Invisible Man--by Melissa Mejico

Within a matter of minutes one can size up another person simply by observing their appearance. Society has many different views of different people according to their race, ethnicity, religion, and culture. In the novel Invisible Man, the narrator considers himself to be invisible as he comes to realize that his true identity is in fact invisible to those around him. His identity is potrayed through his race as a black man living in white America. "Keep America Pure with Liberty Paints" was the logo painted on the sign at Liberty Paints where the narrator worked. In a way I believe Ellison was saying that the white men were trying to keep America PURE and the African Americans were simply the impurity. "Our white is so white you can paint a chunka coal and you'd have to crack it open with a sledge hammer to prove it wasn't white clear through." In this quote, the white proved how powerful it was, the chunka coal were the blacks or in this case the narrator, and by painting the coal only covered up who he truly was, making his identity invisible.

"(What Did I Do to be so) Black and Blue" by Bailey

I listened to this song by Louis Armstrong three times in a row, putting myself into the position of the narrator of Invisible Man (except I wasn't stoned, living under a building, or lightened with 1,369 lightbulbs). I must admit that my earliest reaction to the narrator's persistence in deeming himself invisible irritated me, but the manner in which he formed his words to describe his current state of mind overcame that small annoyance and I attentively continued on. As each succeeding page was turned, my admiration for him increased.

The many "I'm an invisible mans" caused the idea to never leave my thoughts, consequently allowing me to form many connections of invisibility within the prologue. Yes, he feels invisible and beats a man to gain a sense of individuality and to overcome the dehumanization he feels, he feels invisible and uses a slew of lightbulbs to emphasize his existence, and he feels invisible and keeps his identity a secret to us, the readers, and also the electrical company. But, the connection that I instinctually was delighted by was that of his listening to Armstrong. The jazz music discussed parallels the narrator's odyssey in which he yearns for his identity and the knowledge of his individualism. "(What Did I Do to be so) Black and Blue",the song the narrator listens to, directly discusses the issue of racism, commenting on the daily inconveniences faced by blacks in a white dominated society. In lyrics like "I'm white...inside...but, that don't help my case ’cause I...can't hide...what is in my face" the consistent battle between inner feelings and emotions of frustration with the outer identity society forces upon blacks is recognized.

Armstrong made a name for himself, transforming jazz music from a collaborative ensemble of music to an individualized, and expressive solo act. He refused to remain an "invisible man", openly writing of racism, individual expression, and the troubles connected to each, exactly what the novel is centralized on.

It's Our Time

I have never heard a teacher speak so bluntly about their feelings towards "Senioritis" as I heard Mrs. Elliot speak today. I have to say that I myself am guilty of declaring myself as diagnosed with this “myth” as Mrs. Elliot referred to it, and hearing her talk about it made me realize how whinny and annoying seniors must sound to adults. We are preparing ourselves to go out into the real world were excuses such as laziness are not put up with. Taking responsibility for our actions is a key concept in life that we should all be working towards. We have come so far now to simply lay back and watch our grades slip simply because of how close we are to the finish line. Our discussion today in class has truly inspired me to just do the best that I can for these last few months we have in school, I mean I have been working my tail off for four years to go out with a reflection of last minute mediocre effort. I wish to also be a good influence for others that feel this way, the reason why it is so easy to blame our carelessness on “senioritis” is because we are all doing it! We see each other and hear each other acting on this word and therefore we think it is okay to act the same way. This is no time to slow down but rather to push ourselves in ways that we never have before. To build our strengths and work on our weaknesses so that we can truly be proud of ourselves when we walk across the stage inches away from that wonderful, long-awaited piece of paper. So I encourage every senior to give our last year their all, to try new things and to be excited for what is to come.