The Awakening and Invisible Man
Blog Post #1
To receive full credit for this blog post, you may answer one of the following questions or record your impressions of the novel through Chapter 7 or Chapter 2. Responses should be detailed with
specific examples from the text (INCLUDE PAGE or CHAPTER #) illustrating your knowledge
and understanding of the text. In addition, you must respond to at least one other response.
The Awakening: Respond to one of the questions below, or post your impressions of the book so far (through Chapter 7).
1.
What is important about the title?
2.
How essential is the setting to the story? Could the story have taken place
anywhere else?
3. What types of conflict (physical,
moral, intellectual, or emotional) have you noticed in this novel so far?
4.
How does Kate Chopin reveal character in The Awakening?
Invisible Man: Respond to one of the questions below, or post your impressions of the book so far (through Chapter 2).
1. Why has Ellison omitted the article the or an from his title?
2. The narrator distinguishes between civilization and culture. What is the difference?
3. Like Dante's descent in The Divine Comedy, the narrator's experience with marijuana takes him down into music that reveals parts of the black experience in America. What are the three levels through which he passes and why are the levels significant?
4. In what ways is Norton like the men of Greenwood who attended the Battle Royal?
DUE: Friday, 2/8, at midnight
When I first started reading this book, I was surprised that Ralph Ellison doesn't put a name on the man he is being in the story. I like the first person look on things, I think it gives the story a lot of credability. The thing that I did notice was that the "Black and Blue" from the prologue, came back in the first chapter. (Page 22) I wonder if this concept will come back through out the book. Another thing that I noticed was the blindfold. During the fight, the man was blindfolded. I wonder if this will show up as well. I find it ironic that they end up fighting in the church, but I will admit that I got a bit lost in the fighting. I'm not exactly sure what that meant or why they were fighting, but I think that it will come back to haunt the man. It is very interesting how, like I mentioned before, there is no name to pin down on the main character. Was the author trying to allow the readers to put our own name on him to make it more personal?
ReplyDeleteI feel like your on to something about the importance of the blindfolds. I think that the blindfolds represent how they aren't thinking about what they are doing, like how someone would feel if they can't see.
DeleteI think that maybe Ralph Ellison didn't give the narrator a name because it make him seem more invisible. By not giving the man a name it makes him almost seem less important and maybe a shadow to what he is passing through. This really give the effect that he is or will become invisible.
DeleteI found the relationship between Mrs. Pontellier and Robert very interesting in The Awakening. The fact that there is more about her relationship with Robert than that of her husband may lead somewhere. The relation starts on page two when "Beneath its pink-lined shelter were his wife, Mrs Pontellier, and young Robert Lebrun." The relationship only builds in the coming chapters. On page 12 Robert asks Mrs. Pontellier, "Are you going bathing", which to me is a very weird question to ask. On the next page Mrs. Pontellier states that she wishes she could go to the beach with Robert. I do not understand why she doesn't do anything with her husband and instead does them with Robert. I do realize that Mr. Pontellier leaves for a week at a time, but still he is there for the beginning of the story. I feel that the relationship between Mrs. Pontellier will unfold into a deeper more serious relationship, if it is not already.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dustin and his idea of a forming relationship between Robert and Edna. However, I don't think it started as the beginnings of a relationship. On page 11 Edna rejected Robert's head against her arm. This shows that Edna does have loyalty to her husband. In addition, I think that Edna is just looking for something new instead of going along with her dull life.
DeleteEliza B.
I definitely think that the relationship between Robert and Edna will grow specially when he says on page 20 he says "I hope she has discernment enough to find in me something other then blagueur." I think he is saying he wants her to see him as more then a joke, this could possibly mean that he wants them to become something more serious.
DeleteDustin, i don't agree that this relationship is meant to show a disloyalty to Edna's husband, nor is it to show a relationship with Robert. I believe that this relationship, like everything else in this book, is more meant to symbolize the awakening from a dream and the idea of rebellion in Edna's life. Thus, the fact that Edna is becoming disloyal to Mr. Pontellier is simply to show that Edna is developing individual thought.
DeleteI think the relationship simply displays how society has molded marriage into a kind of slavery and demonstrates what the times were like back then from the point of view of both the man and the woman.
DeleteI found Edna Pontellier to be a very unhappy person. When she cries on page six it is an unusual mood for her. This shows that she might be changing as a person a realizing her unhappiness. Again, on page 18 it talks about how Edna doesn't even miss her children that much when they are away. She is a different person from everyone and doesn't really mind that she is lonely. The character of Edna Pontellier ties into the title of the book because she is awakening and realizing her sadness and desire for something new.
ReplyDeleteEliza B.
