Invisible Man Rhetorical Analysis- Draft 2 Donna Nguyen

Author Ralph Ellison, in his novel Invisible Man starte off his inspirational
novel by saying, I a! an invisible !an"#Ellison p" $%" &his passage sho's 'hat the
narrator is thin(ing an his thoughts on being invisible" Ellison)s purpose for having
the passage in the boo( is to !a(e the reaers feel sy!pathy for the narrator by using a
self-epressing tone"
Ellison begins his passage by stating that his narrator is an invisible !an, but not
the ghostly type of invisible" *e then shifts to saying that he is a !an of substance an
that he)s only invisible because people refuse to see hi!" Ellison appeals to pathos, I a!
a !an of substance, flesh, an bone, an fiber an li+uis#Ellison p" $% 'hich sho's that
he is a real hu!an being, the reason for his invisibility is the people, the people are the
ones 'ho refuse to see hi!" *e ens that state!ent by saying that he is li(e the boiless
hears you see in the circus" &he fact that Ellison use such escriptive 'ors li(e flesh
an bone !ae the auience feel pity for the narrator because his invisibility 'asn)t a
choice, it 'as a given, he is a real person living an breathing"
Ellison ens his passage by closing it 'ith saying that people can see everything
e-cept for hi!" *e tries to !a(e people feel guilty even though they haven)t one
anything" *e says that 'hen people approach the narrator, they see his surrounings,
the!selves, or fig!ents of their i!agination" .hile 'riting the closing for this passage,
Ellison liste everything the people sa' first, before saying that they sa' everything
e-cept for hi!" &his 'ay of structuring the sentence is effective because the reaers 'ill
rea fast an slo' o'n in the en 'here there 'as a slight plot t'ist" &he techni+ue
helps further Ellison)s purpose because the auience 'ill rea through the list fast about
'hat people can see, but then they slo' o'n an they on)t really notice that the en of
that sentence 'ill say that he is still not seen"
&he reason for Ellison)s passage at the beginning of the boo( 'as to !a(e people
feel sy!pathy upon the narrator"