Invisible Man-
Ralph Ellison
The narrator of this story feels his grandfather’s influence
in everything he does. They share similar personalities and interact in similar
ways. The difference is, however, that
the grandfather was well liked because he was pretending, while the main
character is well-liked and praised by being himself. Maybe the title of this poem is referring to
the grandfather’s invisible presence in the narrator’s life. Whenever he thinks
of his grandfather, he feels uncomfortable and uneasy. Or, perhaps, maybe the
title is connected to the fact that both men are, in a sense, invisible to
white men because they “remember their place” and are well-liked and courteous
I found Ralph Ellison’s comment interesting in the
introduction. He didn’t want his novel to be perceived as a statement about the
American Negro and wished it would have been read as simply a novel,
instead. I think it is natural to search
for deeper meanings in poems or stories, and I try to do that almost all the
time. However, sometimes it’s important to just sit back and take the
literature as it is. While interesting, I do not really know what to make of
this story.
“An Agony. As Now.” - Amiri Baraka
This poem is
basically centered on the fact that the writer is extremely dissatisfied with
himself. The introduction says that this writer was born as Everett Leroy Jones
and later assumed the name Amiri Baraka.
I wonder if this small dissatisfaction with his former name reflects his
larger discontent with his whole self. Baraka perceives the physical body as
merely a machine. According to him, the
physical body restricts and limits the soul that is screaming inside to be
heard. I am somewhat confused by the
meaning of the middle of this poem, but this where the class discussions really
come in handy.
“Harriet”- Audre Lorde
I could be wrong, but I wonder if the narrator and Harriet
used to be really close and possibly have a romantic relationship. However,
they had too many differing opinions and eventually ended on bad terms. I wonder if society put too much pressure on
Harriet and influenced her decision to distance herself from the speaker. However, both the speaker and Harriet end up
lonely, sad, and empty. It’s sad to think that people cannot experience
happiness because the views of society get in the way.
Everyday Use-
Alice Walker
This was my favorite story/poem out of the bunch. Dee is portrayed
as rather uppity, high maintenance and out spoken, which is in contrast to
Maggie who seems more down to earth and less confident. I found it notable that Dee inherits the
family name while she doesn’t even value it; she didn’t even know who she is
named after. Maggie however, is the one
who seems to be more family orientated and aware of her family history. She
seems to truly value the quilts and other materials that are being passed down,
but values the people who created them even more. Dee is the one who is more
vocal about inheriting the quilts, yet she fails to value where they come from.
I really liked how Maggie is willing to
give up the quilts because “ she can ‘member grandma Dee without them.” While she would have liked to have the
quilts, she realizes that that her memories with her grandma are more important. In the end, the mother gives the quilts to
Maggie instead, realizing that she is the one who truly deserves them. I also enjoyed the end of the story after Dee
storms off. Maggie and her mom are finally able to relax and enjoy themselves,
something they can’t really do while Dee is around. They are more laid back. I
like that.
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