I agree with you Eliza because Mrs. Pontellier is not a very happy person. In the book on page 13 it says, "Mrs.Pontellier was not a woman given to confidences, a characteristic hitherto contrary to her nature. Even as a child she had lived her own small life within herself." This shows that she doesn't mind really being lonely because her life has always been like this. She now begins to be awakened and hope for the best that something good will come out of her sadness.
DeleteI think that the title, The Awakening is so important to the story. This is because this title not only refers to the fact that Mrs. Pontellier is starting to grow apart from her husband,and awakening to the fact that she is acually very attracted and drawn to Robert, but also refers to the fact that her personality and sense of freedom that has been supressed for so long is coming out, and changing the kind of person that she is. An example of this is when for a reason unknown to Mrs.Pontellier she gives in to Robert and decides to go with him to the beach,(page 13). She has never before given in to this impulse, and in future chapters I think that we will see more of this awakening inside her.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the awakening as a title doesn't mean she is becoming a new person, although there are definitely new qualities to her, I think that she could be awakening to the self that she always was. Inside Edna knew who she was but only now is she beginning to awaken to that trueness.
DeleteThe types of conflict shown int the novel that I have noticed are physical and moral. The physical conflict occurs when the Pontellier boys are "double fisted" and "roughing around". In other words boys are being boys and horseplaying. The moral conflict occurs when Mr.Pontellier comes home late, checks on his children and relizes that one of them has a fever. He goes back to tell Mrs.Pontellier and she shrugs the fact away. Mr. Pontellier is disgraced that the mother of the children does not care that their child could possibly be seriously ill. The emotional conflict is nearing, especially if the child is ill and it is too late to get him cared for.
ReplyDeleteThe Title "Invisible Man" well describes how Ralph Ellison feels in society. On page 3 He talks about how people often look past him, most likely due to his race. Because he is a black man I believe that much of society ignores him and refuses to pay him the respect he deserves because of his race. On the next page Ellison describes that the only way to get recognition is if you fight. After the battle royal Ralph was asked to give a speech, but while he was giving it people were ignoring him, and messing with him by shouting at him to talk louder and repeat. I wonder if this was the first time he ever recognized that he felt invisible?
ReplyDeletei agree that he is overlooked because he is black, but i dont think the only way to be noticed is to fight. Later in the book when he is driving Mr. Norton around it leads to "the golden day" it had a "doctor" there to help him out. i think that they can also be noticed by their so to say smarts.
DeleteI think this a very good point. It does make sense that this would be the first time that he has felt invisible because it seems to be the first interaction with a group of people that choose to ignore him. This could be the start of the life he is going to live...?
DeleteThe title "invisible Man" doesn't have "the" or "an" in it because it really compliments the book. The book isn't about an invisible man it is about being an invisible man. The story is in first person so you feel like you are the invisible man. This is why the title doesn't have the or an in it.
ReplyDeleteTanner,
DeleteYour idea is good, but can only be read as an opinion until you provide text evidence to support your thinking. I would suggest that the definition of invisibility found in the first few pages could make a sound argument for any reader being as invisible as the speaker.
The title "Invisible Man" doesn't have "the" or "an" in it because it really compliments the book. the book isn't about an invisible man, it is about being an invisible man and What he did to be so black and blue (pg 14). The story is in first person and you never figure out what his name is. this makes you feel like you are the invisible man.
DeleteThe title "invisible man" does not have the word "the" or "an" because it is about being in invisible man so it cant be "an", not "the" because it is first person. if it had the word the it would not have the same effect on the reader as first person does. That is why the title does not have the words "the" or "an" in it.
ReplyDeleteZach,
DeleteYour response is too close to the one above it to count as original work. Like the one above, you don't cite any evidence from the text to support your thinking, nor did you expand the analysis very much.
Hmm, well, I will leave it be.
DeleteI agree with what Zach said, because it makes you feel like you are the invisible man. I aslo agree how it makes the reader feel different almost. they're not reading the book, they are becoming the book.
DeleteAwakening:
ReplyDeleteFrom what I have read so far, I think the significance of the title is that Edna will be awakened to the fact that there is something better out there for her. We have already seen that she only married her husband because she was flattered by his total devotion to her. Perhaps she will find someone whom she actually loves, like Robert, who seems to be winning her heart already.
With the chance things will be drastically changing for Edna, it may not be a relationship alone. It is possible that she will gain more independence and freedom without worrying about family life. She describes that she interested in adventures on the beach with her friends. This new freedom could come in the form of art or possibly music like other women in this time.
DeleteI think in both books, the Awakening and Invisible Man, both characters are realizing what their place in society is while their place in society is changing. For instance the women;s rights movement and the civil rights for African Americans are both taking action in these stories and when the characters realize what their place is while it is changing it has profound effects and makes an interesting story.
