Keep a journal as you read Invisible Man that consists of two separate sections:
- Part One--Plot: this could consist of a timeline of event or a summary of each chapter. (This should be very short!)
- Part Two--Analysis: Each analysis journal should be at least a page long and should show your insights and thoughts. This means that you should explore your own ideas and elaborate on them. You should have at least 15 journals by the end of the novel. Avoid plot summary in this part of your journal! This should be in part one. In your journal, I want to see what you are noticing, what you are thinking about, what things you are confused by—and then I want to see how that changes or shifts as you travel through the book. I want to see that you are engaged with the text in your journals--not just repeating what we say in class discussion. The following are strong suggestions for your study:
- Trace and show evidence of reoccurring themes of duality (light/dark, darkness/light, blind/sight, etc.)
- Discuss the narrator's experience of growing up. Focus on events/things/people who assist him in is discovery of self. Explain examples and how they relate to IM's growing process (examples: letters, people, briefcase)
- Follow image patterns and explain their relevance to the book and the effects on the narrator (the sambo doll, the briefcase, the paper trail, white women/sexuality, violence, articulation/expression etc).
- Many scenes are isolated or disjointed from the whole of the book (ex: the battle royal in chapter 1, the hospital scene in chapter 11). Examine the details; explain how the scene is relevant to the rest of the book. You could focus on theme, character development, and stylistic devises such as diction, repetition, and allusion.
• Journals will be collected throughout the novel study so be prepared to turn them in within a few days notice. Keep up and write your journals as you read. This will help you with understanding the novel as well as add to discussions in class.
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