a person
    perceives themselves in a society that has racial inequality. Its clearly shown that invisibility is a
    concept that the narrator embraces, but does it because society puts the burden on him. Thus he
    longs for that invisibility to go away so people can really see him for who he truly is.

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