DeleteThe Awakening by Kate Chopin does a wonderful job of painting pictures of complex relationships between characters. In their type of high society, everyone constantly works to keep up with the next social event or party. There are not so much intellectual connections to be made in this book, but emotional. In a way, the mood of the story seems almost unhappy because of the thoughts of the characters. Edna said it herself on page 18 that she is not content with her own life. "The acme of bliss...was not for her in this world," wrote Chopin. She was not content in her marriage, and even felt a little relieved when her children went away for some time. The title "The Awakening" fits due to the fact, times are changing for the characters and they are coming to the realization that the usual pattern of life will soon be mixed up.
ReplyDeleteI see where you are coming from about this book being almost unhappy but I feel like you could also argue that it may somewhat have a happy tone to it. I could see the happy tone because Edna is coming to the realization that she does need change. It somewhat brings a happy mood to that of her emotions racing and the excitement building.
DeleteI agree with Julianna, it could be both a happy and unhappy tone. I believe when we get to the end of the book we will have a completely different veiw on the entire book.
DeleteThe title “The Awakening is significant because, at least I think, because it’s foreshadowing the book itself. It could be foreshadowing something simple like Edna finally realizing that she doesn’t really love her husband. Or it could be foreshadowing something more complex like she realizes the views that many men have on women (on page 5, Mr.Ponteiller is thinking about how ‘if it isn’t a mother’s place to look after children, whose on earth is it?’) and she might end up changing the entire society by ‘awakening’ others. On page 13, Chopin talks about how Edna was seeing her place in the universe as a human being and how she wondered if it was okay for the Holy Ghost to allow a woman this much knowledge. That could mean any number of things, but it seems like Chopin is building up to something really spectacular and mind blowing. I might be way off, though.
ReplyDeleteThis book, "Invisible Man" has so far suprised me. Personally I thought this book would be boring and not really give me any thought. I am pleasantley pleased to say that I am enjoying and puzzled about this book all at once. I like how this book makes me think about society and other things and I also like how it vividly presents a broken twisted society. The only part I don't like about this book is the moments where it gets really wierd, such as the incest scene.
ReplyDeleteThe "Invisible Man" is a very interesting book, in my opinion. It does get a little confusing when it goes into the details that have been happening, because it seems to vaguely state what is going on. For example, the scene with Jim Trueblood and his daughter. The reader could take clues from earlier in the chapter, but the dream that was described did not make much sense. Besides, this, the book is written quite well, and paints a good picture to what the character is seeing and feeling.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with the fact that this is confusing, but I wonder if being confused is a good thing. Being confused allows us to question, ponder, and think. Think about the book, society as it is today, and how the book and society go hand in hand. I wonder if Ellison is trying to show our society from an outsider's view. Since this man is "invisible" I wonder if he is the man on the outside looking in, and we as the readers are the people on the inside looking out.
DeleteI agree that this book was very well written and like the all of the similies because they are so descriptive. At first I was very confused about the dream scene too, but I think that Jim Trueblood may have exaggerated the details because of the perks, like moeny, and attention he was recieving, especially from the white men.
DeleteChapter 3 is another confusing chapter because as readers we are not completely sure as to why Mr.Norton continues to go unconcious. Its also suspicious to me that alcohol is the only "medicine" to cure Mr.Norton's unconciousness. Maybe the author purposefully confused us so that we would think more about Mr.Norton's personality, "generosity", and what he does for society.
DeleteI think that Norton's fainting spells represent his shock at the things the narrator shows him, things which he is horrified by. I find it interesting that the he had such a strong reaction to the veteran doctor's rant. Norton's condition was apparently something that only a specialist would recognize, such as the veteran doctor. (Pgs 90-95)
DeleteTo me, Ellison goes into great detail about most of the things he writes about, just not in one central location such as a page or a chapter. He was vague when explaining the dream that Trueblood had, but the chapter went on a rant that lasted several paragraphs about incest, implying, in great detail, what had happened and allowing the reader to connect what had happened themselves.
DeleteIn my opinion, The Awakening by Kate Chopin is a very interesting book. In the chapters I have read so far, there are a lot of stereotypes towards women. For example, when the book compares Madame Ratignolle with Edna Pontellier by their beauty. Madame Ratignolle has a more feminine and matronly figure and Edna Pontellier charm and physique was insensibly upon you. It was no doubt that they weren't beautiful because they were, it was just that people judged them. In the book it says, "A casual and discriminating observer, in passing, might not cast a second glance upon the figure." (Page 14, Chapter 7) This shows that they were being judged. These two women were also judged because of the shape of their hands showed if they were small and that showed you were weak, and if you had larger hands then it showed you were strong. To me, I notice that during this time period women were judged and they must of felt self conscious about themselves. I am looking forward to reading more about how women were judged.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say they were ever being judged , as they were both married, respectable women. It's true that in that time period women had fewer rights, but that was simply a way of life. The quote isn't saying that Edna is being judged, but simply that she did not have a particularly noticeable figure.
