Angel Gaona

10/18/2013
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 separation, and
explain how those differences invoke cause negative emotions. He adopts a longing/yearning
tone in order to bring his audience to realize that these social dilemmas affect not only him, but
society overall.
The most effective way Ellison presents how racial differences affect him is by having
the narrator talk in first person. The narrator starts the book by saying I am an invisible man
(pg.1). Those first four words immediately begin some type of response from the audience. An
invisible man gives the impression that the narrator is lowering himself from society for some
reason. He continues talking in first person. He constantly uses I and Me followed by a
negative description. For example he says I am a man of substance, flesh and bone and liquids
and I might even be said to possess a mind (pg. 1) Thus, the narrator is lowering himself by
describing that he might not even possess a mind due to how he looks on the outside. Thus
Ellison begins to show that these social dilemmas make the narrator feel inferior due to his race.
He continues that pattern and in the end he says When they approach me they see everything
and anything except me (pg. 1). This directly shows how the narrator is affected due to the
racial separation. He sees that society doesnt see what he represents. They see him the way they
want and the narrator feels anger and frustration due to the fact that they dont see what he truly
represents.
Having the narrator talk in first person allows Ellison to use imagery. Being an invisible
man is a concept that the narrator created. Thus he uses imagery to show what it represents and
Angel Gaona
10/18/2013
Period 3rd
to tell the audience how he feels labeling himself this way. The narrator wants to clarify that he
is a human. He states I am a man of substance, flesh and bone and liquids and I might even be
said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.(pg.
1) This automatically gives the audience the image of a man thats being put aside by society.
Ellison than continues to explain how he feels invisible. He compares it to bodiless heads in
the circus and being surrounded by hard, distorting glass. This comparison gives the audience a
morbid image. Thus Ellison is able to show that feeling invisible is comparable to being a fool or
simply dead. Youre nothing to society. Society controls you as it pleases and you arent able to
do anything. All these negative images the narrator creates are to portray that invisibility is not
something that any person should ever experience. Social differences, which are all concepts, can
evoke all these emotions within a person. Emotions that distort what they believe about
themselves and how they perceive the world.
Invisibility is a concept that Ellison explains as a representation of how a person, who is
hated against for racial purposes, 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. It creates emotions that affect him and the people around him in a
negative way. Thus, he yearns for those perceptions to go away so society can really see who he
is.