DeleteI agree with Megan. Just because Edna was different from Adele doesn't mean she was judged. It is said many times in the book that Edna's body structure makes her beautiful too. I dont think she was being judged.
DeleteRalph Ellison omitted an article like "an" or "the" in his title because it would make "invisible man" seem more tangible, whereas something that is invisible is very untangible. In the story on page 13 of the prolouge, the narrator says, "Could this compulsion to put invisibility down in black and white be thus an urge to make music of invisibility?" He is making the point that the people are trying to label invisibility, therefore defeating the point of being invisible and supporting his choice to omit an definitive article in his title.
ReplyDeleteI feel that there is a lot of conflict going on in Edna. She is loyal to her husband, and can't deny that he is a good husband, but Robert gives her more a sense of independence, which is one of the reasons she is attracted to him. Robert does things for her that her husband would not, like requesting mademoiselle Reisz to play for her, and she ends up expecting emotions she wouldn't otherwise. He also does adventurous things like suggesting to go swimming at night where Edna swims by herself. when she does go out to swim, she is at first very confident and wants to be daring, but then she soon realizes what she is doing and returns to her old self, who is comfortable with the norm and doesn't believe so much in being too adventurous. This in a way represents her moral conflict because she is attracted to Robert and his adventurous ways but she knows that she is a married woman and is not allowed to betray her husband.
ReplyDeleteI understand what you are saying, and I agree with what you said. Although I feel as if Robert doesn't understand in away.
DeleteI think Edna may feel that she made a mistake in her marriage and didn't give it enough thought, because she wants to love her husband and children, it just isn't the life she planned for herself or wants at this moment in time.
DeleteI also believe that Edna is beginning to regret her marriage with Mr. Pontellier, because she believes it was not love that brought them together but rather just what society thought was an ideal marriage. For instance, when the author states "Her marriage to Leonce Pontellier was purely an accident, in this respect resembling many other marriages which masquerade as the decrees of fate." She also recognizes that Robert is an opportunity for something new and interesting in her life that she wants to have.
DeleteThe earlier quote was in chapter 7 on page 18.
DeleteMy first impression of "Invisible Man" was probably a lot of questions. How did the mam become invisible? Why can't people see him? What happened to make him deserve such isolation? I really did kinda feel bad for the guy. Who would want to go completely unnoticed all day? I think it will be interesting to read about and see how he becomes invisible. I'm very curios to see how this will end.
ReplyDeleteI feel that in the book the awakening is a book that really gets your attention. The book is also very disruptive, and if you miss you are lost quite quickly. The book pulls you into the story not only with imagery, characteristics, and where the story takes place. The characters are probably one of my favorite things about my book. For example, explains how loyal Edna is to her husband, and he does not realize it.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the book is disruptive and easy to get lost in. There were a few parts for me that I had to go back and reread just to fully absorb what Chopin was trying to say. But other than that, I'm also really enjoying the story so far as well :)
DeleteThe title of this book "The Awakening" is important to the story because through the book so far the experiences Edna has have awakened her from what seems like a daze that her life has been for a long time. After she realizes that she can swim on page 32 it says "She was blindly fallowing any impulse that moved her, as if she had placed herself in alien hands for direction, and freed her soul of responsibility." this displays the fact that she is finally letting go of what she thinks she should be doing and is taking action in her own life.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Edna is finally taking charge in her life. Robert plays such a crucial role in this part of the book because he showed her how fun life should be.
DeleteOne possible reason that Ellison did not call his book "An Invisible Man" or "The Invisible Man" is that "the" and "an" put too much focus on the narrator as a single man, or the invisible man, and not on what he or the book represents. The narrator represents the many other blacks of the time who were "invisible," and in a broader sense,all those who consider themselves to be "invisible" to society. On Page XI of the introduction, Ellison describes how he felt invisible, "transparent and opaque" in the white community he was writing in, simply because his "color and vagueness of role" rendered him not worthy of being acknowledged.
ReplyDeleteThis makes a lot of sense. Because of his color he is not seen as a member as a society. He is just there and people hardly recognize his actions. However when He returns from his "drive" with Mr. Norton Dr. Bledsoe finally realizes that this kid has some potential good or bad. Very good point.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the title of "The Awakening" fits the book because Edna is starting to wake up from this life that she is no longer happy with. She is beginning to come to the realization that her life is a repetitive day that has little to no change as the days go by. Edna is starting to learn that there is more adventure in the world and that she wants the excitement in which follows the changes. I feel like Robert is helping her come to this realization that the "perfect" life she has is really not as perfect as she thinks.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started reading my book, "The Awakening", I was surprised that I had no clue what story this novel held. I did not know this was a story about a women gaining freedom, and changing her life. I personally think the author did this on purpose, men and a lot of women don't want to hear about a women going against society and gaining freedoms in the early 1900's. If she named her book something like "Women getting rights" not many men would read the book. She might have changed society's veiw on women without them even realizing it.
ReplyDeleteThe title "The Awakening" is a very appropriate title for this book, because it not only shows Edna's own awakening, but all free-thinking women. The first paragraph is a metaphor for how repetitive her life has become, and Edna's personal awakening came when she sees that she is an individual who is free to make her own choices. "The Awakening" happens for the entire female gender across America in this time period, at some point or another.
ReplyDeleteEllison has omitted "the" and "an" from his title to show that the narrator is known as Invisible Man. He does not have a name, just that title. The reason he has no name is because no one pays attention to him because they see him as invisible since he is colored. He has also given himself the title of Invisible Man because he doesn't get caught after beating up the drunk man on the street or for draining the building's electricity that he is living under.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think he doesn't get caught doing either of those things? Does society truly not see him for what he is (a human like everyone else) or do they simply not want to get involved because they are afraid of differences and change?
DeleteI think that his pure anonymity/invisibility prevents others from discovering who caused the crime. Cody, while you think the articles are removed from the title to specify that one person, I think that it actually widens the meaning. The title expands to all the other people in the world who might be invisible. Having "The" Invisible Man narrows it down to just one person.
DeleteThe title of the book "The Awakening" is very important and significant, because it creates a metaphor of a woman named Edna in the late nineteenth century who is searching for freedom and individuality. It symbolizes how Edna is beginning to realize that her life is not what she wants, but really what society wants. Also She starts to understand that she has not been living as an individual person, but rather just conforming to society and going through the motions of the ideal woman of this time period. For instance in chapter VI on page 13 when the author states "In Short, Mrs. Pontellier was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being, and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her." This shows Edna beginning to wake up metaphorically and understand her position in society.
ReplyDeleteI know I know, I am late but only fashionably. Besides the input on the book I have to offer is extremely valuable. Well so far in this book I find it to be intriguing but also kind of dark (no pun intended) and confusing. For instance the Battle Royal was actually extremely confusing (especially when Ellison throws in the bit about the teasing girl) but as I read on I began to understand what the book was really getting at. I felt as though the same thing came through when he wrote about the way he sees himself as. I have concluded that his guy is absolutely insane! He might be a good writer however he is off his rocker! As an African American during the time he should adding to racial equality while he basically justifies segregation for example: "To Whom It May Concern," I intoned. "Keep This Nigger-Boy Running." (1.105) even though Ellison believes in college education, he questions it again and again about bringing equality through education to Negroes.
ReplyDeleteYou may say the narrator is insane, but each instance, from the "mugging" to the battle royal to the speech to the caddying around the campus, each isolated incidence the narrator acts in, each single setting, the narrator acts very thoroughly, the narrator may be insane, or the narrator may be several people at once.
DeleteHmm, very interesting, now that you point it out the crazy guy living in a hole that will soon have lights on even the floor and the guy who fought in the battle royal, and the man who mugged the drunk white is indeed a very different person!!
DeleteYes, the man who "mugged" the white man called himself Jack-the-Bear (page 6), while the others do not apply titles to themselves at all. Jack is a man who lives in the city and does drugs and listens to loud music and is semi-disrespectful, whereas the boy going to college is very polite and wouldn't harm a fly, let alone beat up a white man.
DeleteYes yes, whilst the old man telling the story (Jarold so I have decided to name him) is really quite blind as to what is happening, he simply is crazy and likes to steal power frm electric companies. Yes Jarold spelled with an a is quite the crazy old man trying to put his own little world into our Jack and Timothy's world.
DeleteOh, one other thing! The reason "the" is not used in the title is because there is already a book by the title of "The Invisible Man." (It is by H.G. Wells and quite, as his name implies, well written. I quite enjoyed the book my self as it was fiction). So if Ellison had included the word "the" in his title (depending on where he decided to put it, because if his title went like "Invisible The Man" or "Invisible Man The" I suppose he could do that although he would sound quite illiterate) he could have been sued for copy right infringement seeing as H.G. Wells published before Ellison. I'm unsure if there are any other books by that titles of "An Invisible Man" or "Invisible An Man" or "Invisible Man An" (oh dear, "Invisible Man An" makes the Invisible Man sound like a girl) are on the market with copy rights which also prevented Ellison from using the word "an". SO...brief suggestion: unless you intend to title your book "Man Invisible" don't use the two words "invisible" and "man" in your title. You may find your self like Ellison tied up worrying about copy rights and having to exclude important words like "an" and "the" making you sound grammatically despicable. That is the last I have to say on THAT matter.
DeleteCaptain,
DeleteInteresting dodge on the reason there is no article in the title of Ellison's work.
The title "The Awakening" is important to the story because Edna is not only awakened to her blossoming romance with Robert but also her independence and confidence. In the early chapters of the book Mr.Pontellier is critical of Edna and makes her cry by accusing her of being a bad mother. Edna feels like she is trapped by her relationship. Edna is currently realizing or awakening to how unsatisfied she is with her marriage.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteInvisible Man is in a way describing the other perspective in an us vs. them society. I thought it was interesting to see the other side of this story that in past books, we had not had the privilege to hear. This title is shown throughout the book so far in many different ways and being brought up in many different situations. The speaker not only refers to it as a positive but also as a negative. In the first section of the book, on the first pages even he talks about how people are blind to see him unless they have physical interaction. He also talks about how violence is an answer because it seems like that is the only way to get through to them. Because he is a black man society belittles him and refuses to pay him the respect he deserves because of his race. After the battle, he was allowed to give a speech even though the permission to give one didn't matter. Those around still ignored him and even though they did, he attempted to fight for the right to speak. I also agree that there are some perks of being invisible but what good would it be to be invisible if no one even bothers to hear you?
ReplyDeleteI believe that the title of this book is important because it ties in to the extended metaphor in this book of awakening from a dream. In fact, it shows that there will be an awakening of sorts in the book and thus can be seen as an obscure form of foreshadowing. Also, the title gets a reader wondering what the book could possibly be about, and when they find the idea of awakening in the book, it is highlighted by the mystery around the title.
ReplyDeleteI see your point. I also can see how the title "The Awakening" could also be like, when you wake up, its a new day, a new start. So when Edna awakens, she is starting a new day, a new life. She has the chance to start over again, and live her life the way she wants to. It's not just that she is coming to this realization that she doesn't like how she is living life, but also that she now has a new day to change how she is living.
DeleteThe title "The Awakening" is central to the whole book because it is the only way to describe what Edna is going through. She had a personality hidden deep down inside that she is just beginning to let out. And when this happens, she learns even more about herself than she knew before. Just like the quote on page 14 "Edna was different from the crowd", the awakening occurs when she allows herself to be different instead of conforming.
ReplyDeleteBecause she is learning more about herself; we can infer that she didn't really know who she was before, so through her awakening she is growing and changing and evolving to the woman we see at the end of the book
DeleteThe article is left out of the title of "Invisible Man" because even though it is telling the story of one man, it was true for more than one. The nameless narrator is every personality of the early 20th century, so no one title, or one name for that matter, is fit for the narrator. It may be a metaphor for being so unnoticed, or it may be too many titles only the vaguest would cover it all.
ReplyDeleteThe book "Invisible Man" has a lot to do with culture and civilization. The difference between civilization and culture is the fact the beliefs of what a culture believes about a certain race are mainly the beliefs of what the stereotypes are of that race. Whereas civilization is more of a belief that everyone is different in there own and whether people choose to accept that or not it is up to them.
ReplyDeleteThe title, "The Awakening" is important because it infers that Edna's life is merely an illusion so when she is awakened she has a realization about how she is living her life. I'm quite intrigued by this book because it forces you to look at your own life like Edna is looking at hers.
ReplyDeleteNorton is a very well brought up white man. Like most white men, he has been taught that black men are lower in status then him. White men enjoy watching black men fight to the death and be tortured. Mr. Norton is like those men in the way that he starts to treat blacks after his experience with Trueblood and the Golden day. I think Norton is stunned by what he has seen and realizes that this might be why blacks were placed in the status they were to begin with.
ReplyDeleteMr. Norton is similar to the men at the battle royal because he sees the black men as nothing more than objects. He wants them to succeed, but he condescends to their status as if they are less than him. His language suggests that he sees the African Americans as children that need to be led and spoon fed help. Like the Battle Royal he has reduced blacks to little more than animals in his mind, and although he wishes to advance their place in society, he has degraded their equality in his reasoning.
DeleteThe setting for The Awakening is essential in a number of ways. First, the time it takes place is in the late Victorian Age, which means women during this time had less power and fewer rights then men. They were thought of as objects rather then people, which is why Edna Pontellier feels like she is trapped. It is also set in New Orleans, in America. America in the land of change were things are suppose to get easier and people should have more rights. And women during this time may have had some rights, they still didn't have many. However, if the book was placed in Europe, like England, the ideal women would have been a little more proper, and they would have most defiantly been thought of as objects. Because it's in America, women have the chance to change, still with the chance of scandel, but they would have had a better chance changing in America then Europe. "That summer at Grand Isle she began to loosen a little the mantle of reserve that has always enveloped her."Chapter 7, page 13-14. This quote shows how because of her setting she was able to change.
ReplyDeleteThe title The Awakening is important to the future events that are happening in the book. Edna is mentions the ways of the world, she is mostly part of the outside world that people conform to, and the inside world that Edna wants to be a part of, where she can be herself. The title is foreshadowing how Edna might awake from the conforming outside world, and change to her own world. On page 27, Edna says that "she was like a tottering, stumbling child who of a sudden realizes it's powers for the first time" This relates to the title to describe the feeling that Edna has to wake up from the conforming life and be herself.
ReplyDeleteEllison has omitted the article "the" or "an" from his title for a couple of reasons. One reason for this is that he wanted to draw attention to the title, putting a "the" into the title would bring attention that he does not want to acquire. Also, Ellison omits these articles from his title because he is talking about the Negro population as a whole rather than just one man, using this title brings attention to the population as a whole. This is why Ellison omits these articles from his title.
ReplyDeleteJustin,
DeleteDo you only think he's talking to the Negro population?
White men were raised to consider blacks as lower then them. The men at the battle Royal were entertained by the torture and struggle of the black men. Mr. Norton, however he may have been raised, had become accustomed, to the way things were run at the black university. Black men were treated as equals. However, after Norton visited Trueblood and the Golden Day, I feel his view of Blacks was skewed. He began to see why they were treated so lowly in the modern culture. Because they participated in things like incest and uncontrolled drinking with prostitutes. This scared Norton and made him lower his standards for black men and in this way he became more like the men at the Battle Royal because his amount of respect for them was lowered immensely.
ReplyDeleteThe awakening is competent title because throughout the beginning of the book it continuously shows the, up to now, main character as a young, freethinking woman. "Mrs. Pontellier sprang out of bed and went in to the next room." is one of the many examples of her youth. In todays society and throughout the ages it has been the current young generation, just out of their teens, that change civilization. I think that given how much society changes over the next 100 years after this books publishing, it shows how she belongs to the group of young people who would reform or awaken society.
ReplyDeleteNow that the characters have returned for their vacation, in a way it could be a metaphor for the title of a book. Although this is just a guess, because a good many things my change later in the book, it sill could be added to a list of possible ideas. Just speaking out of personal experience, I don't think it would be too far of a jump to assume that maybe the families vacation was suppost to represent a dream. Vacations seem to highlight all the good things in life and leave out the bad. After the fake reality ends, the characters including Edna specifically may be left with a type of shock to find that all her plans of change might not be as easy as she had hoped. Now that her husband is growing more concerned and angry, she wants to remove herself farther and farther.
ReplyDeleteAs the book continues on, the conflict seems to be evolving. Originally, it was mental and almost emotional. But now, one characters conflict seems to be spreading around a whole social group. Edna's discontent first started with Robert leaving, but now Mr. Pontellier has noticed that Edna has started to act on her thoughts. He even went as far as to consult a doctor about his wife's "mental instability." It will be interesting later in the book to see how this problem resolves its self. Will it have an emotional, a physical, or another type of conflict outcome?
ReplyDeleteThe title implies that a character or the plot suggests that some how someone comes to a realization. Edna slowly but surely build confidence to be an independent woman and is "reborn" or awakens thus making the title the theme of this book. The title is even mention in key quotes such as, “The years that are gone seem like dreams—if one might go on sleeping and dreaming—but to wake up and find—oh! well! Perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all one’s life.” I think the setting is important because it is located near the sea, an important symbol throughout the book representing Edna's struggle to "stay afloat" in life. The main underlying conflict of all this thus far is the conflict between one's individual and society's crushing and unwavering mold. Characters such as Edna often have this conflict every day such as Edna wished to be a free but society states that she much be a "house wife" and please her husband. Chopin reveals character though intensively heavy detail to every things about the person, their thoughts, and the setting they're in.
ReplyDeleteAlthough your reasoning makes sense, I thought the author chose the setting for a whole other reason. She chose it most likely to show the struggles in a deep society that keep trying to push her around just like strong waves. The title likely represent her becoming more and more aware of this.
DeleteThe absence of an article in the title "Invisible Man" is a statement on the universality of invisibility. The author is suggesting that the protagonist is not actually invisible, but that we all are invisible. No one truly sees us, and therefore we all lack visible solidity.
ReplyDeleteThis makes a lot of sense Q. People don't really see us until they really get to know us, and even then sometimes it seems as if people don't know us. This book could be about any invisible man because in our own ways we are all invisible.
DeleteThe title is crucial to the plot of the story, foreshadowing the overall point of the novel. As Edna's character develops, she begins to realize, or rather awaken from her previous deduction of her life. She becomes aware of reality as she never was before, and begins to question orders she would have otherwise immediately obeyed. She challenges the very boundaries of her self and others. As the story advances, Edna wanders into a rebellion from her prior life, feeling unsatisfied with herself as well as her marriage. "A certain light was beginning to dawn dimly within her,-the light which, showing the way, forbids it” (13). In this quote, Chopin uses a metaphor to imply Edna's awakening, representing the importance of the title.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if this is where we are supposed to post Blog post #2 but I'm assuming here so here goes. "Invisible Man" is a book that stirs very deep thoughts the minds of it's readers. It makes people think if that is really how black people were treated in the 1950's. Do they really think of themselves as "invisible" in the eyes of whit people? The narrator's experiences at the paint factory (10)and in the boarding house (12) help with our perception of these questions. "Invisible Man" is a book that really makes people think whether they are or were really fair to people of another race.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Grant but I think that being "invisible" is also because no one actually knows his real name. They all know is fake name. Which we don't know what his fake name is.
DeleteI think you have a good point Grant, especially about the paint factory. The way that he is treated when he accidently walks into the "Union" meeting seems to be a good example of the beginning stages of him feeling "invisible". The men wouldn't listen to his thoughts or explain himself, and he just seemed to be a figure standing there with no importance. The white men are not treating him fairly because of the color of his skin.
Delete"Invisible Man" is a confusing and almost surreal book with a realistic take on life. The whole book seems to spent in the narrators dream-like world, as if the author is trying to give a sense of feeling "invisible." It seems that he is always lost in a world were being a different race causes people to not only view one differently, but maybe not even at all. One of the most comfusing parts in the story is when the narrator wakes up in the Pain factory Hospital after an accident. He must have had a minor concusion becuase he could not even remember his own name and acted as a child when spoken to(239).
ReplyDeleteOne other thing for ya Mrs. T, weren't e supposed to have another blog post? Or I am I just blind as a bat and missed the questions somewhere?
ReplyDeleteCaptain,
DeleteYou remember correctly. However, the realization that reading wasn't really happening forced a change in my plans. Stay turned in the Feb. 25 week for more to come!!
Although Edna keeps pushing the boundary closer and closer to her freedom,she finds that more and more people are attempting and succeeding to influence her. One of the most cunning characters is Arobin. On the bottom of page 85, he tries to convince her that she should make her "going away" party quite grand, and leave the bill to Leonce. Since her husband is on a trip, Arobin has had no trouble inviting himself over to see Edna. Although his intentions are not quite clear, he most likely has something to gain at the split of Edna and her husband. Perhaps he even just want nothing more then to be with her himself. " His cheeks were the color of crushed grapes, and his dusky eyes glowed with languishing fire(89)" This quote proves the way Edna views him. She feels conflicted, yet is still very tempted to fall under his spell.
ReplyDeleteIn the book, The Awakening, there are many different emotions. I find it strange that Edna in a way pretends to be happy with Mr. Pontellier even though she isn't. I also find it strange that Edna keeps trying different things such as swimming father than any other women has, yet, when she does things like that, Robert pops into her mind. I dont think Edna knows what she wants right now and that is her awakening. She isnt happy with her life right now and she wants a change.
ReplyDeleteAmanda, I disagree with the idea that Edna pretends to be happy. I think although she wishes to be happy with him, she is not. She conves this unhappiness almost without restraint.
DeleteEllison omits the words 'the and 'an' from his title to make his main character ambiguous. The protagonist's ambiguity is used so that the story doesn't represent one man who is enduring numerous hardships but rather a whole race fighting for equality and clawing their way through life. On page three, Ellison tells how the character is not seen by society for his full value and how he is a normal person but Ellison doesn't mention a name. The hardships and extremities of this story are powerful in depicting the grim existence of blacks in total in this time period.
ReplyDeleteThe prologue helps to support that the protagonist doesn't necessarily believe he is literally unseen but rather that the entire race of blacks are disregarded and ignored even though they are the same besides their skin color. The speech is also a great example of the man being tossed aside.
ReplyDeleteNorton is a lot like the men at the Battle Royal because of how he views himself as superior. The men used the fight as a way to prove that they were better, like Norton proved when he gave Trueblood money. Without blacks for them to be better than, they are just normal white folks. Now, they can be seen as better than everyone else.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone else think that kate chopin is in a way against womans rights? In the book at the end when edna commits suciced, I think that kate was saying that woman were not ready to be totally free, and gave up that want willingly. Since the ocean is the freedom and edna represents the women, couldn't this mean that women sucomed to the hardships of what freedom holds?
ReplyDelete